Does your Social Media Marketing approach include commenting on blogs?  If so, good! Commenting on blogs is a proven way to generate more traffic to your site.  However, your comments need to be real!  Don’t comment on every blog you come across just to have your web address out there.  THAT’S ANNOYING!!  Annoying = Spam!

If there’s one thing we know for certain about Social Media Marketing (SMM), it’s that “annoying” doesn’t work!  People unfollow and report spammers.  They install anti-spam plugins on their blogs, like Akismet.  In general, people in social media communities hate spam and curse spammers.  They say things like, “May the raisins on your Raisin Bran, not be raisins.”  Sorry, I’m rambling.

Anyway, what does work in SMM?  Trust.  If people see you (and your brand) consistently being real in their social media circles, they’ll grow to trust you.  Because of this, SMM strategies can take up to 6 months to start gaining traction.

Living in an instantaneous-fast-food-microwave culture, we want marketing results immediately.  Yet, that flies in the face of social media communities.  Social Media Marketing takes time.  The goal with SMM is to be present, consistent, real and trustworthy.  If you and your organization can master this, then SMM will pay long-term and highly rewarding dividends.

By the way, sometimes the best example is a bad example.  Below are three recent spam comments that Akismet blocked on my blog.  Enjoy laughing at them, as I did.

To learn more about how I can help develop your organization’s Social Media Marketing Strategy here.