The results in traffic and SEO for brands using the site tell a similar story. According to an article by Emma Bazilian entitled,“Pinterest: The New Facebook for Lifestyle Magazines,” “Real Simple’s site traffic from Pinterest has surpassed referrals from Twitter and Facebook combined, making it the second biggest referral source after Google.”

Bottom line: Consumers love Pinterest.

Why the obsession? I believe the success of Pinterest can be attributed to a number of different things, however; above all, Pinterest is so successful because it appeals to our innate VISUAL nature. This may sound extremely obvious, but when it comes to social media content generation I feel like this point is often forgotten.  As I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed everyday I find myself saying in regards to a brand’s update “If only they would have paired that information with an image. How much more successful would it have been?” Additionally, a social media content generator posting images and graphics without a thought for good design is equally as distressing.

Pinterest is eye-candy. Our mind is drawn to the gorgeous photos of food, home décor, beautiful people and stylish clothes.  Once we’re drawn in, we dig for more. We click the referral links. We dig deeper to find out “How do I make this?” or “How can I get this?” We’re hooked. For this reason, magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens and Martha Stewart Living are booming with traffic from Pinterest.

Why?
Let’s face it, when we read magazines and blogs we skim. I don’t sit there and read every single article. I look at the photos and the headlines that connect with me then read further if I am interested.

In short, that’s Pinterest- the photo and the headline. A recipe for success.

The basis of his post states that if you can’t get the rice right, you won’t be able to serve good sushi. Translate that to the marketing world and this becomes a poignant message. Unless you are really good at the MOST important things, you will not succeed with the latest marketing tool etc.

I take this into the realm of social media since that is the buzzword of today and the number 1 thing marketers are flocking to. Every day it seems as though new self-proclaimed “social media experts” and consultants are popping up. It becomes scary to think that someone that spends a great deal of time navigating this technological space believes that he/she is now qualified to coach businesses through using these tools as a marketing platform. Perhaps they are extremely technologically savvy and constantly in the know about the up and coming social networks. They may also grasp the idea of social media and why it is so important for a marketer to pay attention to it. Even still – without solid expertise on the basics, these efforts will fall flat.

The basics boil down to the principles of marketing and communication.

Do you know what your customers want? Do you know your target market? Do you know how to effectively communicate a message? Do you have the ability to look beyond the digital realm and realize how social media efforts play a role in overall branding and marketing? Are you upholding brand image with every piece of communication?  Are you creative?

As marketers, these are questions that we need to be asking every day. These are also questions that potential buyers of social consulting need to ask their potential consultant. Let’s never lose sight of the basics.

1) Keep it short!
People are skimmers. Get your point across with the shortest amount of text possible.

2) Use a relaxed, friendly tone.
Don’t take the copy from your traditional advertising *think radio ad* and use it on social media. (i.e. For more information call 1-800-685-5058) If you feel the need to do this you are probably using a sales-y approach as opposed to generating interesting content. Show your brand’s personality not robotic posting.

3) Change it up.
We have the ability to post links, photos, videos, status updates on Facebook. Use them all (especially photos and videos). Change it up and keep things interesting.

4) Keep it relevant.
People want to read current, relevant content that is on topic to your brand and business. Don’t stray far from your area of expertise. Instead, get creative with your posts!

5) Tag appropriately.
Tagging is a powerful tool for business pages on Facebook. If appropriate, be sure to utilize this tool.

Here are some things to think about when you’re in a content generation rut.

- Don’t post just to post. Sometimes silence is better than posting something half heartedly just for the sake of posting something. I wrote another blog post about this topic. Forcing a conversation is worse than no conversation at all.

- Share! If you’re not doing this already, take the time to share someone else’s article or piece of content. Perhaps enlist a guest blogger. Begin a discussion from another person’s content.

- Ask Questions. I’m not talking about the meaningless “How are you doing today?” type of questions. (see first point: Don’t post just to post.) I’m talking about genuine questions to ask your target audience. If you’re not sure what type of content your fans/followers/readers are interested in, ask them. Get that valuable feedback! Remember: social media isn’t about you, it’s about your audience.

- Strategize and re-group. We always, ALWAYS recommend a strategy before entering into the realm of social media. It is easy to get side-tracked, overwhelmed and waste time when a plan is not in place. It may be time to take a step back and re-evaluate your strategy (if you already had one in place) or take the time to map out a strategy. A well-thought out plan, clear direction and purpose will greatly assist in taking away “content rut” syndrome.

