The influence of social media is undeniable and something smart businesses can’t ignore.
But, businesses that prematurely leap into the social Web without a clear strategy will quickly learn that it’s not as easy as it appears. Building a strong online platform involves many elements, as gleaned from the Building and Protecting Reputation 2010 conference hosted by Communitelligence, Inc. last week.
What’s at stake
The beauty of social media is the speed. Within minutes, a business can start a blog, create a Facebook page, and start tweeting. Yet, the danger of social media is also the speed. Businesses that attempt to quickly saturate the social media space are at risk of appearing inauthentic. Even worse, if resources are not available to manage the on-going activity needed to maintain a consistent, brand-centric presence, the business’ reputation could be at stake.
Understand how it works
Whether you’re new to social media, or you were an early-adopter who never fully leveraged it as a marketing strategy, there are steps you can take to successfully (re)launch into the space. It begins by understanding that social media is unlike traditional marketing tactics that are largely focused on pushing information to a target audience (i.e. radio/TV ads, press releases, sales brochures, etc.).
Instead, social media marketing is about pulling people toward your business in a way that increases loyalty and enthusiasm. CJ Cornell (@cjcornell), Professor of Digital Media & Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University, suggests four ways you can increase the viral effects of your social media strategy to pull people toward your business:
- Attention: Listen to your target audience because in social media it’s not just about you – it’s about the relationship. Quality relationships start with seeking first to understand, then to be understood.
- Contribution: Offer value that isn’t veiled in a sales pitch. Social media offers businesses an opportunity to be a thought leader in their field. This means sharing information of value, even if it’s not directly linked to making a sale.
- Interaction: The foundation of social media is the relationship it builds between a brand and its audience. You must participate and be an positive voice in the the conversations that matter to your customers.
- Consistency: Abandoned and neglected social media identities are worse than not having one at all. It all comes down to trust. Inconsistency and lack of follow through diminish trust. If you’re going to participate in social media, be all in or not at all.
Insights at work
Your practical application of social media will be a marketing recipe that uniquely fits your business. However, there are best practices that can help:
Start with a core focus. Marianne Curran (@marcurran), Vice President of Social Media for GoDaddy.com, suggests having a primary intent when launching a social media strategy. For GoDaddy.com it was customer service. Already a leader in delivery high-quality customer service, GoDaddy.com wanted to further enhance that brand and discovered success in social media. You’ll notice their GoDaddy twitter page not only shows the faces of the GoDaddy.com staff tweeting, but is filled with replies to customer needs too.
Be where the customers are. Jeramie McPeek (@sunswebmaster), Vice President, Digital for the Phoenix Suns, says their social media strategy is used to engage the fan base and build support for the team. With 30 employees and eight players tweeting, the Phoenix Suns connects personally with their fans one tweet at a time. They tweet giveaways that not only encourages fan participation, but creates a viral buzz for the team.
Create a groundswell. Rick Clancy (@rickclancy), former Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for Sony Electronics, lead the company’s first blog roll out in 2007. That blog led to the development of more community sites and micro-sites. Creating a groundswell for your business means helping people get what they need, not necessarily from your business, but from the community that you create around your brand.
Measuring success
Decide social media metrics in advance. Knowing your goals will influence the direction your social media strategy takes. Every business will have unique measures of success, but common metrics include:
- Number of fans or followers
- Web site traffic
- Number of brand mentions
- Tracking and source code
- % growth of community
The bottom line
Done properly, social media is a powerful medium that enables businesses to increase brand reputation, loyalty, and ultimately, profits. However, your business must move outside of the traditional marketing mindset that interrupts and intrudes. Social media has caused “friend” to become a verb for good reason. Your customer is not just someone to pitch, but a virtual friend.
