As amazing and intuitive as social media is today, it certainly cannot flourish without humans getting involved. Social media is a tool and a vehicle. It can take you only so far and then you have to do the rest.
Social media as an amplifier
If you have a wonderful product and/or service, as well as the content that is relevant to that product and/or service, social media will amplify it and cause it to stand out and be distinguished from everyone else's offerings. Social media can take what you have and really make it sing by reaching a large amount of people who are interested in your brand message and the value that you and your business hold. If you already have the right formula (the right story, wonderful products and/or services, and the best people in your organization), social media can help you and your business to become a great success. Social media can do this by creating, growing and advancing your path to success. On the other hand, if you don't have the right story, the greatest products and/or services and the most appropriate people in your organization, social media will amplify those attributes and that could cause your business to fail (or at the very least, not do well).
Social media and closing the sale
Everyone understands that social media, while it is an extremely valuable tool, cannot do all of the work when it comes to closing a sale. After conversations have taken place and you have been introduced to people with whom you want to do business, only you (the human being) can close the deal. You do this by engaging your prospective clients, listening to what they need and want, coming up with solutions for them and coming to an agreement of terms. If any part of this does not happen, it will be impossible to close any type of deal. Of course, it won't matter at that point how much social media is involved.
Social media and brand creation
Social media (as an amplifier) has the wonderful ability to extend the hard work that you have already done. That extension can touch and influence many people at the same time. Before social media can work any kind of magic, however, the brand must be established and refined so that it is differentiated from all other brands. It needs to possess qualities that nobody else possesses. Whatever your business's message is, it need to be compelling and enticing to your audience. It needs to touch people on an emotional level before you involve social media the way that it is meant to be leveraged. The success of your business depends totally on the strength and uniqueness of your brand. The interactivity that is established through social media will improve your chances of getting people to pay attention and eventually want to buy from you. However, it does enhance your ability to touch people and can produce phenomenal results.
Social media and your marketing strategy
Social media is not capable of building your marketing strategy. Only you are capable of that. You will build your strategy based on the experiences (positive and negative) that you have had over time. It takes a human being to do that. Social media can help you to really magnify and embellish what you have but it can't take you from point "A" to point "B" by itself. Your business philosophy should never be that you try different things to see what works. Your strategy must be well thought out and carefully crafted.
Conclusion
There is absolutely no doubt that social media makes everything better. Social media is about relationships that can flourish without face-to-face interactions. However, those relationships cannot exist without the human influence. What you need to figure out is how involved you need to be as a human being and how involved you feel social media should be. Always remember that the human impact comes first. It is the catalyst for what follows afterward, the technological aspect of your business. The balance is a critical factor when it comes to the success of your business. It is also very important to understand your limitations as a human and those of social media when it comes to your business.
You might also like:
- Reflecting on Social Media Marketing in 2009
- Running a Successful Social Media Campaign
- Using Social Media for Your Business Success