Social Media Marketing Is Really Community Building

If you have followed anything I’ve said for any length of time you know that I believe, and this idea has been confirmed by experts around me, that there are really only two steps to driving traffic.  Creation and syndication.  All it really takes to be successful in social media marketing is to create relevant, quality content and then syndicate it through a network of people.  You have to build this syndication network, and doing that is part of this post’s idea.

The question is, which comes first the content or the community?

It really is a chicken and egg kind of a thing.  And that is something that people need to understand.

If you could start with either of the two, which would it, be?  I would start with the community.  Building your own community will be impossible without your own content.  But you don’t have to have anything that interesting, to say to be able to make friends, review other’s content and generally be a part of the community.

In real life, no one becomes the leader until the have been lead.  You want to be willing to listen and observe for a while before you start speaking.  For two reasons

1-    It’s important to build the relationships.  One of the best ways to build relationships is listening and being interested in others.  There is nothing different about social media.

2-     Your content is what will ultimately build a following and trust and your community.  But content must be consumed for it to do that.  People need to read it, listen, or watch.  The fact is, you have to have the mind set that people are paying you any time they consume your content.  Because they are.  They are spending a resource more valuable than money, time and attention.  These resources are much more scarce than money.  Even Bill Gates only has 24 hours in a day, he can get more dollars (and so can all of us) but no one can give you more hours in a day.  That said, you have to put just as much energy into the type of content you produce as a product your produce for sale.  You need to know what problems there are to be fixed.  What do people want.  They are still spending with you when they consume your content.

THIS IS THE KEY TO THE WHOLE THING.  YOU HAVE TO PRODUCE SOMETHING THAT SOLVE A PROBLEM OR CREATES REAL VALUE FOR PEOPLE OR IT WILL NEVER GET READ OR SPREAD.

Well the question remains which comes first, community or content?  Here is the flip side.  If you produce the type of content people would pay for, you now build a tribe, your own community.  You start to build real value, and followers.  People who listen to you because what you provide really makes a real difference in their lives.

I’ve found personally that I am a follower of and have a better relationship with those people who I have bought from or invested significant time in.  The fact is, selling product, and investing your time with people to really get deep into problem solving and solutions providing is where real powerful relationships are built.  You just don’t have time or attention to follow many people who are just out there giving away a ton of good information.  The best way to really turn someone into a true follower, community member, and even promoter of you is to serve them at a higher level.

This means one of two things.  Either you have something worth them buying, and totally over deliver on their expectations.  Or, you give away something so valuable they can never forget you.

Well, that’s all for now.  Happy Marketing