- People use them because they're a convenient way to engage with other individuals. If it was inconvenient, nobody would do it.
- You can't ask someone else to be your voice and still be credible.
- Real influencers can't be bought, and they'll laugh at you if you try.
I try not to be negative in my life. I'm not a huge proponent of all that hippy "putting positive energy out there" stuff, but if I have to put energy out there all the time I may as well try to make is work for me.
But sometimes it's hard to not just want to pull my hair out and yell at respected organizations, who should know better, putting meaningless crap in their white papers.
It turns out that when marketers author a white paper, they take good research carried out by the likes of Pew, Forrester, and Nielsen, and turn it into really good fertilizer. Here's a few examples of statements in real white papers which illustrate the points up at the top of this post.
1. Lies, damn lies, and advertising.
"...people who are heavy users of sites like Facebook and Twitter actually use email more than casual social network users do."Okay, I can believe that.
"Why is this? Social media sites like Facebook [send an email] whenever someone comments on something you post..."Uh...wait, what? Let me get this straight -- people who use Facebook use email more because they receive more email...from Facebook? Please wait one second while my head explodes...
So the reason for the heavier volume of inbound email isn't from interacting more with email...it's from interacting more...with Facebook.
What I think the white paper author probably meant to say is that social network users typically live their lives in a generally-more-electronically-connected way. They're more likely to send an email than pick up the phone. Or that -- wait for it -- spending more time sat in front of your computer makes you more likely to use email no matter what Web sites you're looking at.
2. The Milli Vanilli Method
"75% [of marketers] plan on increasing their activities [on Facebook.]" While "73% of marketers will increase their activities on Twitter." 71 percent of LinkedIn marketers, and 75 percent of blog marketers also plan to increase their activities on those platforms.Sadly, less obviously in the same report, it was noted that 10 percent of marketers surveyed said that they'd be outsourcing content creation.
So here's what bugs me about this...they still don't get it. Its marketers being full of crap. Again. And it makes me furious. Outsourcing social network content creation is the Milli Vanilli method. Why would you ever give someone from outside your company direct access to your most important and viral customer service point of contact? If you want your customers to get to know who you are, isn't being yourself a good place to start?
3. You scratch my back, I...er...I got nothin'.
"We do some data minig to identify [influencers]. These are people you'd want to target with special campaigns/offers and proactive communications."Now, I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but if you have 20,000 Twitter followers, and you get a special targeted message or (better yet) free stuff from an organization that has a product that you haven't expressed some kind of interest in, aren't you likely to ponder "Why am I receiving these messages from this company that just started following me?"
Most companies don't realize that the other side of this "free marketing" sword is twice as sharp, and uncontrollable by the marketer. For example, if they happen to come across as a jerk by getting offended that you're not reciprocating by alerting your followers, they can expect that you'll call them out. Publicly. To your 20,000 followers.
So marketers, I get that you have to find ways to monetize social space for your company, I really do. I mean, it's what I do, too. But at least be honest with your audience -- they're not stupid. Making false connections, continuing to support outsourcing social media content creation, and sleazing up to thought-leaders is only going to show you up for what you are: a salesman, hopelessly applying old closing techniques to a new world order you don't understand.
So be more than that. For me. Do it for you. Get yourself waist-deep in Twitter and really connect with people. Don't talk about what you're selling; just listen to what matters to your new friends...then help them achieve it.