What My Coffee Grinder Taught Me About Social Media Hype
Two weeks ago my Krups coffee grinder bit the dust. I bought it while in college . . . ca. early 1980s. That means I’ve used it, day in and day out, for approximately 28 years.
Once I confirmed that it was truly dead, I immediately made the trek to one of those big box stores to buy a new one, but alas, all they had was a Cuisinart Grind Central(r) Coffee Grinder. Even though I really wanted the Krups, I let myself be sold by one main feature: the Cuisinart can grind enough for 18 cups of coffee!
Except I’ve never had the occasion to make 18 cups of coffee.
But I bought it anyway, because you know, now that I can make all this coffee I can have more friends over to dinner. 
It’s an ok coffee grinder, meaning it does its job, but I hate it. It scatters grounds everywhere, it needs constant cleaning and it has too many removable parts. All I really want is a coffee grinder that lets me make my one cup of coffee each day without a lot of trouble and mess.
While cleaning up coffee grounds and mulling over the articles I had just read about social media marketing, I realized that social media hype works the same way. Pick up any publication and you’ll find at least one article on why you and your small business should be using social media.
If you read a lot, you come away feeling anxious because you get the impression that you’re missing out on one giant marketing bonanza: 100 million users on LinkedIn! 500 million on Facebook! 1 billion YouTube views per month!
It’s this anxiety I hear now when prospects call.
Well, here’s the skinny: Just as I don’t need a coffee grinder that makes 18 cups of coffee, if you’re a small business owner or marketer pressed for time (and aren’t we all?), you don’t have to be on every single social media platform nor do you need thousands of “fans” or “followers.” Honest.
If your customers and prospects use Facebook and you yourself love Facebook, then stick with Facebook. If, on the other hand, the bulk of your prospects use LinkedIn but not Twitter and you feel more comfortable on LinkedIn, then make LinkedIn your focus.
Then, work to make connections while creating some solid content on a regular basis. It’s better to go deeper with fewer connections and a couple of white papers or an e-book than it is to constantly post superficial crap to thousands of people who just ignore it.
As for my coffee grinder, I broke down and ordered a new Krups because I miss its simplicity and elegance. The Cuisinart is getting returned.
About the author: Dianna Huff
A B2B web marketing expert, Dianna helps B2B companies grow through SEO, marketing writing, and social media. A frequent speaker, Dianna has been quoted in numerous blogs, books, and articles; her client list includes large and small B2B companies across the U.S. Follow her on Twitter @diannahuff. To receive her e-course on creating great B2B marketing content, subscribe to her newsletter, The MarCom Strategist.
May 24th, 2011 at 1:13 am
Excellent points here, Dianna, and love the coffee grinder analogy. Also, the reward of a great grinder is a delicious cup of coffee. The rewards of a great social media network are followers and friends who are interested in what you have to say, and supportive of your offerings when the time comes, and vice versa, of course.
May 24th, 2011 at 1:38 am
Carrie — Absolutely. I’ve found that while I have lots of followers, I really only connect regularly with a small percentage of them. I’ve met some really nice people on Twitter, though. I love it.
May 24th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Bravo! And so refreshing. Because I am one of those people who read everything and then feel like we’re missing out.
What really resonates with me is your statement, “It’s better to go deeper with fewer connections and a couple of white papers or an e-book than it is to constantly post superficial crap to thousands of people who just ignore it.”
Thank you for the reminder!
May 25th, 2011 at 2:50 am
And just like with any other marketing tool, you have to have an objective, a reason for being there. It’s a waste of time and energy to maintain a business presence on social media platforms simply because “it’s what the gurus say I’m supposed to be doing.” Plan your mission and then stick with the platforms that help you meet your goal(s). It becomes inundating otherwise.
May 25th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Sandi — Thank you! I’m one of those who reads everything and then becomes completely overwhelmed. I’m glad the post resonated with you.
Stacey — Exactly! Love your line: It’s a waste of time and energy to maintain a business presence on social media platforms simply because “it’s what the gurus say I’m supposed to be doing.”
May 25th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Dianna – I love your point about staying focused and going deeper rather than spreading yourself thin on a superficial level. Stacey is dead on about having an objective. Understanding your objective will help you select a more effective social media for you purpose.
May 25th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Kathy — Thank you for the nice words and for stopping by. I agree about having an objective.
May 26th, 2011 at 4:50 am
Dianna, I certainly agree, in business, if you can’t do it well, it is often better to not do it at all.
What continues to astound me is why the media and consultants can throw numbers out like “500 million people on Facebook!” as justification for being on Facebook. By that logic, all businesses should be advertising in newspapers and on television too. It isn’t like your Facebook marketing efforts will reach all of them (and you wouldn’t want that anyways!).
I love your perspective here and keeping it focused on making meaningful connections. And speaking of social network connections, see you on Twitter.
– @wittlake
May 26th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Eric — Thank you! You make an excellent point. Before social media, you wouldn’t have purchased ad space on every single media available. And nice following you on Twitter, too.
June 1st, 2011 at 1:33 pm
It’s definitely better to be active on one social network and use it correctly, than to have multiple accounts that you can’t keep up with. The best social network to be on largely depends on the audience and how comfortable you are using it. For B2B, LinkedIn is often the best bet, since it’s business focused.
June 3rd, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Nick, I agree with you but I also think it’s a mistake to say, “This one or that one is best because it’s [fill in the blank].” I personally find LinkedIn to be noisy and chaotic. They keep adding all kinds of new features and I can’t keep up. I love Twitter because it’s easy and not so time consuming. I’ve had other people say the same. I’m finding that I like my FB Page for the same reason too.
June 9th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
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July 14th, 2011 at 8:08 am
Diana, this is my fourth comment in your website today. Your articles are all captivating that I find myself going through almost all your posts. How you related your experience with the coffee grinder to social media is excellent. Personally, I only keep a Facebook page because most of my friends, associates and clients use Facebook.
July 14th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Leon, I’m glad you’re finding my posts helpful.