True Social Media Success Has To Go Further Than Just Being “Liked”

Posted on: August 25th, 2011 by Darren McLaughlin 1 Comment

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes."

--Peter Drucker

Social Media Success Is Achievable For The Motivated

These days social media marketing is hotter than Martha Stewart's stove-top. Social media is the perfect way for companies, people, and organizations to tell their stories and built trust, which is the very essence of successful marketing. That's why all of the world's top brands are attracted to Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter. They recognize a hitherto-unexplored landscape of business communication that allows them to put a face with their brand name and to personalize their contacts with their clients and prospects.

What Peter Drucker said about leadership can be easily adapted to social media marketing. In order to achieve real tangible results, social media marketers will have to go far beyond just being "Liked." Getting people to like your content and help share your material is extremely important, but is only the beginning state of a process that requires you adding value to their lives consistently over a period of time. But to question whether social media success is achievable is akin to questioning whether some people have gotten rich in the stock market. Sure, there are many more losers at buying stocks than there are Warren Buffetts, but to deny his success would be merely limiting our own universe of possibilities.

It's Up To You To Define Success

Social media success can only be defined by you. If your goal is to make sales using Twitter, then you have to decide that's your goal and stick with it. You'll need to implement a strategic plan, utilize a tracking solution, and ultimately decide on what metrics you value most.

If Klout Matters, Then Build It

If you want people to sign up for a community, you'll need to track just how many people are coming from social media and what actions they're taking once they're at your signup form. If success using social media means making more Friends on Facebook, then decide what number you want and go get them!

The bottom line is this: only you can decide whether your social media marketing is effective and whether it's working for you. Don't get into a rut over people having more success than you. Don't worry if you get comments or engagement on every single item you post. Very few do. What counts is that social media is accomplishing what you need it to, in order to advance your own goals.

The next time you sit down to do your social media marketing, be mindful of what Peter Drucker said about leadership and how it applies to your current task. It's great to be "Liked" but results are what really count.

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One Response

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    August 26, 2011

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