Feb
19
2010

Reaching The Social Media “Duh” Point

Not too long ago we conducted a survey asking marketers what topics and issues are most important them. Not surprisingly, social media marketing was at the top of the list. While some companies have progressed from testing the waters to approaching social media with deeper communication strategies in mind, others are still trying to navigate the basics and determine where to start.

No matter where your company is in the continuum, we all need to be reminded of the basic tenants of social media from time to time. So the next time you’re feeling discouraged about your social media prospects, brand or strategy: take a deep breath, refocus and read below.

  1. Every product can be social. Just because your product is considered a negative purchase, low interest or has a small audience, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a social media strategy. If H&R Block can make taxes social, your product can be social. People are talking about your brand, or at least your product category, whether you realize it or not. You must get involved in the conversation.
  2. Test and learn. There is no silver bullet when it comes to social media. In today’s digital age, you must embrace experimenting. We’re all students, learning as we go. Don’t be fearful. Just be flexible and open to learning, and make sure you have a way to track the results of your efforts.
  3. Develop a conversation strategy. Remember that your content should be interesting, useful and helpful. Map out an editorial calendar for the year. Determine what you want to talk about each month, based on what is most appealing to your audience. If you’re not sure, ask them. Your content can assume many different forms – videos, blogs, slides shows, photos – to name a few. The more engaging and interactive, the better.
  4. Understand the commitment. Social media requires a tremendous amount of time and resources, whether your company or your agency is managing it. The more relevant, interesting and fresh your content is, the more likely your audience will share it to their friends and colleagues. But it takes considerable time and thought to reach that point. Identify who will be responsible for creating the material, and realize that you will likely need a team of diverse skills sets rather than an individual.
  5. Be patient. Don’t expect overnight success. Commit yourself to long-term thinking by determining how social media can help you achieve your marketing goals. A great example is Fisk-A-Teers, an online community started by Fiskars (maker of the famous orange scissors) who was losing market share to cheaper foreign knock offs. Since its inception 4 years ago it has grown to over 6,800 passionate crafters, who are fiercely loyal to Fiskars’ products.
  6. Incorporate a call to action. Always include a clear call to action so your audience knows what they should do next. Try different offers to determine what generates the best response, and focus on offering something of value and TRACK IT.

Speaking of which, here’s my call to action: Having trouble figuring out whether your social media efforts are leveraging best practices? Not sure whether they are generating results? Ponder no longer. Let Point to Point do a free social media audit for you. To learn more, drop us a line or call (866) 979-5822 x106.

Got any tips you’d like to add? Please share below.

So what do you think?

Reaching The Social Media “Duh” Point

  • Point to Point

    Heather, love the post. Agree with everything but your first point. I firmly believe that every product or brand is NOT social. Moreover, I think some products or brands shouldn’t touch social media with a ten foot pole. If things stay on the current course—with literally every company and its brother urging you to be a fan of them on Facebook—I predict an eventual tidal wave of consumer backlash at social media saturation. Either users will eventually be so pissed off about this “social spam”—because remember, they didn’t join Facebook or Twitter to be sold to, they joined to connect with their peers—they either leave the social network, decide to engage less with it, or wage a grassroots war to get the social networks to regulate the way marketing occurs via the channel. The other thing that may happen as a result of oversaturation is that users will become incredibly adapt at shutting marketing messages out, turning their eyes off, ignoring the sell. Which means the giant push toward social media as a way to more effectively market stuff could be its own path toward marketing effectiveness suicide. We marketers have a responsibility to not destroy social media and we can do this by making sure that when we utilize it for selfish purposes, it’s actually something people want to, well, socialize about.