Social Media isn't easy. Nothing worth doing is. You have to work and you have to earn it. I strongly feel that there's a gross estimation regarding the balance of talent and work ethic. Talent can only get you so far, people.
Back in the day when email marketing was a new thing, and SEO and other forms of marketing were very quick-results and automated-driven, it was easy to win because only so few people were doing it. The market wasn't yet saturated and people weren't pissed off just yet about having businesses target them through re-targeted banner ads and email-based messaging. Those that were first movers, like myself, were able to take advantage and move in quickly. Now, however, things are different. Things have changed. You have to earn your keeps if you want to succeed in this game.
Back in the earlier Internet days when we had a web revolution, quick results were expected if you were one of the early players. Now, we live in a time where all of that has transitioned into what we call "social media," where things have become quite the opposite. Social Media is much slower and much more human than the automated days of the past. Social Media is human. Just like real-world relationships, the communities we build online have to be worked on. There needs to be value exchanges. The reason why people talk down on social is because they think they can get away with the same things that worked in the past, and they couldn't be more wrong. If you're applying the marketing psychology from years past, then you're simply not going to get the results. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, it's time to start marketing like the year we live in.

---

Gary Vaynerchuk is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling author, self-taught wine expert, and innovative entrepreneur. Find more at http://garyvaynerchuk.com
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is now available on Amazon! http://bit.ly/jjjrhamazon