Plus thoughts about the new generation of Instant “Gurus” and the predictable avalanche of mumbo-jumbo.
On December 1st I quoted Einstein’s fear that we were breeding a race of idiots, illustrated with a few pictures that suggested it’s true.
Now there is little doubt he was right, because I just read a piece that said among other things that 85% of tablet owners watch TV and play with their tablets at the same time.
As you would expect, this doesn’t do much for their concentration. They are not as good at doing it as they think.
Maybe thinking is going to pot everywhere. What’s your view?
Take these people who claim to be Social Media “Gurus”. How the hell can you be a “Guru” about something that’s been around for a mere handful of years?
I well recall the first time someone called me a “Guru”, some twenty odd years ago. I said “Don’t be ridiculous.” I wasn’t trying to be rude; I just thought that to apply such a term to something as trivial as marketing was absurd. I still do – but there you are.
Anyhow one of the new Gurus has just promised me “The Seven Keys to Increasing Engagement”.
The alleged value of this engagement stuff is as follows: We’re all in hot pursuit of the all-powerful “Like”– because “likes” mean customers are noticing us and taking action, and that means increased engagement.
Well, if “we” are in hot pursuit of the word “like” then “we” are a bunch of naive nitwits This word engagement is just fancy jargon for something about as valueless as you can get.
When all it takes to “like” someone is press a key, what genuine value can it possibly have? And if you’re in “hot pursuit” of it, I suggest you skid to a halt, calm down, think – and find something more practical to chase.
But I guess people fall for this stuff because while they’re analysing the value of engagement, they’re watching Reality TV and fondling their tablets
My advice is, do one thing at a time, beware high-sounding piffle and fight for sales – and nothing less.
I’m feeling a tad guilty writing this on my tablet in the ad break for Mr. Selfridge but then I have been thinking about my response as I cooked the dinner; multitasking is the only way I can get everything done as a busy working mother.
I totally agree that it is ridiculous for anyone to style themselves as a social media Guru but I’m not sure that ‘engagement’ is such a valueless term. Certainly engagement doesn’t come from a million likes on Facebook, but if a reasonable number of those people are posting their likes and dislikes about your brand, sharing your content and generally engaging in conversation isn’t that a level of engagement that more traditional marketing would have struggled to achieve?
I’m not chasing likes but I have just made a sale for an event which so far has only been promoted via social media. I don’t know my new customer so it will be interesting to find out how social media led to the sale.
Fair point, Glenda. I just have an automatic dislike of marketing jargon – as in engagement
It would be wonderful if someone can separate social from media. I read a great book about making the best use of twitter. Some real commonsense. The author does not seem to get on with the idea that its about volume. Find people who share something with you, write about things that may be of interest to them, be helpful and get involved. His critical mass for “likes” is about 200.
You have worked with lists and addresses for more years than I have been alive. It appears that the vast majority of these “gurus” seem to preach volume. So going back to first principles, it’s junk mail?
When people do two things at once – and neither well – what is the likely result? Lunacy? nope, mediocrity, which is good news for those who are better than mediocre, but your point around self-appointed gurus is valid, they’ve (probably through lack of paying attention) heard that “content and visibility” are important but failed to understand that value is the key, it’s the voice that delivers something more than background noise that is important.
Surely if your marketing is any good, or at least as good at you like to make out, there won’t be any need to “fight for sales”?
Anybody who doesn’t think they have to fight for sales is dangerously complacent
My Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives seven definitions of “enagagement”, none of which explain the marketing jargon sense of it. Perhaps the closest is this: “a piece of business requiring a person’s attention or presence; esp. a paid appointment, a job.”
But I doubt that is what is meant when referring to social media.