Social Media and Marketing in 2011

[Heather O'Sullivan (HeatherO)]

 

There is still a lot of confusion around this 'brave new social world' that we have evolved into.

Even though it's 2011, there are still people just getting started, or who have had accounts but don't know what to do with them. There is a LOT to be said on this topic, but I will summarize as best as I can ;)

 

 

1. Understand that social media is different. This isn't just a different channel for 'marketing as usual'. The concept isn't necessarily new, but the platform is.

This post explains in greater detail:

The Grateful dead graciously received the feedback AND adoration of countless raving fans. They were BEYOND successful, they were legendary. They went beyond “making money” and created a legacy…more...

Social Media is a conversation, not a bulletin board
...It’s about conversations. We’ve had decades of ‘here is what WE want you to see’ advertising. The reason why most of those forms of advertising don’t work as well as they used to is because we’ve had enough! The reason why we TIVO, and skip the commercials and are scared to answer our home phone in the evenings (if we even have one anymore) is because we’ve had enough...more

It's not just about facebook, or blogs, etc...It's about you! (more)

2. Having a cohesive, broad based presence is important. I recommend having AT LEAST a twitter account, facebook account and a blog (and youtube is becoming even more important than ever!). This is a great visual (read the article here)


3. Social Media gives you the opportunity to attract customers and clients (not just beat them over the head with your sales message:). Give them valuable information that is worth reading and sharing! This is a great article on that.

4. Would you go out of your way to go to your Facebook business page? Create and provide great content that people look so forward to, they will go to your page to find it if they miss it! You can offer giveaways, and freebies and the like to get people to 'like you', but do you want people to buy from you? Do things to get them to 'really like you'. You don't need thousands!

5. I prefer to focus on the term "Social Networking" as it emphasizes the fact that it is a verb. You have to take action! It goes beyond setting up some auto feeder to post stuff. That is more like throwing spaghetti on the wall.

Here are a few quick tips:

1. Find good resources for informational articles that are relevant to your ideal 'fans' and post at least one daily.
2. Have photo not a logo for your profile picture (this is more important than you realize)

3. Look at your facebook insights to see when the best times to post are.

4. Get a blog if you don't have one!

5. Set aside 15 minutes every morning and every evening to devote to social networking/blogging. If done correctly it WILL pay off!

Bonus: Recognize the value of blogging and posting on sites like this one! No matter what you do, this is important to remember! Inside919 gets more traffic & visibility than you realize! Don't miss out on the power of that :)

 

Adapted from my original post on HeatherO.com
I welcome your comments below!
Questions? Need help? Email me!

[Amy Shair, REMAX Real Estate]

Good info here Heather. Thanks for consolidating into a concise list. I agree about having a photo instead of a logo. People want to connect with people.

[Heather O'Sullivan (HeatherO)]

thanks Amy! :)

[Janice, Productivity Strategist]

Appreciate the great info in a short amount of space!

[Heather O'Sullivan (HeatherO)]

Thanks Janice! Brevity is not ordinarily my strong suit, so I appreciate your comment :)

[Angel Lebak ~ Virtual Assistant]

Heather, nice share. I love this line: "Social Media is a conversation, not a bulletin board". I do have a question though, why do you recommend Twitter for each biz?