Exerting Minimal Effort to Gain Maximum Efficiency Requires Investment, Not Quick Fixes

Do you remember the old saying, “as ye sew, so shall ye reap” ?    This can be applied to many things in life such as a job, a friendship, marriage, etc.  But more pointedly, where this conversation is concerned, it can be applied to social media marketing.  All too often I read headlines such as “6 Ways to Boost Your Social Media Program” or “5 Rules to Ensure Social Media Success” … you get the point.

Social media marketing has become the new snake oil being hawked on every virtual street corner by some self proclaimed expert who has done little more than set up a Facebook page.   Every one of them has a “quick fix” or some simple “rules” that will  ensure your social media program will get people clamoring to buy your product and praise your brand.  Just implement these 5 simple rules and Wham! Your social media program is now successful.  We all know this is too good to be true.

The reality is that there is no shortcut to success and there is NO quick fix or simple rules you can implement that will make your social media program productive.  The hard reality is that it takes investment: in time, energy, resources and some dedication to make it work and work well.  Even then, once your program is humming along, it will require maintenance and continued effort to keep it that way.  It is like any other endeavor.

The initial investment is upfront and requires that you find and connect with the influencers in your space who are willing to build a long-term relationship.  Once you have located a cadre of these folks, you can work with them to generate ideas about how to best set up programs to market your products, evangelize your brands, etc.  The key is your willingness to work with your identified influencers, listen to them and to implement marketing programs that benefit them as well as their readers.  Your efforts will be well rewarded.

The best part is that once you have made this initial investment in your social media program, you can then use the”judo move” to gain maximum efficiency from minimal effort … over and over again.

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