Should I blog, tweet, link, or create a Facebook group? Does anyone really care?

“So, I’m not sure I get all this blog, Twitter, and Facebook stuff. How do I use it?” is a question I have been asked very often lately, to which I respond “well isn’t that the question of the day”. You’re in a cave if you have not heard enough and too much about Twitter, especially as a marketer. (As a side-note, should Web 2.0 at this point be Web 2.5?)

If you are in my shoes, how do you respond to the question? The first question back should ALWAYS be 'What are your objectives'. Then, how can social media tools help you as part of your integrated marketing plan.  Many people miss that first part. If you do not start there you’ll end up chasing tactics with no purpose. Then later your company thinks ‘Gee, that didn’t really do anything. Did we measure it’? How can you measure something that didn’t have an objective to start?

In a prior post I discuss how marketing is too tactical; and, I read with interest articles about companies scrambling to get into social media only to claim ‘it’s not working’. Chase tactics, you’ll chase your tail. Chase objectives and you’ll move the organization. So here are some suggestions for incorporating social media:

One: Ask yourself, what am I trying to achieve? Feedback? Word of mouth? Referrals? Top-of-mind? Lead-Gen?

Second: Can social media help you in your marketing ‘toolkit’ to get there?

Third: Shape your social media tactic to get there. For instance, if an objective is to stay Top-of-Mind, write a blog and push it out to your network/prospects. But don’t cry if people don’t start calling. A blog for purposes of staying top-of-mind is not lead generation. However, if your goal is lead gen then your blog and/social media tactics would take different variation including some type of offer. But if you do that, don’t cry if people say you’re ‘too salesy’. Well, that is the subtle purpose of lead generation.

Fourth: Rome wasn’t built in a day (but it is one of my favorite cities). It takes time to build a relationship. Social media is basically one big relationship (and helps word of mouth marketing).  

What do you think?
Jackie

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