OK, everybody sing along with me to the tune of “The Locomotion.” (Check YouTube if you want to hear it.)

Everybody’s doing a brand new thing now
Come on baby, do some Social Media
I know you’ll get to like it if you give it a chance now
Come on baby, do some Social Media
My little baby sister can do it with ease
It’s easier than learning your ABC’s
So come on, come on, do some Social Media with me
There’s never been marketing that’s so easy to do
It even makes you happy when you’re feeling blue
So come on, come on, do some Social Media with me

Who could not love Social Media as a marketing tool? It’s so easy and everyone that does it is so successful — right?

Right now, Social Media marketing is the darling of every in-house marketing team and many small business owners and managers. And that makes sense. It’s easy to get started, and it’s free or very low-cost if you take out the time of the employees working on it. And every once in a while, it’s really successful for organizations.

I don’t want to discourage anyone from using Social Media as a marketing tool. But like any other marketing tool, it requires planning, effort and expertise.

The problem is, many marketers are going about Social Media strategy backwards — picking technologies and sites and just starting to flail away without first focusing on what they want to accomplish.

The comedian Stephen Wright had a great line: “My mechanic told me, ‘I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.’” Often, organizations with incomplete or poorly thought-out marketing strategies and messages don’t bother to fix either of those issues. Instead, they just turn to Social Media marketing and hope the same problems will not prevent them from being successful using that vehicle.

Before you shift all your focus to Social Media — or any marketing effort — remember the basics:

1. Know your market. Keep getting feedback. One survey or focus group every 10 years is not enough.
2. Develop and keep tweaking your value proposition — what makes your product or service desirable, relevant and different from your competitors’.
3. Develop key messages and offers that are important and truly attractive to your target audience.
4. Make sure all your marketing efforts have elements that Inform, Engage and Call to your audience to Act.

And consider other often-overlooked marketing approaches as well.

How about public speaking? Yes, it is difficult. That’s why so few do it. But it can be incredibly effective. A well-prepared talk in front of the right group can be gold for a business owner or marketing manager.

It doesn’t have to be a brilliant talk. The fact that you were invited or accepted to speak indicates you’re a professional. And you start to build relationships with other professionals attending the talk. You can begin with the Kiwanis and Rotary-type groups, but if you’re a B2B company, you’ll want to speak at trade shows and conferences.

Speaking of trade shows, when was the last time you participated in one? How about just renting space and setting up a stand at a public event and talking with people? Give out samples if you make a consumer product. You’ll be amazed how hi-touch often beats hi-tech as far as sales goes.

Once you have tried these things and followed the basics, I will surely welcome you to “…come on, come on, do some Social Media with me.”