racoma.netI love to write. I write to live. I live to love.

Social Media has changed how people produce and consume information, both offline and online. Business people and marketing mavens have recognized the power of social media, and even PR firms are getting into viral and social marketing campaigns online. Some of them are getting it right. Some others are entirely missing the point.

Unfortunately, the term “social media” has been much abused, and I’m afraid that some marketers are giving social media a bad name. A lot of so called “gurus” have popped up here and there, especially on the more popular platforms like Twitter. You might sometimes be surprised with a decent-looking guy or lady with a following you or replying to some of your tweets. You check out the profile, and it seems to be from a decent person, judging from the avatar, and number of followers and friends. You reciprocate with a follow. The guy then sends inspirational quotes and updates. But what you don’t realize is that in many cases, these quotes are followed with shortened-URL links that are mostly to affiliate landing pages.

Quote, quote, link, as Nathan Hangen on TwiTip calls it in a Twitter guide to recognizing bots and spammers. He shares a few simple ways of how to avoid inadvertently following a spammer. It involves having discretion with whom you follow, and in extreme cases, blocking spammers altogether. I agree with Mr. Hangen that there’s nothing wrong with trying to sell, but “nothing says scam like a sneaky link baiting strategy.”

Spamming and baiting tactics would be on the extreme, but I also realize that some “social media” marketers may not necessarily be doing these, but are still getting wrong ideas about using Twitter, social networks and blogs for marketing. You sometimes see Twitter accounts doing nothing but shout out about deals, discounts and new products. What’s wrong with this picture? I don’t think it will be effective, because no one will really be interested in following you–unless you’re a big company with something to say, like Dell or Microsoft, perhaps.

Connecting and engaging

To me, social media marketing is not about incessant blasting of messages to tons of people. It’s about connecting and engaging. Social networks are there to augment and enhance human beings’ being social by nature. We use social tools like Twitter, Facebook and even our own blogs to communicate with people around the world. These can be people who are already your friends in the offline world in the first place. These can be new friends you meet online.

And how best to market something online than to really engage people in meaningful discussions? Be a part of the conversation. Be someone that matters. Build up your profile and your authority. Establish yourself in the community as someone who knows what you are talking about, so that they will start listening!

Market the idea

And rather than market a product or a service, why not market an idea? Ideas stick better to people’s minds than product descriptions and customer testimonials. The idea of helping save the environment is something that people will keep on talking about. The idea of buying a Prius? Well, sure I’d love to have one, but there’s money involved and it costs twice to buy here in the Philippines. So even if you keep pushing a brochure of the Prius at my face, I probably won’t buy one right there and then. But I’d still love to be a green consumer and a green driver. And with the idea of being green ingrained in my mind, the desire to buy a Prius (sometime in the future) is also in my subconscious if we keep talking about green stuff.

The Internet is not exactly new technology. But every so often, new concepts, applications, and ways of doing things come up. And people might be quick to the draw in applying old tactics to new applications. And like the new wine that bursts the old wineskin, applying old world, traditional marketing ideas might not necessarily work with new media.

Engage your audience. Connect with individuals. Market the idea.

image credit: flickr/theparadigmshifter