Social media is the new black

Social media marketing is the new black. Everyone is talking about it. Well, ok, it’s mostly consultants trying to get their pitch out. Most of the articles I’ve seen tend to focus on an SEO angle… produce more content, use more keywords, build more in-bound links… and cha-ching. But reducing social media to only a marketing strategy misses the point of social media: it’s a means of communication. You know, dialogue with real human beings.

Let’s say it’s 1889 and a businessman comes to you, the consultant, and says, “I hear about this thing called the telephone. I think it’s going to be big. How can I develop a telephone strategy?” Of course, the telephone isn’t the strategy, it’s a means to an end. It’s a way of having conversations with your audience.

Like the telephone, social media can be abused. Do Not Call lists have sprung up to prevent interruptions at dinner and the general annoyance that comes from script-reading telemarketers. Social media such as blogs and Twitter may be opt-in, but it can be equally annoying to stumble upon contrived sales pitches and SEO keyword stuffed articles. Disingenuous conversations are the ones people leave.

In other words, social media is, above all, about keeping it real.