Don't Rush Into Social Marketing, Think About it First

by Samir Balwani on September 23, 2009 · View Comments

A few days ago, Seth Godin wrote an article titled “If TV Ads Were Free.” (Louis Gray wrote something similar on BrianSolis.com) Seth’s post is meant to push people to just go start with social marketing, but he also tells readers to stop worrying about learning social media marketing.

Seth, I sincerely disagree. Social media is free and everyone can try it, but they shouldn’t before having some kind of knowledge of what they’re doing.

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Why Learning Is Important

In this post, Seth writes that “… new media largely free. So why teach it in school as if it were a scary theory?”. My first question is, why does theory have to be scary?

More importantly though, it’s true that the basic idea of social marketing is easy (interact and engage with your consumers to strengthen the brand and increase the likelihood they buy from you) however, there are social media strategies that need to be taught.

Why shouldn’t a business owner take the time to learn from other brand’s mistakes. It doesn’t make sense to reinvent the wheel. This idea is the reason why case studies are so important and valuable.

Case studies not only outline what worked and what didn’t work, but also can inspire someone to create a new strategy for themselves. For example, a business owner may, after reading a case study, realize the way Vitamin Water creates their Facebook page could work for them.

Taking the time to learn social marketing strategies can help a business owner from wasting time. There are so many studies that explore social theories, outlining what works and what doesn’t work. For example, studies that explain viral headlines, or what can lead you to be retweeted, or even why people share content in the first place.

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How to Begin with Social Marketing

I agree with the spirit of Seth’s post, that you shouldn’t wait forever before engaging online, but to blindly jump in is foolish. I recommend a business owner or marketer interested in social marketing take the time to learn the basics.

You should answer the following questions before entering the social sphere:

Are you able to build a Facebook page or setup a Twitter account?
Do you understand the idea of transparency and online public relations?
Have you actively used a social network, social sharing, or social news site?
Do you have a strategy for your social interaction?
What are your goals for interacting online?
Do you understand the basics behind blogging, micro-blogging, sharing multimedia, and social media press releases?

Conclusion

Not everyone starts with the technical or marketing ability to interact with consumers online. So, for some it’s worth investing time to learn the basics.

Definitely don’t just keep trying to learn, at one point start your own blog. Creating a personal blog is one of the best ways to explore social media. It forces you to learn how to create social profiles and experience interacting with people online.

Social media definitely has a learning curve. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to spend time experimenting on your own or invest time to learn, at least, basic social marketing strategies.

What do you think? Am I wrong? Were you able to jump into social media and succeed or would you recommend someone take the time to learn about it first?

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WendyPeters September 23, 2009 at 2:48 pm: I think you're right. Jumping in with a personal blog and Twitter account is how I got started… but after I spent about 6 months watching and listening what was going on. I was interested in getting started, but had no idea what to do.

Now I've got a solid base of experience to draw from. I continue to watch and listen, but feel like I have the tools and knowledge to confidently experiment, and ideas on what to tweak next if at first I don't succeed.
Samir Balwani September 23, 2009 at 2:55 pm: Thanks for the comment Wendy! That's exactly the point. There's so much to understand, and while testing it out is great, you need somewhere to start! I'm glad it worked out for you.
PamSeibert September 23, 2009 at 5:40 pm: Excellent points. I am guilty as charged. Jumped right into Twitter without a clue what to do once I got there. I know I have a lot to learn. Thanks.
Samir Balwani September 23, 2009 at 9:01 pm: There definitely is a lot to learn Pam, but it sounds like you're doing great. Thanks for the comment.
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manikkinra September 24, 2009 at 10:05 am: Makes a lot of sense…However the tough part is to find when is the right time to jump in :)…& thats when you start believing that may be you should have jumped and learnt rather than learn wait and then jump!
larrythewineguy September 24, 2009 at 1:02 pm: You can keep thinking about it until hell freezes over. At some point you have to just jump in. If you do, listen before talking. (A good idea in other situations too.) You will eventually find your voice, have something to say, perhaps in response to someone else's post. And keep going.

It is good to think about what you are doing, but not to the point of being immobile. All too often “studying the matter” becomes an excuse for doing nothing. And doing nothing is worse than an occasional stumble in the dark.
Senderok Allen September 24, 2009 at 2:57 pm: I totally agree. For instance with Twitter, newbies have to learn how *not* to behave like the big shots who don't follow anyone even when those people follow them. On Twitter, you have to follow key quality people to build a quality following. Then, when you approach 2000 follows, you have to unfollow the prima donnas who don't follow back. Otherwise you get boxed in and can't follow new people who might want to follow back. Your tweets need to be more than 50% RTs to show others, especially those whom you'd like to do business with, that you're interested in what they have to say. All these are vital tips that, if not understood, leave many companies broken and disillusioned. They post 3 tweets and give up permanently…which damages their brand I believe.
JeffHurt September 29, 2009 at 11:45 am: Samir:

I agree with you…well partially. I think some people learn by doing and if they jump in social media and watch others, they can learn by being a spectator. I'll admit that I didn't read up on social media or read case studies before getting involved. I've seen too many people not get involved with social media because they are stuck on the strategy part instead of making the strategy simple at first and let it evolve. And I think some people use “studying” as an excuse not to get involved in social media.

A business owner could jump in and create a personal profile, watch others and practice before creating their official business account. Then create the strategy followed by their business account.

Perhaps this is a “both and” instead of a “either or” situation. I think you and Seth are both right. How's that for straddling the fence? :)