The Death of Social Media Marketing

In a recent survey by Hubspot, marketers claim social media is the third "most overrated" marketing tactic (only traditional and digital advertising are more so).

Hubspot blogger Lindsay Kolowich attributes marketers' weariness to four causes:

• Marketers struggle with the choice of the best social media tools

• They find social marketing wasteful and inefficient

• They lack a social media strategy

• They can't distinguish idle chatter from meaningful conversation

Before sealing the lid on social marketing's coffin, I'll repeat the most famous statement ever made by a marketer, Philadelphia retailer John Wanamaker:

"Half my advertising is wasted, I just don't know which half."

A career in marketing has convinced me the activity is inherently inefficient; that there's no magic bullet; and that, above all else, clarity, frequency and consistency matter.

Who told you it would be easy?