It’s time for something bigger than social media marketing, but what?

Social media has changed the way the internet works. It has also changed the way we watch TV. Today social is so huge and it only took a few years and Facebook for it to become as big as it is right now. But what marketers don’t seem to realize is that marketing on social platforms is not buying likes or promoting a post or using Twitter advertising, it is a whole lot bigger.

How big is big?

In the early days of marketing, people would talk at people in the hopes of trying to convince them that their product was what they needed. They would blast all sorts of comments and clever words that would work. We became used to it and accepted it as the norm but what people didn’t see then was the power of influence which is actually socially fed. Remember the saying keeping up with Jones’? Well that’s the power of social and influence.

To answer the ‘how big is big?’ question we have to realise that social marketing isn’t about how many likes you have or followers you’ve gained. That doesn’t mean anything unless that community is actually activated. All too often, brands accumulate a healthy number of followers and they post the same old content that doesn’t do much for conversation or sharing. It becomes predictable. Social is actually what we as humans live for. We need interaction with other people.

Social marketing isn’t just Facebook or any other social network, its creating a following that promotes your brand because they believe in it. They do it without a fancy incentive like winning an iPad or watch. They do it subconsciously because your marketing sold them. This triggers a chain reaction that is far greater than SEO or mobile marketing for that matter.

Yes both SEO and mobile are huge but as humans naturally are, we crave social environments. The ability to boast or brag or simply take part in something is what we live for. All that Twitter does is give us an online avenue to engage these social desires a lot faster and with major consequence to a brand. An example of this would be when I had a piece of plastic in my fish I immediately turned to Twitter to let my friends know. Now potentially that could reach my 400 odd followers and that could influence them to not trust or buy that product.

Doesn’t sound like much, 400 people? What are the odds? But look further. Five people talk about the awesome pub that they went to. They have about 300 friends each. That is a possible 1 500 people who would see that post. One or two shares and that pub could potential gain 100 new walk-ins above their usuals.

This can happen to your brand. Whether it is positive or negative, natural human desire for socializing is the key factor when it comes to marketing. All these platforms allow us to engage and really take part in a lot easier ways than before. We aren’t stupid, and businesses can’t just speak at people anymore. What must be realized is that social media marketing is not Facebook posts or tweets or pins or plus 1s, its being social on these platforms. Taking part in conversation. Seeding content to influences.

If social marketing is done correctly the results can be amazing. Far greater than that of mobile ads or sites or even SEO. Yes you need likes and followers but once you have built a community of loyalists they generally stick by you, promote and advertise you. All you did was be social. You actually catered for a natural human desire. Look at the Apple loyalists for example.

So how big is social marketing? It is simply massive if done right. Be social and interact as a human. Appeal to a natural desire and your business will do far greater than a simple posts about the weather. Don’t be a social media marketer be a social marketer.