Each week, Danica Jones, our Social Media Director, will tackle a new Social Media question to help address many concerns business owners may have about going social. This is the fifth of a series.

The idea of paid likes and forced likes has always loomed on the horizon of social media marketing. Personally, I consider it a black hat tactic that could end up backfiring for your business down the road. Why? It all goes back to authenticity. Fake likes aren't going to bring you sales, so why even have them there? Why pay for something that doesn't generate an ROI?

I admit, when the first wave of like generators came out, I jumped on board. Shortly after, I realized I was making a big mistake. Most of the people liking my customer's pages ended up leaving eventually, even with decent content being posted. Why? Most of them weren't local, or didn't need the services the company was providing. I wasted time and energy (and time!!!) on generating likes that simply weren't authentic.

So what now? In the new era of authenticity, what does a social media expert want to do to grow a real, valuable audience? One word:

Network. 

I love automation, I do. But the real key to social success boils down to real, authentic interaction and real-time networking. You need to be in the crowd, having conversations with other locals and affiliates, and staying relevant in the conversation.

Yes, ranking is a popularity contest. Social media is, too. You can't force popularity to happen unnaturally in any situation, whether real life or virtual. It will always, always backfire. 

Simple Steps:

1. Yes, be you. Think about the best version of yourself, and be that wonderful, engaging person. Share what you love. Share what your brand is passionate about. Talk to others with similar interests.

2. Find others with common interests. Much like internet dating, you want to look through all of the profiles of people you might like and interact with the people you will actually enjoy. 

3. Commit. Commit to authenticity. Commit to networking. It's part of marketing your brand, and eventually everything boils down to selling the product. Be great, have a great product, and be excited to talk to other people.

4. Listen. A lot of social is about talking. But there is a lot of listening that should also happen. Listen to customers. Listen to competitors. Listen to affiliates and friends. Feedback is your gauge to determine the next move on the chess board.

More questions? Comment here, or find Danica on any social network!