For those of you who are out here working to help people understand what Social Media is and how it should be used, you have more than likely had people say to you..

“If I am not to post promotional content about my business’ product on Twitter as frequently as I want then why am I using Twitter?”

“I am only on the internet to promote my brand not my name.”

“No, I am not really getting anything out of Twitter, I just post there because it is where ‘people’ are.”

“Facebook is just another form of advertising for my business.  Being social is for dweebs or people who have no purpose in life.”

And, I am sure you have received a few dozen more like them..I know I have.  What is really being said is…”I don’t care what people think or do in these social networks, I just want them to buy.”

Wrong Attitude

This bad attitude still exists and in large numbers out in every type of business..even the savvy PR Firms.  Unfortunately, as the economy worsens, more and more of the businesses, who were using social media correctly, are now pulling back to using more aggressive styles of marketing which is getting very close to SPAM.  As a result, more ads are being forced into social threads and , Yes, the Spam is coming in from all directions and in all forms.

Anti-Social Media

What is clearly becoming more visible in the business world today is the high level of adversity millions of business people have with being social.  Not all of their reasons for not being social in their social spaces is caused by uncomfortableness.  Most is based on a lack of interest in feeling there is any need to be social in the marketing of their business’ product or service.

This growing stubbornness is demonstrated in how many businesses use the internet as nothing but a place to billboard their products.

Many of these attitudes toward anti-social media are built around many businesses’ requirement a certain percentage of ROI is generated in each dollar spent.  Many times this ROI percentage is over 100% of the funds appropriated for any campaign involving social media.  Since in most cases obtaining any measurable ROI through a half-ass attempt at using social media is near impossible these businesses set themselves up to fail from the beginning.

Being Social Rules

The bell is starting to ring true for many businesses who understand social media works best as part of a join online and offline social networking effort in their marketing plans.  The success stories are pouring in each day on how someone representing a business online snags a new client that takes their business to a high level of success.

What many businesses do not see…or maybe care to see… is the social media results for these businesses are not made overnight.  And, their success was not made by posting dozens of impersonal posts on Facebook and Twitter.  It was made by placing someone dedicated to managing the company’s online image.  This means someone was monitoring all social spaces 24/7 and reached out to people in their social space to build a solid network of real people…who also are consumers.

Attempting to force social media to being a form of high pressure sales is what many businesses push their marketing departments to create.  It just will not work in today’s socially apt environment.  Consumers are not interested in being pressured into buying.  Consumers have far more tools enabling them to go around the high pressure sales to getting what they need, or want, directly from a manufacturer or off 3rd party ecommerce sites.

The days are numbered for the businesses who feel they do not need to be social to do business.  I hope your business is not one of them.

Let me know how I can help.