On the surface, these automation tools offer a seemingly convenient way to “be everywhere” while doing half the work. The problem is, your audience realizes this and the personal nature of the tools is completely lost. I have attempted communication with brands on Twitter that are operating through Facebook to Twitter automation and have rarely received a response.

If you are tempted to take this easy route of automation, consider the following:

1) A “set it and forget it” attitude does not work on social media
Setting up your profiles and pushing out information is not effectively using social media. It is apparent to the user when a brand has the “set it and forget it” attitude. Posts on Facebook walls and Twitter replies are ignored. Generating relevant content is a large piece of social media, however it cannot stop there. Availability and monitoring conversations about your brand are all part of making it work.

2) Focus on the portal where you want to spend the time.
Social media may be free in the monetary sense, but it is far from free when it comes to time. If the automation is simply a matter of not enough time, try to focus your energy. Instead of doing a middle-of-the-road job on multiple portals, devote your time on what appeals to you the most. It is more important to foster a network of truly loyal, engaged people instead of pushing out a message to every portal out there without taking the time necessary to make it work.

3) Facebook and Twitter both have their own language.
A hashtag on Facebook makes absolutely no sense. Not to mention, multiple posts per day on Twitter is perfectly acceptable, but inundating your Facebook following with multiple status updates is the quickest way to get your page “un-liked”.  When you can’t get the point of a tweet across in 140 characters, it is not appropriate to post. Take the time to learn how the audience on each portal communicates and act accordingly. Remember: Social media is about the USER not your brand.

In Conclusion: If you want to publish the same content on Facebook and Twitter, customize it.
No doubt, there are times when the same content will be published by your brand on both Facebook and Twitter. This is fine, but do take the time to customize each message for the particular portal.

According the the “Social Break-Up,” a study that surveyed 1,500+ consumers about their online behaviors and motivations for unliking or unfollowing brands on social media, the number one reason a business page will get “unliked” is as a result of posting too frequently. Other deterrents included, boring and predictable content, overcrowded newsfeed, and only taking advantage of a one-time offer.

This chart from mashable.com gives a great visual breakdown of why a business will get unliked on Facebook. Check out this fantastic post entitled, Top Reasons Why Consumers Unsubscribe Via E-mail, Facebook & Twitter by Erica Swallow.

So how much is too much? This is a debated issue and is truly dependent on your particular audience and brand. For one brand, one post per day may be plenty, but for another 3 is a good number. No matter what, be sure to space out your updates. Nothing is more annoying than a crowded newsfeed filled with updates from one particular brand!

As marketers it is very important for us to stop and ask this question. In fact, we should be doing that all the time. Social media (and traditional advertising for that matter) should be all about the consumer. If you don’t know what makes your consumer tick, then your marketing strategy is bound to fail.

People crave social media for multiple reasons! I condensed my thoughts into points that I feel are the main drivers. Please open up for discussion!

We have an inherent desire for connection and belonging. As humans, we have a need to be in a “community” with others. We are social creatures that desire acceptance as part of a group. Social media easily allows people to seek out specific interests and like-minded individuals. For example, I am gluten free and very grateful for the online Twitter and Facebook communities for gluten free individuals to converse, share information, and support one another.

We want to keep in touch. Friends and families are spread all over the world, but now we can easily and seamlessly keep in touch and be part of their everyday lives. Keeping in touch is simple because it makes communication about the seemingly mundane aspects of our lives acceptable. I enjoy keeping on top of what my siblings in other states are doing and feel close to them although we are geographically distant.

We want to share our opinions and have a means for personal expression. Say you have a great experience at a restaurant and you can’t wait to share what happened. It is so much easier (and more fun) to post that information via social networks. People can sometimes feel like they have no voice and their opinion doesn’t matter to anyone.  Social media gives a platform for a chance to be heard.

We want information and entertainment. In addition to keeping in touch and connecting with other people, we want good information and content. We also desire to share good information and content when we come across it. This is the reason videos, tweets, photos etc. go viral. If we have something of value to offer others, we want to pass it along! Who doesn’t enjoy receiving an excellent piece of information through social media or seeking out information we desire?

We want to be “in the know”. No one wants to feel left out or like they are missing out on something. Being on social networks allows you to keep on top of what’s current, what your favorite brand or business is working on, what your friends are up to, what products are most loved by consumers, etc.

