Marketing Experts Are Ignoring Their Own Social Media
It seems like it should go without saying. However, there are many companies out there who are neglecting their social media profiles despite the fact that social media is ( or rather, would be) one of their key outlets for reaching their audiences. Social media is where your customers are and as I’ve heard just about every ad and marketing agency say, “You should be there too”. However, many of them aren’t taking their own advice and their social media profiles are hollow shells with little to no interaction with their potential clients.
Social Media Can’t Be Ignored By Those Offering Social Media Services
It’s upsetting to see ad and marketing agencies offer social media services when they don’t actively engage in social media themselves. If you want to know how effectively a company’s social media marketing service is, look no further than their own accounts and profiles. Lack of activity, inconsistency in messaging, little or no original content, and lack of engagement with their audience can be key indicators that you should go someplace else for social media services. Any company that doesn’t actively maintain their own social media can’t begin to tell you how to manage yours. If you look at their content and are unsure of who they are trying to reach or what message they are attempting to convey, then signs point to them having a poor grip on social media.
Don’t Leave It To The Intern
It’s typical for ad and marketing agencies to hire college students to do menial office tasks. It’s also becoming common for businesses to let these interns run the company Twitter and Facebook accounts. You couldn’t make a bigger mistake. Just because they use social media doesn’t mean they know how to use it for business purposes. Would a marketing company let an intern run a campaign solo? Would an ad agency let an intern manage a client’s account? That’s the level of responsibility associated with running a company social media profile. Moreover, that job is a full-time effort that requires planning, networking, and creativity. (Here’s a little more on that topic).
Take Your Own Advice
To all the ad and marketing and digital services firms out there that are so quick to dole out advice and sell services related to social media: Lead by example. If you want real success, you’ll find it by developing the proper skills and processes associated with running your own accounts. You’ll make discoveries and will have the thought processes in place to make the necessary creative leaps to rise above your competition. But you won’t get any of that with dry, scheduled tweets, push marketing, and one or two Facebook posts a month. If that sounds like your agency, maybe it’s time to reevaluate the role of social media in your company.
