A lot of people will tell you a lot of things about how to properly utilize social media as a marketing tool.

While talk about demographics, targeting your message or even providing valuable content are useful rules of thumb, it’s really putting the cart before the horse. A recent True/Slant article, “No More, No Less: For Business Problems, Social Media is what You Make of it,” boiled the problem down to the basics when it provided the most sound advice for social media communication yet: just don’t bore us.

“Some people are so good at storytelling that they could make an audience interested in their lunch for 10 minutes, live, unrehearsed. If you can’t, you’re a BAD storyteller. People will listen to good storytellers, and will not listen to average ones. And ultimately, media – any media, including the social kind – is about telling stories to an audience,” the article said. “Thus, lunch can be interesting. How you cook it, where you shop, who you’re eating with, the ingredients, the time of day, the place you’re eating, the special occasion, and any number of other aspects. If lunch is just ‘I’m eating a ham sandwich’ to you, news flash – you’re boring.”

And boring storytelling is a problem in the Twitterverse. Social Media Today recently held a poll, “Twitter Quitters Say Twitter is Boring” of people who once belonged to Twitter, but stopped using the micro blogging site. An overwhelming majority, about 65%, abandoned ship “because they aren’t finding interesting tweets.” The article didn’t study other social media pages, but chances are, those readers operate the same way. It’s feast of famine for your business and social media.

The SSN Take: Either dazzle readers with your storytelling and enhance business or get ignored by thousands of potential customers.

Patrick Roland, March 24, 2010

Note: Post not sponsored.

It’s never too late to let their business jump into the social media madness.

A recent Marketing Profs article “Small Biz Adoption of Social Media Doubles” uses statistics pulled from a Smith School of Business survey, they found twice as many small businesses used social media in 2009 compared to 2008. While over 50% of those polled felt social media was worth their time, 26% said it failed to meet expectations. An almost equal percentage of businesses claimed to have lost money as those who made a profit. So where is the big payoff for small businesses and social media?

The SSN take: Just like with grassroots marketing of years gone by, social media success favors those who work hard and think of something innovative to offer customers. Just like your business, its sink or swim. How will you react?

Patrick Roland, March 19, 2010

Note: Post not sponsored

A recent multi-candidate scramble for a city’s highest office has become a social media warzone, with learning potential for all of us.

A Louisville Courier-Journal article “Louisville mayoral candidates embrace social media to get their message to voters” showed how from non-stop Twitter updates, to streaming video, to blogging and even a map tracking speaking engagements, these candidates aren’t doing anything we haven’t seen before. However, each seems to have embraced a particular social media method more than others and this seemed to hold a valuable lesson for business owners.

The SSN take: Politicians, much like your business and your competition, want to attract the same audience.  Success might just mean a period of trial and error in order to find and embracing the social media style that best works for you, in order to edge out similar businesses.

Patrick Roland, March 18, 2010

Note: Post not sponsored

Toyota recently found itself in a position that no business wishes to see: the center of a negative media storm.

When it was revealed the automotive giant may have put lives at risk by not recalling certain models, a black cloud instantly hung over the company. A recent Examiner piece “Toyota Motors brand-damage repair continues-works with social media outlet Twitter” detailed how the auto maker tried to operate its damage control by heavily leaning on Twitter. By immediately opening a forum for consumers to voice their concerns and providing clear, truthful answers, Toyota’s public relations department may have rescued a little of its reputation, though didn’t wipe this black mark completely clean.

The SSN Take: If you find your business in the heat of negative publicity, Twitter can help reach the masses faster. However, be prepared to weather some negative discussions and lose some customers.

Patrick Roland, March 18, 2010

Note: Post not sponsored

Users need to be careful when opening social networking links.

A recent ZDNet article, “Social Networking: Think Before you Link” says, “trust is not 100 percent guaranteed, and is possibly compromised by hackers discovering login credentials and pushing their attack items to the trusted contacts from that login.” This struck us as very pertinent during this mad scramble for employment and a social media world that is still a little untamed. While legitimate employers are posting opportunities and discovering talent via social networking , this doesn’t mean you should leap at every opportunity you discover. Does the link look fishy? Does the pay sound a little inflated? Does it require you to give more personal information than you’d list on your resume? The

SSN Take: Don’t be afraid to job hunt via social media, but use common sense.

Patrick Roland, March 17, 2010

Note: Post not sponsored.

As demographic studies roll in about social media, it becomes more and more clear that savvy business owners can use their online world as a marketing laboratory.

A recent Social Media Examiner article “Social Media Differences Among Teens, Boomers and Moms: New Study Findings” broke down the recent Neilson demographic results of social media with surprising results. It seems the three biggest users are teens, moms and boomers. Each utilizes social media differently and favors different sites. “Just like with traditional marketing,” the article says, “the more you know your audience, the more successful you will be at grabbing their attention and keeping it.”

The SSN take: Demographic studies are a good start, but if your business wants to attract these key audiences, you should take bold chances and think of your social media presence as a chance to experiment and discover exactly what works.

Patrick Roland, March 16, 2010

Note: Post Not Sponsored

Government social media is still just a song and dance.

A recent Government Technology article, “Hillsborough County, Fla., Seeks Budget Cutting Ideas via Social Media” detailed the many ways a Florida county attempted to get citizen insight with social media. Faced with an immense budget cut on the horizon, the government had its heart in the right place by frequently Tweeting about their choices and asking for input. However, one can’t help but see this as another bureaucratic bungle. Judging from the tone of the quotes in the piece, you would assume the budget cuts are going to happen to whatever areas the government sees fit. While they tried democratically embracing social media, one doubts their sincerity.

The SSN take: It’s a great idea to include customer insights via social media, but if your intentions aren’t honest, savvy users will know. Simply using social media is not a cure-all for business woes.

Patrick Roland, March 16, 2010

Note: Post not sponsored.