Is Social Media A Numbers Game?

I love the expression “Social Media Expert”! I’m one, and you probably are too, but this most recent contribution to new media is barely at walking stage yet, so the true pioneers are yet to be identified.

What we would all probably agree with though is that an effective Social Media strategy will result in an upturn in quantifiable results. Not necessarily just income, but new opportunities to progress in your chosen field of work. It all leads to revenue of course, but to measure the success of your Social Media strategy it is essential that you understand the importance of brand marketing, awareness and true engagement with your audience.

The common objective for some is to get out there and connect with as many people as possible. I’m not knocking that approach but surely with no defined strategy as to whom you would like to engage with, and vice versa, this process will lead to lots of connections / followers / fans and far too much information coming in that is of no importance or relevance.

Word of Mouth is probably the best way of creating a good following, this confirms that your output is relevant and communications with peers is valued. This is where the numbers game comes into play, instead of feeling good about yourself because you have a staggering amount of connections and followers – connect only with people close to your own market and immerse yourself in meaningful discussion that will propel your business forwards.

I always look to see if there is disparity between followers and followings on Twitter profiles, it is always a good guide as to whether the person is a connection hound, or someone who is adding real value to their chosen market and articulating their thoughts through social media. Lists are also a good indicator of true exponents in the art of effective social media interaction, this is only where the higher number can truly represent someone worth following.

Ultimately I have found, thus far, that to gain value from all the major Social Media platforms it is better to build your reputation over time. Build meticulously and don’t worry about the big numbers straight away. Address your market with knowledgeable insight, communicate helpful sources of information and add a little humour and the numbers will look after themselves.

Ashley Seddon

ashley.seddon@digitalpersonnel.co.uk

This entry was posted on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 5:14 pm and is filed under Digital Media News & Views. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.