So much for everything social being free. Yes you can create your Facebook page, your Facebook Fan page and even a nice Twitter background that reflects your business, but the buck doesn’t stop there, it begins there. Businesses hoping for a cheap way into social media and online influence should take a look at Dell’s success.

Much has been made of the Dell Factory Outlet and Twitter huge successes, and consequently, there are a lot of businesses with Twitter accounts who have no idea about how to tweet. In this age of user-generated content, the sphere of influence is much more complex. The successful plan takes a look at the entire online content generation process and identifies where their participation can be profitable. At the end of the day, we are all looking to reduce the costs of social marketing while increasing sales and profits.

So by all means get out there and get involved. Even the smallest trickle of interest at the bottom of this chart can result in payoffs further up the food chain. And the next time a marketing firm talks about creating a viral campaign for you, fire them.

Addressing the complex matrix above is hard work. That’s where “social media strategists” come into play. Dell did not become a social media force overnight. The calculated growth of its online response team has proven its ROI many times over. That’s why Dell is now being lauded for their social success.

Get out there, but go with a guide who has done it before. Going it alone is risky, and could actually backfire. But even a disastrous Facebook campaign or vacant online “community” site can be resurrected.

Your goals should involve social influence. You can buy content, you can buy placement for advertising, but you’d be better off hiring real writers and letting them do what they do best. Get on the Cluetrain (read The Cluetrain Manifesto for free) and communicate. Let your “social influencers” work their magic. One of them might be able to pull a viral rabbit out of their hat, but it takes time and effort. The magic happens as a result of the hard work.

The viral nature of the content is magic, you can’t bottle it or count on it. But you can aspire towards it.

And as we enter the post *truth* era in social and marketing, it’s important to recognize that *influencers* today are not all the same. It’s true that a good influencer can be cheaper and more effective than a poorly executed ad campaign. But know what your goals are. And then put some strong guardrails around the influencer campaign.

Influencer content is effective if done correctly. Poorly, influencers create likes and follows but ZERO business. If it’s business you’re looking for, make sure you understand how social marketing works. Make sure your funnel and intake forms are simple and well-planned. Watch for red flags when hiring an influencer. Make sure you’ve spent the time looking back in their Instagram and TikTok histories.

Practice safe hex out there,

John McElhenney — let’s connect online
Facebook & LinkedIn & The Whole Parent

See the full series of posts:

• The Social Media Strategist is Dead, Long Live Digital Marketing
• Become a Social Media Rockstar, The Quick Plan

Please check out some of my books on AMAZON.