Getting in the Game

Over the past year, I've worked closely with several small-medium companies that were just diving into the social media world. Most of these companies had little knowledge and even less initiative about how to get the ball rolling. Most companies just believe an audience and a Facebook site would be enough to build their SM world. These companies had no goal, little integration with traditional marketing and incomplete buy-in from the higher-ups.

So for this initial blog, I'd like to identify a few key terms that can be used to describe problems in the SM world.

Content-Dump: This is what you get when a company doesn't regularly update their SM campaigns. Usually once a month, they decide to toss as much content as possible onto their sites and create multiple posts at once. Often times its more than enough content to spread over a month but its being "dumped" all at once.
- Problem- Followers need a reason to come back to your site. Once a month will not keep someone's attention. You go to a site, you see new information, come back a couple times over the next 2 weeks and see nothing new, you assume the site is dead. Being fresh requires a little more work, but it keeps your community very active and engaged.
-Fix- Spread your content out. Make sure you are strategic. If you have a hot-button topic, get it out there fast and promote conversation. Even if your content is slow and your lacking, post some relevant articles or research about your industry, anything is better than nothing in the Social Media world.

It's All About Us Syndrome: This is when all your content is surrounded about the greatness of your company. Your message is tailored to your awesomeness and how great your company is. There's little information about your actual company or what you really do. But there's plenty out there about how much you sell or how many accolades your products or services have won.
-Problem- Audience knows nothing about your actual company. SM is all about finding what is at the root of the company. Being involved in the company and feeling like they actually care.
-Fix- Go ahead and mention those things. But show your power by also tossing in promotions. Ask for feedback, give stuff away. Even go as far as to develop apps that are solely for entertainment. People who like you, buy you, even if you aren't the best.

This one is short, check back later for my review of the top Auto-Industry social media initiatives.