Facebook: What You Post Might Come Back to Haunt You

Facebook is the largest social networking website intended to connect friends, family, and business associates. However, it can also work against you if you are not careful with what you post. 

In the case of the teen who was facing drunk driving charges - I think justice prevailed with her over-share. Check it out: Judge uses Facebook to condemn drunk teen

Another example of how social media can affect brands

HubSpot's post Why Pampers' Diaper Fail is a Lesson in Marketing Transparency proves once again how social media can affect brands.  Pampers made a decision to release their new product Dry Max diapers in the old "Cruisers" packages two months before they launched their marketing campaign.  They made this decision because distribution was slow and many of their prospects wouldn't have access to the diapers until later. So rather than announcing their new product, they just released it and experienced some social media backlashing on various social networking sites as well as at PampersVillage.com. I am sure that Pampers will recover from this situation but it serves to further illustrate the power of social media.

Social Media Marketing: A Necessity or a Necessary Evil?

To use social media marketing (SMM) or not, that is the question. But what is the answer? This is a hot topic these days. There is definitely validity to all the arguments for and against using social media marketing. Some arguments against SMM are:

• Social media doesn’t sell
• Social media is all hype
• The ROI on social media marketing can take months
• ROI is impossible to determine
• Social media doesn’t generate profit
• No one is searching for a product or service on social sites like Facebook
• It is very difficult to monetize social media
• Social media marketing can be unpredictable
• SMM takes up too much time
• It is too easy to become addicted and wastes time
• Much of the information is duplicated
• Most social media marketing does not lead directly to sales

Some pro-social media points are:

• Social media isn’t supposed to sell, it is supposed to influence
• SMM increases your brand and product visibility
• Social media marketing increases website traffic
• Social media is about conversations, not conversions
• Social media marketing is about marketing – not selling
• Social media is a relationship building function, not a PPC program.
• Social media monitoring can enable companies to identify potential crisis situations and respond   appropriately
• Social networking is both free and entertaining
• Social media marketing is cost-effective
• Social marketing compliments other marketing efforts
• SMM gets the message out faster to a huge audience

The answer lies in ones' understanding of what social media marketing actually is. "Social" means a "friendly gathering," "media" means "a form of communication," and "marketing" means "an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer."

As a phrase and in context, social media marketing can be explained as an online gathering (or platform) for communications that are part of a process designed to move goods from producer to consumer. The problem some people have with social media marketing is in their understanding of what it is supposed to do. Would you hire a plumber to paint your house? I doubt it. But you might ask your plumber to recommend a good painter, especially if the plumber has a good reputation and you trust his or her opinion. This is an example of offline social networking.

Anyone who expects to engage in social media marketing and see an immediate, direct impact on their bottom line sales will be in for a disappointment. A tweet will not make your phone ring, make a customer walk through your door, or fill out an order form on your website (of course, there are those lucky ones who might have this happen, but it is not the norm). If someone becomes a fan of your business fan page on Facebook today, it doesn’t mean they are going to buy your product or service tomorrow. Having a website doesn’t mean people will automatically visit it.

The key is in the understanding and analysis of your specific needs, your available resources, and your overall marketing strategy. There is no doubt that social media marketing has merit. This is one situation where it would benefit a business owner to engage in some aspect of social media marketing because "everyone else is." If your competitor is maintaining an online presence and you are not, you lose. However, how much merit and how much time you are willing and able to commit depends entirely on what works best for each business owner.

It is important to manage your understanding and expectations of social media marketing. Determine what your available resources are, which marketing methods are currently working and which aren’t (this includes traditional offline marketing), investigate where your competitors are hanging out online and join them, and develop an overall marketing strategy that integrates the most effective initiatives for your particular niche and situation. People have a tendency to lean towards all or nothing. In the case of social media marketing, it is most definitely advantageous to find that middle ground.

Local Small Businesses and Social Media Marketing

Liana Evan in her post, points to the fact that social media marketing might even be considered more advantageous to small businesses than larger ones.  The reason for this is that social networking is no different than face-to-face networking from the traditional marketing realm, except that it is done on the Internet.  For small, local businesses, it is highly likely that some of the people you market to socially are also people you have met or will meet in person.  Read full article here.

