Social Media Is a Bubble | Beware of the Social Media Madness

March is here again…which means it’s time for March Madness. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I do want to talk about a particular madness that can take hold of you as a business owner or marketer: The Social Media Madness.

This is going to get a little controversial and definitely isn’t what you’ll hear most places. Perhaps it’s a bit heretical. 

As I dive into the madness, some reactions might pop up into your head: anger, denial, resistance, eye-rolling, “he’s wrong!.”  I expect that (especially if you’ve been bitten by the madness), but try to hang with me as I get through the full explanation.  I felt the same way until I mulled this idea around.

Because here’s what I now believe:  Social media is a bubble. It’s a giant multi-level marketing (MLM) strategy. That’s the madness. 

The “Winning Formula”

It took me a while to get to the bottom of this idea because I was kicking and screaming the whole time. I had to re-evaluate the advice I’d given clients…and realize some of it had been wrong.

Not all businesses benefit from social media. That’s it. Certain businesses do benefit big time, but others just waste time and money with it.  You have to pay attention to what kind of business you have and understand how to market yourself. 

I started to get a sense for the MLM game after watching certain carousel creators blow up on Instagram several years ago.  They all promoted brand strategy with a very similar aesthetic. I couldn’t even tell who made each one - they looked that similar. All of them had a  yellow background with the same black font, used images from the same stock image website, and promoted the same marketing and branding advice (ironically it was about how to build an original brand). 

Have you ever made a carousel? I got caught up in this fad a couple of years back. It takes forever to make a carousel. The first time I made one, it took me an entire day.

But these carousel creators still showed up every day with a new one. They discussed how long it took to make it. They spent all day making new ones. Their business literally became making carousels. After some went viral, they started to give advice on how you too can use carousels to promote your business. 

Let's just pause and think for a second. People who are sitting down making carousels all day, end up becoming famous for making carousels. Then they create a business where they teach you how to make carousels like them, so that way you can succeed on Instagram like they did. That's a bubble. That's an MLM. 

Superuser Bubble

Some people get onto a social media platform and become a superuser. They spend A LOT of time on the platform. Eventually they gain a following, and then people start contacting them to ask how they can get big on the platform as well.

Now I suspect these folks originally got onto the platform with the intention of promoting their business.  They were following the myth:  you've got to be on social media so you can market your business effectively and reach people because everyone's on social media. In order to do that, you’ve got to invest an obnoxious amount of time on the platform to actually reach the people that you're trying to reach.

However, that’s what these superusers do. The carousel creators comment on how many hours it takes to create a carousel. Then, they recommend investing several hours a day engaging with your followers and similar accounts. Is that a good time investment for a small business owner? Where’s the return?

After a superuser gains prominence on a platform, they basically become famous for mastering TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn etc.  People start contacting them to find out how they can grow their brand on the platform.  But guess what they’re not getting: inquiries about their actual business. Relatively few people are requesting branding advice (or whatever else they’re selling). People want to know how they can become a superuser on the platform and use it effectively.

So what happens next? They create a course on how to become a superuser.  They may even give talks and team training on it.  People sign up for these courses and start investing an insane amount of time on the platform…and then create their own course on how to do it. 

I’ve seen this happen over and over on every social media platform.  As I mulled this around, I realized: Social media is a bubble!  The superusers have become role models for success on the platform, but they aren’t selling from their original business. Their business became the platform. They never made substantial money from their social media presence…they simply gained a following and are now telling you how to do that, too. 

So, will social media help your business?

I’d say, it depends on what kind of business you have. 

What About Emergency Service Companies?

I started to lose faith in the “every business must be on social media myth” when I was talking to my friend who owns a property restoration company. They come in and get your home fixed up after a disaster like a flood or fire. It's an emergency based services company. When people find his business, they literally have a flood in their house. They have an immediate problem that requires an immediate solution quickly. 

So, what kind of tools will help his business succeed? 

• A deep referral network (trust is extremely important)

• Search traffic based marketing (pay–per-click, SEO)

• Could consider connecting with local HOA’s as the preferred provider for a neighborhood

If he had any sort of social media presence, it might just be advertising on Facebook.

But suppose he had an Instagram account. Why would anyone follow it? 

What if he had a podcast all about home restoration?  Who would that be for?  

