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Thursday 25th April 2024
Social Media Automation: A Massive F******g Rant!
Social media: you now don’t have a choice if you use it. The only choice is how well you use it.
Since 2009 I’ve been heavily invested in social media and working out what works, what doesn’t work and what’s new and relevant to my business and others’.
A lot of today’s social media – no, MOST of social media – is pure crap. It’s spam at best, scrollable drivel at worst.
Marketers ruin everything.
I know, I’m a marketer. But we do.
Since someone worked out that they could automate Twitter and share the same content on all platforms at the touch of a button, social media became lazy marketing.
Automating content on social does work, don’t get me wrong. But sharing streams of links to content and articles to your followers doesn’t do a thing.
Social Media Automation: A Massive F******g Rant!
Social media is a key driver of traffic to websites. Yes, absolutely. So why share link after link to other websites? Surely that just helps the websites whose links you’re sharing?
I guess you forget about actually creating something yourself?
Social media is all about conversations, listening to your market and getting involved in conversations that matter to you and your audience.
Automating link after link about this and that and proclaiming “We’re on social media” is horse shit
I automate. So what’s my problem? My problem is people automating tonnes of drivel or even half-decent content and then never returning to their stream.
This attitude then also stops businesses creating their own content. Writing a weekly blog should be high on your marketing priority list. I’m sure all the websites whose content you’re pumping out are very grateful, but what’s the point?
Your timeline is, at best, an RSS feed. I can subscribe to one of those. But what does your ‘social media’ add to the world?
NOTHING. It’s sharing what’s already been shared.
Why don’t you create some of your own content and share that?
And then reply to the comments? Follow up on the likes? Start conversations with the retweeters and follow back the new audience you gain?
Why don’t you do that?
Because you’re lazy and you can pay someone £100 to automate a feed of drivel, links and content from someone else and proclaim, “That’s it – we’ve done our social media.”
No, you haven’t.
I get more from my social media and our clients’ social media by sharing content that’s our point of view, that shows our way of thinking and our view of the situation in our industry. We get more from commenting on other people’s content than we do from sharing it.
Read that again.
We get more from commenting on other people’s content than we do from sharing it.
Because it’s CONVERSATION that matters
No one checks if you’ve shared their stuff on Twitter, so there’s no conversation to be had.
SOCIAL media is about conversation. If you spent 5 minutes a month commenting on a few blogs and tweets from businesses you’d like to get to know better, you’d get more than automating your entire month’s content through some tool or paid service.
It’s not about regurgitating quotes, links to Mashable and Forbes, and sharing clever infographics.
It does nothing. Nothing.
Start looking at social media like the cocktail party it’s always been. Turn up (in real life not with a tool) and have a bloody conversation.
Don’t waste your time automating links and spamming the feeds with your boring, scrollable, ‘we’ve all seen it before’ crap!
Just don’t.
SOCIAL media (the clue’s in the title). Stop throwing up online and start turning up instead.
Rant. Over.
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12 comments on this article
Paul OrangeTree at 10:12am on August 11th 2017
This is so, so, true.
And useful, as well.
And social media would be so much more enjoyable if we didn’t have to step through the vomit, and could talk to each other.
Nice rant. Enjoyed it.
John Ciriani at 9:38am on August 12th 2017
Todd, that is so true. The main reason I am not as active on social media as many others is the drivel that is shared. It is an insult to the readers intelligence! You are a big help to small businesses marketing so well done. Thanks
Todd at 7:05am on August 14th 2017
Thanks, John!
Todd at 10:23am on August 11th 2017
Thanks Paul and thanks for taking the time to not only read my rant, but comment on it too.
It’s funny you know, because I automated the share of this post that you commented on, and yet we’re still chatting about it. I doubt we would be if this was a post from someone else. It’s my opinion and that’s what’s driving this conversation. And conversations are incredibly important, wouldn’t you say?
Linda Reynolds at 19:30pm on August 11th 2017
I’m amazed how many people don’t reply to questions! Complete waste of time for the initial poster. Just verbal diarrhoea with no ears! I love your stuff and share it, you make me look good
Todd at 7:05am on August 14th 2017
Utterly pointless!
Paul at 11:47am on August 11th 2017
Love your rants Todd because they are soooooo passionate and thought provoking.
Keep it up fella 🙂
Todd at 7:06am on August 14th 2017
Thanks Paul!
Rob Levick at 11:29am on August 12th 2017
Social Media? Don’t Throw Up. Show Up.
I think you’ve said it all in 7 words. Great rant Todd.
Todd at 7:05am on August 14th 2017
Ha! Thanks, Rob. (There’s a meme in there somewhere!)
Michael Nagles at 11:19am on January 9th 2020
Todd knows.
Automation – engagement = epic fail.
Todd at 11:33am on January 9th 2020
Damn straight, partner!