What to Ask Your Public Relations Agency About Social Media?

A very thought-provoking post by Social Media Explorer prompted an interesting discussion yesterday about social media and public relations agencies. An executive from Chicago sought me out to ask, “When I submit social media RFPs to PR agencies, how can I tell if they actually know what they’re doing?” As Facebook reaches new heights and Twitter continues to see explosive growth, reputable PR agencies are increasingly stepping into the social media game. Of course, there are no college degrees offered in social media, there are no certification programs, and the field is evolving at such a rapid rate that it’s very hard for anybody to keep up with it all, let alone be able to competently test other people on their social media skills. In the last month, employees of at least two different PR agencies candidly admitted to me that their social media capabilities were not what they needed to be. At the same time, you have thousands of people claiming to be “social media experts.” (DISCLAIMER: I, too, am a self-proclaimed “social media expert.”) So what you’re left with is a lot of reputable PR agencies with track records – that are not in social media – and a lot of free-floating social media experts with knowledge but no track record. How do we separate the wheat from the chaff.  Read full article here.

T.M.I. (Too Much Information.)

Lindsay Berger wrote about what is common sense to some, but unfortunately, not to many, in a well-written, witty post.

"I’m just going to come straight out and say it: social media is good for business. It’s a chance to connect, develop and nurture relationships, cultivate “expert status,” and grow a successful enterprise.

There’s just one [HUGE] problem. Propriety has been thrown out the window." Read full article here.

Blogging: Why Aren’t They Playing in My Sandbox?

We have all heard the hoopla around the value of writing a blog for our business. Blogs create a focal point in a community of potential customers, provide a hub for social networking, invite participation and interaction, build relationships, help increase SEO, boost traffic to your blog site (and web site) and help establish you and your company as an industry expert.

So you decide you will jump on the bandwagon and start writing a blog. You take great pains in creating interesting and valuable content but you can’t understand why no one is visiting your blog. Why? The answer is simple. In order for someone to visit your blog, they first have to know it is there.

Do you know how large the internet is? I read somewhere that it would take 57,000 years to read the entire internet. Certainly more time than I have. Now picture your blog in such an immense arena. How can you expect someone to find you? Well, that is where social media marketing comes into play.

There are many ways to drive traffic to your blog but the first and foremost step is to visit and comment on others’ blogs. If you play in their sandbox first and make relevant and constructive comments, eventually they will come and play in your sandbox.

The “eventually” part is the stickler here. Society today doesn’t like that word. The concept of delayed gratification is not universally accepted or held in high regard by most. We don’t like to wait. We want things now!

• Gone are the days of going to the music store, sifting through the various music selections on whatever media was relevant at the time. Why should anyone have to wait? They can download any music they want immediately from various different Internet music sites – some even for free.

• Cell phones are no longer just for talking. You can play games, surf the net, take pictures, record videos, etc. and most cell phones have literally become an extension of our bodies. Teenagers have become incredibly adept at carrying on a conversation with many people at the same time and have become extremely proficient typists as they text faster than I can even see the letters on my cell phone.

• There are gadgets that can record your favorite TV program from anywhere when you forget to set up the recording before you leave the house.

• How about those “smart houses” that have highly advanced automatic systems for lighting, temperature control, multi-media, security, window and door operations, and many other functions?

• A New Digital Storefront Partnership was recently announced as a consortium of publishers including Time Inc., Hearst, Condé Nast, Meredith, and News Corp. The group is being overseen by Time Inc. executive vice president John Squires who said “The lesson that we've taken from smartphones—the iPhones in particular—is users want to read in digital form."  (http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/pressed/2009/12/08/john-squires-on-new-digital-storefront-partnership/?ana=e_pft)

It is amazing what society can do these days at the touch of a button or the flick of a switch. So why does social media marketing, including blogging, take so long to see results? First of all, it doesn’t have to take as long as one might think if carried out correctly. If you focus your energies in your industry niche, are proactive as well as reactive, and if you are consistent with your efforts, it will take you less time than someone who doesn’t apply the aforementioned tactics.

