Look, Mom, I Can Meme!

There are very few things in marketing that I despise more than social media.

Not because of social media itself, but because it’s a ton of work. Maintaining a consistent social media presence hinges on a number of factors that make the work a nightmare.

You need to post daily…at the right times. Don’t forget the proper hashtags. Wait, that platform doesn’t use hashtags! You need to respond to any message within 15 minutes. Otherwise, you won’t get the XYZ label. You need that label!!! Gain followers! Critical mass! Become a thought leader!

How do I go viral!?

In our marketing quest for perfect social media, we too often end up throwing crap out of a speeding truck at our potential clients. You know this garbage content. It’s the junk food of digital marketing. Random inspirational quotes, the latest Simon Sinek TED Talk, tag heavy photos from networking events, and yes, the random “witty” meme. You know the ones. Digital dad jokes left out there so you can show people your brand is funny.

The problem is that none of this works.

All it ends up being is more noise. There’s so much of it from so many sources it becomes impossible to sort out any kind of real message from it. It’s not just the content. Messaging on social media feels distant and incredibly transactional. Not a day goes by on LinkedIn where I don’t get some kind of random sales pitch in my inbox. Just reading them it’s clear the sender has no idea who I am, what I do, or what I need.

It’s so bad that, on a couple of occasions, I have missed people who actually needed my help because I turned my back on that noise.

Back turning is common. The constant shouting, heckling, and carnival barking on social media lead most people to either embrace the chaos, go insane or walk away. As an individual, it’s simply a matter of choice. But for business owners, it becomes a frequently asked question with a frighteningly simple answer.

Do You Need Social Media for Your Marketing?

Yes.

Maybe this isn’t the answer you wanted, but it’s the truth. Social media provides an incredible resource to small businesses, entrepreneurs, recruiters, content creators, marketers, designers, and a host of others. Sure, it’s a massive headache. But it’s also one of the best ways to engage with people, especially in these current times.

It’s easy to blame social media as a construct. All of this noise must be because of the platforms themselves. We’re just playing their marketing game after all. The algorithm needs to be appeased so we can be seen. That requires an endless stream of content and followers. It’s a beast we have to feed. A game that we accept as inevitable because, despite six memes in two days on the power of the abundance mindset, we fear that we might lose our piece of the pie to someone else.

The eternal quest for an epic brand too often leads to us just being loud…and nothing more.

But a brand is much more than its content, logo, website, or even the funny memes it posts. Brands are built upon a foundation of public perception. Your brand is not the list of adjectives you came up with in some branding brainstorm session. It’s not your mission/vision statement, core values, or company culture even though all of those things come into play when branding.

Your brand is how the world sees you…everywhere.

So What Do We Do Instead?

The real benefit of social media is the connection it allows you to form with your potential client/customer. It’s the chance to build community with other people, to help them, and, in turn, ask them for help. At its core, social media is a tool for communication and connection.

Don’t confuse this with blind idealism. Even in this paradigm of social media as a tool for communication, there are nuisances, pains, and just general worst practices. Unsolicited sales messages, passive-aggressive attacks on competitors and customers, an endless stream of deceptive practices, and the unrelenting feeling that you are missing something to name a few.

Do you want to make your social media better?

Then stop trying to “leverage the tech” to “10x your business.” Use social media to connect with those people you spend all of that time being passionate about serving. Make that passion more than some quick brand lingo. Learn about them. Find out what they want, what they need, and what they don’t really care about. Engage with them like they were more than numbers on a spreadsheet.

Basically, be a human.

And please stop trying to be super witty.