Social “Me”dia Syndrome: A Deadly Epidemic

That Will Cause Your Brand Building and Business Growth to Suffer

Could you be suffering from Social “Me”dia Syndrome and not even know it? Unfortunately, this common ailment is causing millions of businesses and individual’s serious pain when it comes to their online brand building and business growth efforts.

So what is Social “Me”dia Syndrome? It’s when people make 3 common mistakes: They take the word “Social” out of Social Media; they spend too much time focused on the “Me” in Media; and they don’t spend much time participating in their online communities (such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and blogs).

With regards to “time commitment”, a new report conducted and published by Michael A. Stelzner, Founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com, entitled “2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Business”, shared that people who are just getting started using Social Media only commit about one hour per week to their efforts. And that time commitment is an average that I hear when I talk to people who are struggling with their Social Media programs. But one hour per week is just not enough time to get decent results!

How much time is enough time?

So how much time should be allocated (another common question)? Personally, I spend 6-12 hours per week on my Social Media channels. And, in a fairly short period of time, this has generated clients, media interviews, and terrific strategic partnerships for me.

The report supports that average time commitment, stating: 6+ hours per week was common among people who had been using Social Media for brand and business growth for several months or more, and a significant 85% of all marketers indicated that their Social Media efforts have generated exposure for their businesses. The lesson? If you’re not getting results, but are only spending a few hours per week committed to your efforts that could be why.

But what about the other 2 common mistakes mentioned earlier: Taking the word “Social” out of Social Media and spending too much time focused on the “Me” in Media? The answer is quite simple: If you get involved in Social Media, but make it all about you, you’ll suffer. Many people simply don’t participate in their online communities, or just post and tweet stuff “all about them”. These are big problems.

Could it be me?

People typically follow others on Twitter, “like” their Fan Page, and/or read their blog to “learn” from that person’s expertise. They don’t do these things to constantly get “pitched” to attend events, buy products, hire services, etc. But, unfortunately, many people use their Social Media channels just to pitch, pitch, pitch…

Could you be suffering from Social “Me”dia Syndrome? Review these 10 questions to find out:

1. If you have a blog, do you follow other peoples’ blogs and make (good) comments? Or do you  simply expect people to follow your blog?

2. Do you really participate in the Facebook Fan Pages or Groups you’ve joined? Or do you expect everyone just to flock to yours?

3. Do you answer questions or provide solutions to people you follow on Twitter?

4. Do you re-tweet their tweets?

5. Do you thank people for re-tweeting you or following you?

6. Do you take the time to participate in things like #FollowFriday #FF on Twitter and recommend tweeps you really like so your followers will then know about them, too?

7. If you have a Facebook Fan Page, do you actually go there, regularly, and post questions or helpful info that your Fans can respond to or benefit from?

8. If you have a blog, do you invite Guest Bloggers to write posts and then source them clearly?

9. Do you reach out to people on LinkedIn, participate in Group Discussions, and offer advice when questions are asked?

10. On your Facebook Fan Page, do you post interesting questions on the Discussion Board, let your Fans know, encourage them to answer the questions, and/or post new questions?

If you answered “No” to more than 3 of these questions, you have Social “Me”dia Syndrome. This means your Branding, Marketing, Partnering, Sales and Lead Generation efforts are suffering. And this means your brand building and business growth will continue to suffer!

The cure? Take 2 aspirin, shift your perspective, reassess your goals and efforts, and jump in more consistently…and selflessly! Chances are, within a short period of time, you’ll be feeling much better about the results you get through Social Media…and you’ll be cured!

Guest Author:

Lisa Orrell, The Promote U Guru, is an in-demand Branding Expert, Marketing Consultant, and Business Coach, with over 20-years of experience. She works with small business owners, entrepreneurs, industry experts, entertainers, speakers and authors on their Branding & Positioning, Marketing, PR/Publicity, and Social Media strategies. Lisa has received over 75 national & international awards for Marketing excellence, and has been interviewed by, or written for, countless media, including: NY Times, Wall Street Journal, BNET.com, ABC, MSNBC, NPR, and WomenEntrepeneur.com. For more information about Lisa Orrell, visit: PromoteUGuru.com.

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