This article just arrived in my inbox.  The author makes some excellent points – too many people are using social media to promote their business without any concern for the needs or interests of their social media friends.  I’m sure that you, too, have suffered the unwelcome attentions of these self-proclaimed “gurus”.

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Social Media Marketing is Dying 
By Duncan Wierman (c) 2010

If nothing is certain, one thing is - social media is
losing its magic. What once was a new and improved way to
keep in touch with your closest loved ones has become just
another sales pitch to convince you to sign up to another
dreadful business opportunity, newsletter, product, or
service. There is no opening or closing - simply raw
advertisements that lack sincerity. The people advertising
their products don't care about you or your general interests.
They're too set on the idea that you're going to sign up
and turn them into a success.

What's wrong with this picture? Could it be that the
advertisements lack taste and real value, or could it be
that the people who want your business care less about who
you are and what you are interested in? What business
entrepreneurs are forgetting is that they are on the other
side of the fence of social media. They are on the
advertising end, which means without a real connection to
the "the people," they are getting nowhere. At some point,
a real connection needs to be established or otherwise all
efforts to make a sale or spread the word are pointless.

The truth? No one cares about you unless you care about
them, particularly when it comes to social media. Let's say
that you've got an account with Facebook. Each day when you
see those tiny red notifications, you're dead sure that
they signify a message from your friends or family.
Unfortunately, you open your inbox and all you see are loud
advertisements. What do you do? You delete them, and you do
so automatically without any interest whatsoever about what
they say.

Advertising gurus are no longer "gurus," they are simply
annoying spammers who have no clue what they are doing.
Business owners are missing the point. If their emails are
getting read, it's only by other advertisers just so they
can compare tactics and techniques. Another sad part of it
all is that no one is coming up with new techniques.
Everyone is following someone who they think is successful,
but in reality, no one is making any money because of their
lack of effort and knowledge.

If you haven't noticed (and you most likely have), all
online entrepreneurs go about advertising their businesses
in the same way. First, they request you as a friend or
become a follower (Twitter). Some of them may greet you
with a "thanks for the request" or some other similar
phrase, while others jump straight to the point and start
bombarding you with their "winning" sales pitch. Who are
you more likely to communicate with? Nothing screams
"delete" louder and faster than a sales pitch.

Some of the "thanks for the request" people might actually
make it, as long as they don't jump the gun too quickly.
Unfortunately, the majority of them end it right there and
automatically go on a link-posting frenzy, and immediately
begin flooding your inbox with details about their products
with no mention of how they might benefit you individually.
It's almost as if they are "demanding" that you purchase
from them without any clear reason as to why.

On the other hand, some people are making sales. They are
the ones who take their time in getting to know people.
They ask questions and take a true interest in their
prospects. Developing customer relationships is the most
important part of advertising on social media because in
the real world, customer relationships are a must.

It helps to wear the shoe on the other foot. Picture
walking into a store with workers that aren't friendly and
don't seem to have your interest anywhere in their top
priorities. They are anxious for you to buy something and
that is it. They don't care what you buy or why, they just
want your money. When you leave, they want you to come back
over and over, even if you're not interested in what
they've got. It's a horrible experience for both you and
them.

When you look at it from a different perspective, it helps
to see why social media is dying for your company. What
people want is warmth and a display of interest in who they
are, not lousy sales pitches. As soon as business
professionals establish a connection, then they might have
a chance, but until then, it's best to just stick to more
familiar means of advertising and leave social media to
what it was always meant for. Bring common sense back to
your marketing.
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Former Software CEO turned Internet Marketer. Duncan
Wierman shows you how to use creative marketing methods to
create a full time income online. Duncan is the original
creator of the software that finds business LEADS and
converts them to income. Get a trial copy at:

http://www.OnlineLeadFinder.com

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