Why Your Social Media Efforts Suck

In one of my photojournalism classes, we keep hearing one thing over and over again: Just putting things together does not make a good picture.

Why not replace “a good picture” with “social media strategy”?  Just putting things together does not make social media strategy.

It’s just a pile of things. Nothing more.

I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, but people don’t understand it. You create a Twitter account, Facebook page, and then put links on your website. You smile, sit back, and wait for followers and fans rushing in. Yea, you will be waiting for a long time.

That’s not social media strategy, that’s called social media pile or social media piling, which is what you’re doing without a clear strategy. You spend time and resources creating profiles and putting some content on them, but what’s the point if nobody sees it?

Creating a bunch of profiles, posting on them and tweeting, trying to “engage” your audience, and throwing a fit because it’s not working, is not a good strategy. It is one if your goal is to fail.

So think about it. What exactly is the purpose of your presence on social media websites? Just because everyone is on it, is not a good reason.

Here’s a way I like to think about strategy, some personal wisdom.

You need to know your final destination in order to know how to get there. Going East is not a destination, it’s a direction. But going to New York City is a destination. So think about the destination, not a direction. Destination = Goal.

This is important if you want to measure your results. You know where you need to be and when, so it gives you an easy way to track your results. I hope you noticed “when”, because without a time limit you can’t measure anything. Set a specific time limit for your social media strategy, see how it goes. Then keep revising and updating it to keep it effective. It’s not a state, it’s a continuous process.

So remember, you need a final destination to know what tools you need to use to get there. Don’t just throw things in a pile and expect them to work. That’s all it is, a pile of things.

If you don’t know what social media strategy is I recommend reading Social Media Examiner’s article 7 Steps For a Successful Social Media Strategy, good information there.

What’s your personal wisdom on social media strategy? Do share, please.