The only people who would find this content interesting would be his competitors. He needs to attract customers, not show his competitors how to run a successful business. 

Do you see how silly it would be for him to have a social media strategy? His potential customers aren’t interested in following a cleanup crew around Atlanta. They aren’t interested in his company until they need it. After that, there’s no reason to continue engagement. 

At first, his business looked like an anomaly to the whole “you’ve got to be on social media” mantra. Then I started thinking it through…and realized he’s not alone.

What’s actually the anomaly is the business who does really well on the platform. It's the superuser with the businesses of mastering the platform. They're the dadgum anomaly, and they're creating this entire fake bubble. This fake myth that your business must be on social media to be relevant.  

Businesses That Thrive on Social Media

Alright, I know my opinion about who really benefits from social media may be offensive, but I’m gonna put it out there. Here’s who stands to gain a lot of business from a strong social media presence:

Direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands: You put a product in front of someone, provide a coupon and link and boom…you’ve got a sale. I see these ads all the time on Instagram and find it hard not to click. Their social media presence continues to tell the story and sell an identity to potential and current consumers. My wife follows all sorts of beauty and clothing brands that are constantly showing her new products she can buy. It works.  

Social media also works for certain direct-to-consumer brands that don’t involve e-commerce, but not all of them.  My friend’s emergency services business is B2C, but clearly doesn’t benefit from social media. However, a local restaurant promoting events and meal specials, could certainly gain customers by using social media.  

Online businesses: These guys need to build up trust and cultivate a deep relationship with the audience. After they build trust, they sell a variety of digital products and experiences. Social media helps accomplish all of those goals and put them in front of audiences all over the world.

Software as a Service (SaaS) Products: Whether these are B2C or B2B, these do great. Just check out Canva, HubSpot or Trello to see their strategy; they are masters. 

But outside of those categories, the whole social media promise really starts to fall on its face.  Think about B2B direct sales.  Is social media helpful for them? Probably not. They are more likely to benefit from making specific content pieces and sending them directly to clients versus hoping the algorithm will show it to them. Plus, who really wants to look at B2B while scrolling social media? 

Sure, social media will work for certain companies, but you need to think through some questions to decide if it’s beneficial for you.

Questions You Need to Ask Yourself

Here are some things to think about before you start using social media for your business:

• Is this generating revenue for my business?

• Is the revenue direct or indirect?

• Is it growing my business? Is it growing my brand?

• Am I getting customers from social media?

• Do I need it to grow my authority?

• Does social media support me? Or does it drain my resources?

These are the questions you must ask to evaluate how much effort to put into social media.  

People who want to sell you on growing your business through social media will demand you pour in hours and hours of your time to actually gain the following you need.  But why are we trying to gain all these followers anyway? Moment of truth: How many of the followers that you have are actively paying you money? 

Now, obviously, money shouldn’t be the entire driving factor, but if it's not a big one…then what is? What are you doing it for? Is it a necessary part of your brand or business strategy? Does it serve a necessary purpose?

These are the things you actually have to start asking yourself.  They can be tough questions, but they’ll help you understand how much to prioritize social media in your business…which will inform how much effort you want to pour in.

You want to make sure you’re not caught up in the social media madness and obsession with the vanity metrics. If likes, follows, and shares don’t result in increased business….well then why are you doing it?

Now I'm not saying that there isn't potential true value buried in the social media madness.  If you do build your brand presence over time, you could get connected to genuine media outlets that shine light on your business. You could get more PR opportunities, thus more business and clients. You might build partnerships and affiliate deals that grow your business. There is this trickle down effect that can start to create revenue, not just “vanity metrics.”

Conclusion

So before you jump on the social media bandwagon, think about why you might be on there in the first place. 

Is your customer on there? If so, how will you reach them and pull them into your ecosystem?

Or is it about brand cultivation and growing your presence and authority?

Answering these helps you start to understand the appropriate amount of effort to give social media…if any. Before you hire someone to create your social media or start doing it yourself, really consider whether it’s useful. Otherwise, you risk cranking out content just to crank it out…without adding value to your marketing.

Social media is not a necessity for every business. You must consider: Am I getting actual value…or am I swept up in the madness? Have I bought into a lie?

If you are still working through these questions, I’d love to help.  Contact me through this website or send me a DM on Instagram or Twitter.