Social Media Isn't About YOU..

A couple of years ago, I had a mentor share what he believed to be the difference between Social MEDIA and Social MARKETING.

As someone just starting the journey into truly understanding digital marketing, what he taught was profound.

He stated that Social Media is what OTHERS say about you and Social Marketing is what YOU post.

On the surface, this seems pretty straightforward, but let’s take a moment to break this down.

When we look at Social Media vs Social Marketing, there are three terms that we need to define: Social, Media, and Marketing.

Here is how Webster’s dictionary defines each:

Social: “Marked by or passing in pleasant companionship with friends or associates”

Media: “A medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression”

Marketing: “The process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service”

How interesting.

Let’s take these in reverse…

Marketing - if defined as above, is 100% around how we get our products or services in front of our ideal audience…our potential buyers. Now, I tend to believe in a bit softer of a definition which allows for educating and communicating around our products and services rather than just promoting and selling. Ultimately, the end goal is the same, but focuses more on delivering value at the top of a funnel rather than the perception of going right for “buy now!”. 

If there is to be a difference between Social Media and Social Marketing, then it stands to reason that when we focus on Social Marketing - we ought to be focused on a plan. A plan that is built with the intention of communicating and educating about our products or services and guiding our ideal audience to the ultimate realization that they may need the things that we sell. Marketing, then, is intentional. 

Key realization for me…the things WE post must have a purpose and tie into our long term business strategy. Marketing is about achieving a return on the investment of both time and money to grow the business. Social Marketing should be no different.

Next, let’s explore Media. When exploring the definitions of Media and Marketing, there are two words that really stand out to me. Media is a MEDIUM where as Marketing is a PROCESS. The Marketing process tends to be internal, giving us control…the ability to adapt and change as desired to achieve the desired result. Media is a Medium, something that lives externally that we typically have no control over. 

Media is a medium that allows for expression. That medium can change over time. As we have seen, the medium of Media has shifted from print newspapers, to radio, to TV, to online blogs, to social sites like Facebook, to video centric mediums like YouTube and TikTok. Furthermore, these mediums will continue to change and adapt in the future…depending on how the USERS want to express themselves and the things they are interested in. 

Understanding this provides context as to why Social Media is all about what others post, rather than what we post. We cannot control the medium, the users (or our customers) and the feelings they experience. HOWEVER, we can influence them.

Knowing what we know now, it becomes possible to add to our marketing ways in which we can influence what others say about us. We can provide exceptional delivery of our product or services, help achieve amazing results for our customers, and give them the opportunity to share their experiences with the world. Think of it this way, if you own a coffee shop where people congregate each day, where in your store is your social posting spot? How can you encourage your patrons to take a selfie of themselves enjoying your product and post to the world using your hashtags and handles? This is an example of how we can influence Media in our favor.

Finally, we have to tackle Social. “Companionship with friends or associates” is what stands out to me here. Media and Marketing have both been around for centuries…but the digitization of Social has not. 

When we think back to how many of us interacted as kids (for those of you who are early 90s babies and earlier) - Social meant physically going places to interact with our friends. It may have been meeting up at a friends house, somewhere in the neighborhood, at the playground, school, etc. As adults, it could be networking events, lunches, the local bar, coffee shops, etc. 

In each of these scenarios, we engage with those we spend time with. We strike up conversations, ask them how they are doing, talk about common interests, learn about their friends, and share experiences. Today, and for much of the last decade, Social has moved online.

The key to understanding Social in the digital age is to understand that it is still meant to be SOCIAL. In other words, it is just as important to strike up conversations, discuss common interests, make friends, share experiences, and overall ENGAGE online as it is offline. The most effective users of the Social platforms today are those who genuinely (that is a key word here) engage and interact with their audience. They reply to comments, answer DMs, thoughtfully leave comments on other people’s posts, send DMs of their own to strike up a conversation (…NOT TO SELL…), and look for ways to share an experience. This creates genuine connection. This is what social media was intended to be.

So…Social Media and Social Marketing are really NOT the same things and can have very different outcomes for your business. 

I encourage you to think about each of these concepts and how it may relate to how you do business today. Ask yourself:

How can I be more engaged with my online community? 

How can I (or my business) become more social online?

How can I encourage my customers to share their experiences about me?

What is my plan to use social platforms in my overall marketing strategy?

As we continue over the coming weeks, we will continue to dive into your marketing strategy in more depth. We are entering into what I like to call “Developing Your Distribution Hub”…and we have only scratched the surface. Be sure to check back in next week as we begin to break down how to design your ideal audience.

See you soon!