But, even if you do everything right, seeing results will still take more time than it takes to flick a switch. Why? Because blogging and other social marketing techniques are about relationships and building relationships takes time no matter how you slice it. Would you agree to marry someone you met for the first time? I doubt it. You would want to get to know them through many interactions, learn about who they are, what they do, see if you share the same values, decide if you trust them or not, see if you have anything in common with them, determine if your needs match theirs, etc. The same principle applies to blogging. You have to earn your reputation, play in others’ sandboxes, provide helpful, relevant content and develop relationships in order to see a return on the investment of your time.

Facts, Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging

Facts:

1) Blogs are active while websites are passive

2) Blogs are a powerful medium that tap into the power of social media

3) Blogs allow us to reach our targeted marketing niche

4) Blog are akin to meeting others for a cup of coffee to exchange ideas

5) Blogs are now the most trusted media source for useful information according to a Blogads survey of over 35,000 readers. Value was compared against newspaper, radio, television, direct mail and magazines. It is estimated that in the US 27% of the people read blogs on a regular basis. (http://www.dougwilliams.com/blog-marketing.php)

6) Blogging has potential access to a large audience

7) Blogs provide instantaneous updates via RSS feeds

8) Blogs encourage participation and interaction

9) Blogs offer the opportunity for bloggers to respond to negative comments or concerns of customers and/or potential customers in a controlled environment.

10) Blogs are far more cost effective than most traditional marketing campaigns like direct mailers

Do’s:

1) Encourage contribution rather than just comments like “nice article”

2) Humanize your blog. Make it personality-driven. Use your own voice and your own style; show the person behind the posts

3) Use your blog to improve your customer service. Listen to what your customers and potential customers are saying and asking. Remember, it is their needs that you need to focus on. It is their perception of you and your company that matters which might not necessarily be the same message you think you think are you relaying

4) Provide valuable content to your target market.

5) Write posts that improve your reputation, give you credibility, and prove you are an expert in your industry

6) Drive traffic to your website: you should have a link to your website and can also offer special deals or discount programs using a link back to your website. Of course, using effective keywords in your blog posts and your website will improve search engine rankings for both sites.

7) Be sure to post relevant and timely information on your blog to keep your visitors interested enough to come back and to build a following of loyal readers

8) Consistently and regularly create new posts

9) Be honest and straightforward in responses to comments. Remember, it is literally your reputation on the line

Don’ts

1) Don’t preach about how wonderful your product or service is or use your blog for self/company promotion only. This is a great way to turn your readers and potential customers away from your blog

2) Don’t rely solely on blogging in your marketing efforts. Be sure to use an integrated approach including other Internet/social techniques as well as traditional marketing initiatives such as attending trade shows and other industry events.

3) Don’t write posts just for the sake of writing. Be sure you have something relevant, interesting and/or important to write about. Content is king!

4) Don’t only respond to positive comments. Read, listen, and understand the negative comments as well. Respond in a respectful manner with facts and substance to support your response.

5) Don’t publish someone else’s work and call it your own. If you find a post you would like to share with your audience, be sure to give the credit where it is due – to the writer of the blog post.

6) Don’t make commenting a difficult task

7) Don’t not answer the comments on your blog

8) Underestimate the time you will need to dedicate to your blog; don’t expect too much too soon

9) Don’t forget about the relationship you are establishing with your readers

10) Don’t treat your blog like a press center

11) Don’t blog about something you don’t know anything about

12) Don’t take comments personally, get insulted and post your retorts in a nasty tone

Happy blogging!

The top 3 reasons small businesses shouldn't use social media for marketing

This blog post by Teicko Huber is a a great read - pointing out the obvious with supported by facts with a twist of humor. Read and watch it here.

Social Media ROI?

Take a look at this incredibly information and witty commentary on Social Media by Chris Voss. Enjoy it here.

Tell Me Again Why I Should Use Social Media Marketing?

