Why do so many people in the social media business spend so much time marketing themselves to others in the same industry?

One of the most baffling developments I’ve seen in marketing has been the growing misuse of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn by social media proponents/strategists/marketers and, yes, spammers to try to sell to … other social media proponents/strategists… you get the picture. Evidently, some of these people don’t.

There are plenty of good people in the social media space using the tools to share knowledge, trade tips and engage in conversations. The value of the business intelligence for me as a business owner is incalculable and hopefully it will translate into helping me do a better job for clients. Yet, daily, I get Direct Mails in Twitter from people marketing their social media services or their Get 10,000 Followers In A Week programs. They can clearly see what I do for a living. Why are they wasting my time — and theirs?

Small business owners and professionals, at least you’re being spared from these misplaced messages.

LinkedIn now has a number of groups devoted to social media “discussions.” Unfortunately, a large number of the discussions started are people pitching their blogs, webinars, products, services, etc. to others who do the exact same thing. Don’t get me wrong. I responded Tuesday morning to an excellent question in a LinkedIn group — Are all social media strategists created equal? (My short answer: Definitely not.) The discussion attracted some great comments. Yet, it’s becoming more and more time-consuming to find the good stuff in the groups. Moderators are doing their best to fight the spammers, but the latter are relentless in their determination to sell to their peers.

What does this tell me? 1) A spammer is still a spammer, whether they work for a cutting-edge integrated marketing firm or a quick-buck artist. 2) I honestly think some new converts to marketing through social media — some of them people laid off from traditional marketing and media companies — are in over their heads. 3) A lot of people in social media are missing a golden opportunity to connect with real people, listen, exchange ideas and lay the groundwork for business relationships — and even revenue.

What can an honest social media maven do? Fight back. Block those who only sell to you on Twitter. Report spammers and overzealous marketers on LinkedIn or Facebook. Report inappropriate content anywhere.

The same applies for any business owner or professional reading this post. Stand up to the spammers. Don’t let them ruin your social media experience.