Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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90% of your sales will come from word of mouth or digital promotion by 2011. How do you change what you’re doing today to be ready for that? Seth Godin, April 20, 2009
Social media has become a powerful additional communications channel in your marketing strategy to build relationships with customers. Managing it can be as easy as 1-2-3!
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Here are some stat’s:
Facebook alone has more than 400 million users worldwide, half of whom log on daily.The fastest growing demographic is 35 years + female.
LinkedIn, described as the ‘buttoned down, suited up’ version of social media has more than 47 million members with a new member joining every second. Half of all members are from outside the U.S.
Twitter – (microblogs), is one the fastest growing social networking sites in history with millions of users within its first year.
Blogs – (web log) 184 million users globally have started a blog and 346 million people read them[1]. The majority (77%) of active internet users read blogs. Chances are your customers are too.
YouTube – It has been said if YouTube was a country it would be the third most populated place in the world! 20 hours of video are uploaded every minute [2]. 100 million unique monthly visits.[3]. #1 entertainment site on the Internet, #6 largest internet destination.[4]
So, if you are just starting out or have your accounts already established, the following provides some quick tips for making the most of these media:
1. Purpose
Think about what you are seeking to achieve from your social media activity. Are you hoping to: increase customers, sales, awareness of your business or all of the above? Clarity about your purpose will help refine the type of content you provide and how often you use these media.
2. Plan
Planning is key to optimizing your time and outcomes. Planning for content, frequency and time management will provide efficiencies.
Content Social media is not about selling – but like offline networking – its more about building relationships and engaging your followers. Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of your posts provide information of value, relevant and of interest to your followers, such as articles, links and tips relevant to your business and industry. 20% of your posts can be about your business including special offers.
How often? To build and maintain a following you need to participate and engage regularly. Suggested: Twitter – several times per day; Facebook – 2-3 times per week.
Time Management Managing social media is now akin to email management. Set aside some time, perhaps 15 minutes twice daily, to answer messages, accept friend requests and make your posts.
Use programs such as PingFM (www.pingfm.com) which links your social media – enabling your posts to be automatically distributed to your other sites. Twitter can be linked to Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn – so any new posts on your Twitter feed will be automatically updated on your other platforms.
3. Promote
- Choose a name for each of your profiles relevant to your business and consistent with your branding. Once you have 25 fans on your Facebook business page, you can claim your url.
- To reinforce your branding – keep your profile images consistent on each platform.
- Promote your social media addresses on all your written and electronic communication.
- Follow up networking events by connecting with new colleagues via these media. LinkedIn particularly is great for this.
Take advantage of the fantastic technological phenomenon that is social media to build your network and grow your business. Good luck!
[1] Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2008
[2] YouTube 2009
[3] Comscore 2009
[4] YouTube 2009
Yes, well, watch out – as the activity on Twitter has flatlined in a big way according to a recent report I read and MySpace is not looking too flash at the moment either!
Could we be headed for social media doomsday? Are typewriters about to make a comeback? Will cotton be used for football jerseys soon?
Social media isn’t suitable for all marketing activity, obviously. But you wonder, with all us comms pros preaching the social media gospel (judiciously and with much prudence, of course), that by the time organisations catch on to it will the horse have bolted?
Tks Craig for your comments (and humour!)
Re suitability – by applying the trusted marketing fundamental – understanding your customers’ behaviour and tailoring all marketing activities to suit (including the option of social media as a communications channel) – you can’t go wrong. The case for using social media needs to be supported by data – success stories, case studies. I believe organisations will catch on if we articulate and demonstrate the benefits.
Anne: this is such an important item: “Social media is not about selling – but like offline networking – its more about building relationships and engaging your followers.”
This singular truth needs to be inscribed on the social media doorposts (here in the States, it’s the first night of Hannukah tonight) — too many organizations are seeing social media as a broadcast platform. We still will be held accountable for contributing to business outcomes (I hope!), but let’s not make social media the reeking cesspool that e-mail marketing has become, eh?
Notwithstanding Craig’s fear that Twitter has (note Americanism creeping in) “jumped the shark” — microblogging isn’t going away, but it might not be called Twitter for very much longer. Friend Feed, anyone?
Oh, and one small correction — FB has 350 million users as of last month…
Cheers.
Thanks Sean for your comments. Since writing that post – have seen a comment which likened social media to mass marketing! Aaa! Mass marketing is defunct. Broadcast use of social media won’t work either. People will just unfollow.
Thanks for the updated FB stat .. I also just saw a new one for LinkedIn quoted as 53 million! Guess the important takeaway is that these platforms are powerful and growing. Enjoy Hannukah.
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