Page 430 - Social Media Marketing for Dummies

Question Morally Dubious Directives

As human beings, we are wired to want to please others. And if it is someone who
pays your salary, then even more so. But when it comes to social media marketing,
you may have unique skills or experiences that few others in your company
have. As a result, don’t be shy about questioning morally dubious directives.
Compliance can have a ripple effect. The more you comply with questionable
commands, the more you will continue to do so. If you want to be a successful
social media marketer, recognize that the fakeness could be internal as well,
especially when it takes the form of a morally dubious directive. You have to be
able to recognize it early and question the directive.

Seek Out Allies

You’re bound to come across a lot of fakeness in your job if you’re a social media
marketer. The fakeness can take the form of competitors promoting their products
with unverified claims, influencers pushing metrics on you that are exaggerated,
criticisms from customers that are unfounded, and misinformation about your
brand and your products from unidentifiable sources. It comes with the territory
when you market your business online. One way to fight the fakeness, is by seeking
out allies who will help you question what is fake. Think of these as uber influencers
who aren’t only valuable to highlight what’s great about your products but also
come to your defense and help you fight the fakeness when you’re attacked in
some form or the other.

Focus on Building Trust First

This one might appear counterintuitive but probably the best way to fight fakeness
in social media is not to pay too much attention to it. The more you’re able to
focus on your customers and their needs, passions, and painpoints, the more suc-
cess that you’ll have. You will build an army of loyalists among your customer
base who will come to your defense quickly when you’re attacked on a specific
social media channel. They’ll be there for you when you need them the most.
These customers will happily step in to help you if you’ve built trusted, long-
lasting relationships with them first. And once you have that, then everything else
becomes easy.

414 PART 6 The Part of Tens