I would love to hear your thoughts about other reasons why we crave social media!

image courtesy of Texas Power PR

This may seem like an obvious statement, however with the insurgence of self-proclaimed social media experts, it is alarming to see the amount of people influenced based solely on the “expert’s” technical know-how. The consultant or company throws out some industry-lingo and instantly calls themselves an expert. We are seeing this happen more and more. Technical know-how, of course, is part of the job. I wouldn’t trust a social media person that couldn’t work a computer more than I would trust a chef that couldn’t work an oven. However, when it comes to your social media efforts your brand identity and image is on the line. This requires someone that understands your goals and understands HOW these goals are met in the social media environment. This goes way beyond knowing how to properly use FBML or install WordPress!

The determinant factor of the success of a social media strategy lies not just in the technical execution, but in the ideas and content. Without the content you might as well throw in the towel.  In fact, beginning a social media journey without the proper strategy or guidance can be extremely detrimental to your brand. Social media involves a branding and communication initiative first and foremost, not necessarily a technical one.

Here are some questions to ask  if you find yourself in need of an expert:

1. Do they have marketing and communication experience? Have they been successful in that realm?

2. Can they provide measurable success on social media in the past? Can they provide case studies?

3. Do they themselves “walk the walk”?

4. Are their plans integrated with other marketing efforts?

5. Do they understand your business, goals and brand?

What other questions would you ask a self-proclaimed social media expert?

There are so many social media automation tools out there to make life easier. Tools like HootSuite and Cotweet allow you to schedule your tweets ahead of time. Most blogging software also has scheduling features. You can literally set up your posts for the week at once and have them post at your desired times.

These tools certainly do relieve the need for being “glued” to your computer 24/7, but is it really a good idea? My answer: yes and no.

Why yes:

If your business has regular updates that need to be pushed out, then go ahead and automate. This information is very unlikely to change and it becomes a matter of providing timely content. As we all know, content in  social media is crucial. People are interested in brands and businesses on social media for the VALUE. Part of that value is created through regular content and information. Again, if your content is not going to change, then there is nothing wrong with scheduling it ahead of time. In fact, it is better to be sure the information is posted as opposed to letting your social media efforts go by the wayside.

Why no:

A twitter account that only becomes a stream of automated posts is going to be lacking. The point of connecting with brands on social media is not to engage with a robot! It has become a cliche phrase and I almost hate to say it again, but social media is about conversations. If you are not actively participating in real, two way communication then you are missing the point. One of the main benefits of using social media for your business is the fact that it humanizes your company. No longer are you just a logo on a sign, you now have a voice and a personality that is translated through communication!I recommend setting up your content to post at your desired times, but then making sure to actively participate in timely conversations.

When is automation NOT ok:

In my opinion, auto direct messaging should never be used.  It is so impersonal and mostly just annoying. If your business is sending out an auto direct message  -think twice. Nothing says “robot” more than this.

image courtesy of Hugh MacLeod

It seems like everyday we’re introduced to at least a half dozen new “Social media experts” who will gladly assist your business with Twitter, Facebook, Blogging and whatever else is popular that day. With unemployment so high right now, a lot of would-be entrepreneurs are diving into social media, simply thinking that just by knowing how to use the tools, they’re capable of overseeing a brand’s image online.

This new sentiment is scary to say the least.

What a lot of businesses fail to understand is the true power of social media and where it is going. Yes kids, social media is the future, and I’ve got news for you, the future has arrived.

There are a few key questions to ask yourself when hiring a self-proclaimed “Social media expert.”

1. Would I hire this person to create and build my brand?

2. Would I put this person in charge of my customer service ?

3. Would I put this person in charge of my advertising campaign?

If you cannot give a solid yes nod to any of these questions, then you might want to think twice.  Social media is about interaction with your customers, future customers, partners and associates. It is about building trust and solid relationships. Social Media is about communication on the most fundamental levels.  These people will all form an opinion about you and your business based upon that social media experience.  Is this something you really want to put in the hands of someone who just knows how to post some pictures, play Farmville and re-tweet a motivational quote?

No matter what you hear, Social Media is marketing, customer service and relationship building all wrapped up in one. When someone walks in for a meeting about building your new blog or managing your tweets, remember, they are the face of your business on the fastest growing form of communication ever. Proceed with caution.