Everyone is familiar with the term “branding” but it has different meanings to different people. From a consumer prospective, the term branding brings to mind companies like Nike, Apple, Google and Xerox. Google and Xerox have even become verbs – now this is taking the concept of branding to the nth degree! Naturally, we can’t all be giants like Google and Xerox, but we can apply the same branding concepts in a much smaller niche.

Branding is defined as “a distinguishing name and/or symbol intended to identify a product or producer”. What this means from a marketing perspective is, what is it about your product or service that makes you stand out from the crowd? The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines branding as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers”. “Differentiate” and “distinguish” are the keys here.

In order to be successful in branding, you first need to understand the needs and wants of your target market. Like anything else in life, there can be a huge difference between what message is intended to be communicated and the perception of that message. The reality is the perception – the intention is not. How can a company know what the consumers’ perception is? That is where social media marketing comes into play. The world has changed. Let’s face it folks. The Internet is a force to be reckoned with and if you, as a business owner, are not taking full advantage of what the Internet has to offer, you are doing you and your company a huge disservice. Blogs, forums, social networking sites, to name a few, are platforms for sharing and communicating. If consumers have had a bad experience with a company, there is a good chance they will share their experience with the world on some social media platform. Unfortunately, it is easier to find negative comments than positive comments – but that is human nature. How often do our friends, family, children call us just to say “Hey, things are going great”? More often than not, they will call to talk when there is something that is not right – when they are having a problem. And how often, once that problem is resolved, do they call to let us know that everything is now ok? We have all been guilty of these same behaviors – thanks to my mom for pointing out when I do it. As a business owner, it would behoove you to know what your customers and potential customers are saying about you and defend yourself when/if necessary.

Social media marketing is about being social, communicating, establishing relationships, educating, learning, listening, and being both proactive and reactive. In today’s hyper-competitive economy, in order to stay alive and on top of your competition, you have to embrace the Internet and social media marketing.

Often people resist change because they fear the unknown or are afraid of trying something they may not be familiar with. But, the economy, the consumer and the way to market has changed. The economy is super-competitive. The consumer is more educated, more informed, has a whole lot of information at their fingertips, and is no longer satisfied with one way communication channels. They want to know what you can do for them. They want to be involved, don’t want to hear about how wonderful you and your company are from you; they want to hear about you and your company from others, they want you to prove to them that you are an industry-expert and that they need or want what you are selling. Social marketing tools empower customers and those business owners who don’t jump in are going to get stepped on or over, directly or indirectly.

When you are ready to take the plunge, remember some very important points. Be sure to contribute quality content that adds value to people’s lives. When participating in online conversations, remember to converse and not preach. Remember that the customer wants what is good for them, they want it their way. Think of Burger King’s early recognition of this concept: “Have it your way”. Think about Apple’s suite of “I” products. Business owners need to earn their reputation and customer loyalty. Toyota Scion’s VP of Marketing, Jim Farley, illustrates this concept with his quote: “I think the most important thing for us is to be credible, he says. “Just talking to consumers, they don’t believe a damn thing we say anymore. And I mean that in a positive way. They’re really, really smart.” (http://www.slideshare.net/NorthVenturePartners/how-to-crash-the-consumer-controlled-party-and-not-get-thrown-out%20presentation). Connect with your target audience in the online communities and social networks they belong to. Communicate with them in an authentic and straightforward manner to build your credibility, reputation and to increase your brand awareness. Successful companies will be those who surround themselves with communities of potential customers, think outside of the box by finding innovative messages, and those who nurture social relationships.

Everyone needs a starting point. Your company’s website can be your starting point. But remember, building a website is not the end of your Internet marketing, it is the beginning. In an earlier post, I referred to Nigel Peck’s example of a phone ringing just because you bought it (http://newhorizons123.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-do-i-need-to-do-internet-marketing.html). Consider the concept of window shopping. If you pass by a store but don’t go in, has the store owner earned any money from you? Of course not! Same thing with a website; just because you have one doesn’t mean anyone is going to visit it. So what can you do to get visitors to your website? The answer is Social Media Marketing.

Does anyone need any more convincing?

The 7 Harsh Realities of Social Media Marketing

Written by by Sonia Simone, this post is well worth reading. Enjoy it here.