Every man and his dog is an expert on social media marketing these days. If you have ever searched the terms social media marketing, or Facebook marketing, then I’m certain you have also been bombarded by the multitude of ‘experts’ in this field via targeted adverts. Have you clicked on one (or two) of these ads? I have. I wanted to see what these people had to say. I’ve done extensive research and that involved watching, reading, evaluating, collating all that information to try to come to some conclusion about the world of social media marketing. What I concluded is there is valuable information out there, but there is also a lot of bullshit and common sense dressed up as knowledge. Whether you are a social media marketer yourself or you’re looking to sell your product/service on social media, don’t be overwhelmed by the hype and the ‘snake oil’ these experts bring with them. These self-proclaimed experts will impart to you with their ‘free’ knowledge. They’ll show you the wealth they have acquired (flashy homes, Lamborghinis) using their methods. Are they doing this out of the goodness of their own hearts? Questionable. So here are my top tips for navigating the experts and their ‘free’ information.
- Most of these experts are selling something
They might offer free information but they are either selling their services or they want you to buy their program/book/community access. Just keep this in mind while you are absorbing their free information. - Take notes
There is valuable information to be had from these experts. Pay attention to what makes sense and what doesn’t. At the end of the day marketing is the same on every media – its about knowing who your target market is, understanding ‘who’ they are, and finding them. - Don’t be afraid to skip
Depending on the length of a video or post, skipping/skimming could be a time saver. Get an idea of whether the content will be valuable to you by jumping sections. If it looks good, then go back and watch or read in full. - Is the advice relevant
There might be some great information out there on setting up your Facebook adverts to sell T-Shirts, but is that relevant to you when you are selling Chiropractic services. Maybe not. Have a think about more specific search terms to suit your needs. Are you service based? or product based? Broad information is still valuable but consider going deeper. - Don’t believe that you will be rolling in money within the month
This might be the lifestyle these experts are selling, but the truth of social media marketing is that it takes time, trial and error, needs to take in a range of factors and won’t make you money overnight. There is no get rich quick scheme. - Do the groundwork
Before engaging with your newfound social marketing knowledge, step back and assess your current business processes. You can implement all the strategies on social media you like, but if you haven’t tested (and fine tuned) your funnels, sales pitch, message responses and general communication then you may be throwing away money. Have you got your Facebook pixel activated? Google Analytics set up? Shopping cart working? Website user tested? Conversion tracking?
