Just read a post on the HubSpot blog entitled “7 Reasons Social Media Is Bad for Marketing“. Though the title is a bit more incendiary than the article is (HubSpot is good at writing juicy headlines to draw readers in), there was one of the bullets that I thought was dead on.
Focus on the Wrong Metrics – A fan or a follower isn’t a business objective. Social media has enabled marketers to chase metrics that don’t impact their business. The reason for most of the discussion surrounding social media ROI is caused by measuring the wrong metrics. Reach, leads and sales should be some of the tangible metrics that are measured as part of social media marketing strategies.
Amen.
So often I hear marketers say things like “We’ve got a gajabillion Facebook fans!”, and when I ask “Ok, so now what?”, I receive a blank stare back. It isn’t just about collecting fans or followers, it’s about leveraging those open connections you’ve made, effectively. Extracting (and providing) value through that channel.
Whenever there are random numbers thrown around in our office, I always think of the exchange between Jerry and George in the Seinfeld episode The Little Jerry.
JERRY: Hey, guess what! Little Jerry ran from here to Newman’s in under thirty seconds!
GEORGE: Is that good?
JERRY: I don’t know.
Hey, I’ve got 40,000 Facebook fans! Is that good? I don’t know.