One of the problems with social media is that there are too many people offering bad advice, the wrong advice, advice because they are a vested interest or just throwing stones, because they can.

This is a classic article that has been designed by a vested interest.

1. Like and followers should not be dismissed but they are an indicator only.  Obviously if you are getting no likes, an article you have written gets 5 likes, then maybe you might try writing more of those articles?

2. Social media isn't free because it tales your time, but people want to sell you paid media.  Let's not forget, advertising is not social media.  Just the same, buying a billboard at a football game is not the same as playing in the teams.

3.  You do have to get social media, but you also have to have business acumen. Our oldest student is 68. Very simple how to choose somebody to do your social, you look at their social media and see if that's how you want your social to be run.  Age is not a factor.

4.  You don't need to be active on every platform, but just need to understand (and manage) that if you are not active on the big 4 (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) you are leaving money on the table.  Let's not forget, this is fine, you have to have a priority, decided what that is and manage it.  We see so many people have a LinkedIn only program that really restricts. 

5.  Social Media is not so central to your company that it needs to be a board level strategy.  This does not mean your PR company runs your CEO twitter which many people think, this is about having people come in and teach the C-Suite about social.  Not how to be on the platforms, but from a strategic nature.

6.  Audiences do come naturally.  If you are offering interesting, insightful, educational content then people will come.  Engage, Retweet, share and amplify other people's content and you will succeed.  Too many people want to sell you either a managed service where they just post, or tell you to buy ads.  Usually as they have a service to help you.  Rubbish you don't need to buy a service and certainly don't need to promote tweets and content.  Let's not forget, bad content is, bad content.  Our company twitter puts on 1,000 followers a month organically, so it can be done.

7. Hashtags are important, how else will you get your content in front of the people you want to see it?  There are no short cuts, apart from the people who have a vested interest to see you stuff to sponsor your tweets.  There is no gain from paid media.

8.  We have customers doing $ 1 Million USD deals just by posting on LinkedIn.  Now that does not come over night, they are following a world beating methodology.  The great things about methodologies is once you know it, you are away and nobody can take that away from you.  Bit like a qualification.  If you go down the paid media route, you will never learn how to do it properly and will have to continue to pay for the paid media.  Like doing a deal with the devil, paid media, is that paid media.  You keep paying, you might get a result.