There Are No Secrets In Social Media

Many of my friends were asking me why I keep on giving tips regarding social media, how to use the tools and draft simple strategies. They’re concern is that I should charge money for giving away my content. Yes? No?

You see internet marketers sending you crappy email telling you that if you enroll in their workshop, they will teach you all the secrets they know and how to really make shit-load of money from your online gig. But here’s the thing, there are no secrets in Social Media.

Google is so vast that it can give you content from the ancient Book of the Dead, which during the old days, is considered a secret and sacred book. Unfortunately, some marketers will make you believe that they have the secret formula to make your online dreams come true.

Visit popular sites like Digg, Technorati, Mashable, Smashing Mag, YouTube and you will see different tutorials, How To’s and starter kits to establish your online presence. You can also browse my archive for the tips I’ve written and it will not cost you a dime.

So, what will make your social media initiative unique?

Compelling Content – Is the driving force for any site or campaign. Give people a reason to go back to your site and crave for more. And to be honest, it’s not easy to come up with compelling content. Veteran bloggers write for hours to come up with an excellent article and those articles are not the “just another blog post” type of material.

Content Distribution – So, you were able to create excellent content but how will people or your target audience know about it? You may have heard that content is KING, yes? We call distribution as the PRINCE. How we distribute our content will be one of the factors that will determine the success of our initiatives. Take a look at social bookmarking.

Human Engagement – You will see people or groups that are strategically present online just to make a buck but they are not making any. The reason is that they lack the human factor. It is the age of the social web and we are humanizing cyber space. To reach out to humans means to be human.

Execution – We may know all the tools available out there, have excellent content and a good engagement strategy but if things are not properly executed, it will just be another initiative. Execution entails timing, using the correct channels and tools. It’s actually how we present the entire package.

You can compare creating social media initiatives to baking a cake where both need ingredients, proper mixing, baking time and presentation. It will not be perfect the first time you do it.

Care to share your thoughts? Let’s hear them in the comment section.