I'm tired everyone. I'm tired of people discussing social media in ways that I could only describe as "sliced bread." I'm tired of everyone jumping on the brandwagon just because their traditional marketer thinks that they should (and believes he will get fired because he is late to the game.) I'm tired of people calling themselves EXPERTS on something that is so new, and so uncontrollable. I'm tired of companies hiring a full time social media person, and not understanding why from the executive level.

So here are the 10 lies of social media that I've created, in order for you to have a better understanding of the rules.

1. "Self promotion is the only purpose of social media." This one is huge to me. I won't waste my time following you on twitter or anything else if all you do is post links to your latest blog post or company newsletter that I undoubtedly care nothing about. Social media needs to be ... social. A one way conversation of what you think is important is just spam. Not that you can't do it on occasion, and perhaps some people can benefit from your stuff - but all the time is just poor taste.

2. "You need to use every tool." If I hear one more person say "Oh great, another social media tool that I have to update" when something new comes out ... I'm going to lose it. You do not need to use everything. In fact, scattergun social media is a really bad decision. Your credibility comes from being an active part of any medium, and continually returning to it. If you do a little bit here and there you won't get anywhere. If this does not click with you, consider painting your house with a bingo blotter.

3. "It's easy to market with social media." It takes time, and lots of effort to learn the 'ins' and 'outs' of social media. It CAN be an extremely effective tool for your personal brand, your company, as well as showing off your expertise. It does not happen overnight, and it should be used on a trial and error basis at first, but always remembering that you intend on sticking with it. Yes, there are (insert statistic that I took the time to research here) bloggers ... but a good percentage of those do not use anymore it because they don't see the value in it once the novelty has worn off.

4. "Social Media is killing traditional marketing." Any marketing strategy should begin with a diverse plan. No marketer should be naive enough to think that there are not benefits from sitting on either side of the traditional or non-traditional fence.

5. "It's not about who you know, but about who follows you." Your number of friends, followers, or whatever does not matter. Everyone has to start somewhere, and some people just don't want that many followers. Either way, don't focus on the number - because it will happen organically eventually and you will be much happier with the results. Otherwise, you are doing it for the completely wrong reason.

(edit - unless you are a big company that is concerned on ROI ... then yes, focus on the numbers)

6. "You should have an account, just because." Signing up to everything new to try it out is great. I do it because I like to be in the know. However, concerning your online brand reputation, it looks bad to have an account that is not in use - much worse than not having an account.

7. "Social Media is all you need." This goes back to number four. Ensure that your efforts are attached. If there is a newspaper article, have it link to your site. If you get some blog love, make it link to your achievements page. Rank everything in a heirarchy of importance and always attach upward. There are many things out there that can benefit your brand, and while social media is definitely one of them ... it's not the only one.

8. "I am an expert because I said so." Look, I know that you created your blog, your linkedin, as well as your twitter profile page. So I also know that everything on there is self-proclaimed. I enjoy reading a well thought-out description. It gives me an idea of who I'm dealing with. I don't like fiction in my social media. Stay away from words like; expert, professional, savant, and guru. Move closer to words like veteran, aficionado, or enthusiast.

9. "I can say whatever I want." Sure you can, and I can stop following you. Or better yet, I can tell everyone how much of a creepster you are when you started talking about your last visit to the doctor. Some things are funny to everyone ... but not much. Yes, you can go off of the mindset of "I can't please everyone all the time" but you can at least have the common sense to try.

10. "I can control the conversation." This one is the biggest. Social media is not controllable. It's success is primarily due to the fact that it cannot be moderated. Sure you can push on the steering wheel a little bit to the left or right now and then, but the pedals are going to move at whatever speed the driver says ... and there are as many drivers as there are people involved. Bad press is not always bad - as long as the discussion has many sides to it. Motrin Moms can be a clear example of that.

Take this all in. Keep your brand in mind. Don't give up. Learn more than just this. Repeat.

Have your own lies to add to the list ? Add them below.

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