Dear Marketers, Please Be Human on Social Media

Why have social networks succeeded? Is it the platforms and the capabilities they offer? Is it the marketing opportunities created? Or, is it just luck?

Simply put, social media is about friends and conversations. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary – yes, we now have a definition – social media is defined as:

Forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)

The key behind this explanation of social media is communication because it signals that you are speaking to someone or exchanging information. Where has this element of social media gone?

There still is socializing on social media, but it’s definitely not where it should be. Sadly, the biggest culprit of this behavior is often marketers. Yes, you read that correctly. Marketers – people like you and me – are many times the worst at not being human online.

The challenge is time. We know more than most that social networks are time-consuming, especially when trying to implement effective social media strategies. This is why we welcomed automated services with open arms. But, as beneficial as these are, they are not meant to remove the human element completely.

We, as marketers, set the example for so many brands on how to act on social networks, and being human ranks near the top. For example, which of the following social media posts would you react to?

On Monday, Brand X: New blog post: [link]

On Tuesday, Brand X: New blog post: [link]

On Wednesday, Brand X: Buy our new product: [link]

On Thursday, Brand X: New blog post: [link]

On Saturday, Brand X: Buy our latest product: [link]

OR,

On Monday, Brand XY: “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” #MondayMotivation

On Tuesday, Brand XY: For businesses looking to further leverage Pinterest, the company is testing a DIY platform for Promoted Pins targeted at small-to-medium-sized businesses: http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/05/pinterest-cpc-promoted-pins/

On Wednesday, Brand XY: Your grandparents are among the fastest growing demographic on Twitter, according to #Socialnomics 2014 from Erik Qualman. Learn what else is popular in this video: "text-align: center;">