The Secret to Utilizing All Social Media Sites

I’m a huge fan of SMM (Social Media Marketing), and I think it’s an amazing way to get yourself noticed if you have the right content. One thing that does sort of get under my skin though is that there are so many people out there trying to game social media and social networking services in order to promote themselves or their product. I’m not going to directly call anyone out, but there’s a good chance that if you go to just about any SEO blog you’re going to find posts giving you “tips & tricks” on how to game social media.

Fortunately for you, you don’t have to read all of these other posts because I have the one (and only) secret to utilizing social media properly.

The Problem

The problem with SMM articles is that very few of them argue the value of social media and instead focus only on what you can get out of it. This is also the typical SEO mindset, but it is much more damaging in the social media world. They supply you with an arsenal of “tips & tricks” needed to game the system instead of showing you how to use it as it’s meant to be used.

We all remember Gary Ruplinger’s fantastic analysis of the SEO side of social media don’t we? That’s just one example of how people are trying to game social media. The idea of free high PR backlinks, instant exposure, and potential virility attract everyone looking for instant success overnight. The truth is if you set out to game social media people are going to catch on and you’re going to succeed in doing little more than smudging your reputation.

The Solution

If you really want to make use of social media marketing the one and only way you can do that is by registering and participating in the community, make real contributions, and use the service as it is meant to be used. That’s it. That’s the tip, that’s the trick, that’s the butter.

If you want a story to make it to the frontpage of Digg then build your reputation and submit good stories. If you want articles to be taken seriously on Reddit then build your reputation and submit good stories. If you want your videos to get noticed on YouTube then build your reputation and submit good videos. If you want your articles to rise through the ranks of Netscape then build your reputation and submit good stories. See a pattern here?

Trying to take little shortcuts just doesn’t cut it in social media like it did in the old web days or with SEO. The only way you can make social media work now is by actively engaging the community, immersing yourself in it, and yes actually becoming a user. If you try to game the system people will see through it and you’ll accomplish little more than a couple wimpy click throughs and a backlink. Social media is powered by users. Users are much more capable of seeing through scams than AI. If you act like some old fart trying to game the system to increase your PR then they’ll know it, and you’ll accomplish nothing.

But How Do I Make the Most of it?

I’m tired of hearing people say things like “Yes, I know I have to be active in the community to succeed, but how do I make the most of it?” Why does this annoy me? Because the answers are so damn simple.

For example:

Q: How do I get a good reputation on Digg so that people will take my stories seriously?
A: Submit good stories and vote on ones that you enjoy reading.

Q: How do I get people to go to my blog from MyBlogLog?
A: Visit other bloggers and if you like their articles let them know, add them to your contacts, and join their blog community.

How hard are these questions to answer? Most of them can be read on the homepages or FAQs of the sites themselves! The bottom line is that if you can’t answer these kinds of questions for yourself then you are not immersing yourself in these social media sites and are not learning how to properly utilize these services.

If you stay in the mindset of “what can I get out of social media?” then you’re going to fail at it. If, however, you go into it thinking “how can I go about making use of and enjoying this service?” then you will succeed in building a good reputation, earning new readers, and reaching the full potential of SMM.