It’s what the Internet has always been — social. That’s why the Web has evolved over one short decade to the become the life changing behemoth it is today.
Let’s define social:
so·cial [soh-shuhl] –adjective
1. pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations: a social club.
2. seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious.
3. of, pertaining to, connected with, or suited to polite or fashionable society: a social event.
Note some of the words used to describe social — devoted to, companionship, social club, connected with. These terms tell anyone serious about social marketing how they must think so they can be considered part of social marketing. You don’t do social marketing — you are social marketing!
Social media marketing takes time and focus. You need to be involved, participate, share and react — or it isn’t “social” media marketing. For me, the Web has had this social aspect from the start. I’ve realized and embraced this advantage every chance I get by making connections, being involved, sharing information and expertise, being available and approachable — being social! Social media being the buzz word du jour, is just a more focused segmented version of where we started in the early 1990s and a natural evolution.
So for those that were not involved before (and continue to convince themselves they can still succeed without being social), this is a critical time for them to realize that how they have chosen to use technology up until now, has simply been an excuse to not embrace the very fiber of what makes the online world tick.
One of the things I see my clients struggle with most is understanding the participation factor that makes or breaks any online program. The majority are simply more comfortable and accepting of the passive “brochureware” mentality where site visitors come by (if they even get found) and fill out a form with their questions. Some answer these inquiries faster, in more detail and more professionally than others. But that’s the limit of their involvement. They rely on organic rankings while making no efforts to positively effect those rankings. Again, wanting it all with no involvement and by taking no action.
Few are proactive, very few are truly immersed, and those who solicit their customer’s input or offer a venue to submit commentary, engage in conversations or ask questions publicly are negligible. Rather than being involved — most choose to impersonate a billboard in the middle of a long stretch of deserted highway.
So how do you have to think, today, at this point in time when approaching social media marketing? You have to become your best marketing tool — yes, you! Here are excerpts from an article I recently read that gives a solid train of thought for those who are willing to take their participation in technology to the next level:
- Be useful. The best advertising is no longer a message that an advertiser wants to “get out there.” The “new” best advertising is something that is useful to the target customers, which ideally also communicates the value of the product or service being advertised.
- Make a social media commitment. Advertising used to be about campaigns that started and ended. Social media is not a campaign, but a continuous commitment — because it takes time for a community and trust to build.
- Read and react in real time. For the first time in history, the two-way nature of the mass medium known as “digital” means advertisers not only can, but must, read and react to customers’ feedback or input.
These 3 tips are what marketing online, which at this point is pretty much all social (how social you are can and does effect your organic rankings), is all about. Here’s the full article: A Different Perspective On Social Media Marketing.
If you have your business online, you need to realize that if your competitors take advantage of technology, are social, are involved, are blogging, are using all the tools available to them to connect with their markets, the less chance you have of being viewed as relevant.
At your service,
Judith
