An Open Letter to Social Media Marketers:

An Open Letter to Social Media Marketers:

Thank you!  I’ve learned a lot about social media over the years.  And, as all of you social media marketers know, there’s really no way to learn the tricks of the trade but by putting in the blood, sweat, and sometimes tears that it takes to run successful fan pages.  (I can see your heads nodding in agreement!)

I think back to all the lessons I’ve learned, platforms I’ve managed, and the skills needed to do so. And, if I put it all together in one thought I can honestly say that social media marketing is not for the faint of heart, nor the cocky intern that thinks she/he knows social media because she’s/he’s posted on a fan page a time or two, nor the IT department that thinks you just play on Facebook all day long.  No, social media marketing is for those who are willing to fight the good fight.

It’s for those of us who are marketers, public relations specialists, managers, directors, owners, project managers, developers, tech-savvy analysts, content creators, writers, and insightful decision makers, willing to learn who their audience is, what they want and then give it to them.

Social media can be unforgiving and, at times, ungrateful… However, it’s the future, it’s the now. So, now we need an online presence, and unless you’re working for a massive brand with the financial backing, you’re probably all of the titles above, doing it all yourself, or darn near it.

We just want to say thank you! Thank you and hang in there! You are at the forefront of the industry; an industry that changes daily, heck- hourly.  Hang in there! You can do it!

They may not understand the work that goes into what you do.  They may not know how to judge an ROI, but you do and thank you! Thank you for creating awesome content that people love! Thank you for moderating the web with your participation! Thank you for using #data to improve your results so the rest of us marketers don’t have to suffer the ad blockers, unsubscribers, or post hiders. Thank you! Thank you for the trail you are blazing, the multiple hats you wear and the endless hours you work.  Thank you for the blood, sweat, and tears you give to this wonderful, crazy, ever-changing, world of social media marketing! Without you, our lives would be oh-so boring and way less entertaining!

~ From a fellow SMMer