Are You Truly Social or Are You Just Using Social Media Tools?

Over and over again, I work and consult with companies who tell me, "Yes, we use social media." This is usually followed up with the indication that it doesn't work very well for them.

When I look into their channels, I find that, yes, they are using social media tools. They are following best practices and have some sort of unified brand and tone guidelines. But their efforts often leave me cold. There is no heart. No passion. No social.

I don't know any approach/culture OTHER than social. I've been thinking 'social' for my entire 16-year career and, personally, for over 22 years. But it wasn't until the past 5 years or so that I have been able to articulate the culture and approach behind social. Mainly, I now understand the cultural differences because I can now understand where traditional marketers are coming from having worked with them closely.

In true social fashion, instead of sharing these lessons one-to-one with brands and agencies here and there, I've decided to launch a YouTube video series where I can take snippets of these lessons and explain the nuanced differences between social and NOT social marketing behavior. This series is called Truly Social with Tara and here is the overview:

 So far, I've covered topics like "viral" videos (the truth about what we call viral and what is truly viral):

...and using the measurement impressions (spoiler: it's dumb) to judge whether social campaigns are successful:

 Coming up, I'll be covering topics like:

• What hiring interns and junior staff for your digital and social marketing efforts says about you
• Emotional linkbait and why we can't have nice things
• How social is changing SEO and how you can benefit from it
• The differences between social and NOT social video
• The three horsemen of successful content

I'd also love YOUR suggestions on which micro-topics should be covered. Feel free to send me a message with your "Dear Tara, Help!" request.

There is a HUGE upside for companies that use social and digital channels correctly and, for those that ignore or abuse these channels, a severe price to pay.  

I'm hoping that my initial subscribers will be the 'converted' - you guys that already know this stuff, but need an authoritative voice to help you teach your boss and clients to shift their thinking. Then I'm hoping that I can help you spread the word through these short, simple videos, creating a larger mass of people in our industry who become Truly Social converts.

Let's change the trajectory of marketing once and for all. Help me help others become Truly Social. Subscribe here and spread the word!

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Behind-the-Scenes

BTW, I write, shoot, and edit everything myself. If you are interested in my setup (which is very DIY!), just ask! :)