Social Media Marketing Institute

Last week ReadWriteWeb posted an article explaining why business should have a Facebook Page instead of a Facebook Profile. When I saw the headline, I thought it might have been a post from last year, when everybody was staking their claim in the big Facebook Fan Page gold rush, name grabbing and asking everyone in the world to be a fan. I thought it was an old post because I just assumed that by now it was a given that any business getting into Facebook would think to start a fan page. I am wrong – that style of thinking is more rooted in the desire that it be true than in the actual truth. That assumption’s about as faulty as the one made at the beginning of the article:

The need to leverage social media for business is a no-brainer at this point

Photo Credit: Dru Bloomfield

Is it really? I don’t quite think we’ve hit that finish line yet. I understand the need to address that point quickly and then shove it aside to get to the meat of the article, but I don’t think we’re at the “no-brainer” point yet. There’s still plenty of resistance, plenty of people who are lost, and plenty of people who don’t engage on social sites. Don’t get me wrong; I’m definitely of the opinion that it will become a no-brainer, but to me this is the equivalent of declaring print to be dead because a lot of people buy Kindles and iPads – ain’t happening yet, and instead of declaring something dead or a no-brainer, maybe we should focus on the growth of the new thing instead.

For the purposes of the RWW article, that opening statement was completely unnecessary, but it really stuck in my craw. I think that’s because I see Social Media Marketing as still having a ways to go. It’s definitely become a more prevalent part of marketing strategies, but right now I see it the way I saw corporate websites in the mid 90’s – everyone was getting one whether they knew what to do with it or not.

Thinking about it now, maybe the need is a no-brainer, but the how seems to remain elusive, in my humble opinion.

Over the weekend my dad wrote a post about figuring out who to follow on Twitter. Something that seems to be a bit harder to grasp is how to get people to follow you.

I have a lot of friends who are actors and comedians – they’ll get on Twitter, probably because someone told them they had to, and I’ll see that they’ve posted a Facebook status update that says “Follow me on Twitter (followed by something witty)”.

My reaction is always the same – Why? Why should I follow you? I don’t blame them for wanting followers, though. It’s nice to see your audience grow, and while I’m still planted firmly in the “quality over quantity” camp, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t cool to cross certain watermarks – 250, 500, 1000 and so on. The REASON why it’s cool is because I got there legitimately – while I like having what I consider a decently-sized network, that wasn’t my goal.

So what’s the magic word that gains you followers? How do you do it?

Well, as you begin to follow people who interest you and ENGAGE them, you’ll find that many of them will follow you back, because you’re no longer someone looking to pad their numbers – you’re actually taking the first step in establishing some sort of relationship. The reason why Twitter (and other social networks) encourage you to first connect with people in your address book is to ease the burden of building your network from scratch – you probably already interact with these people, so you can get comfortable with your surroundings before venturing out further.

Beyond that, I believe there are four things that will gain you a following on Twitter. Keep in mind, I don’t include “being genuine” because the four below are options, and I think that being genuine should be a given:

1. Be interesting

2. Be entertaining/funny

3. Have conversations with people

4. Offer valuable information

Any one of these might gain you followers – however, when more than one of those things is present, your chances of building a strong following increase exponentially. Of course, if you’re using Twitter as part of a marketing strategy, you need to decide which recipe works best for you – some companies do OK without incorporating a great deal of conversation – others aren’t particularly funny or interesting but are worth following for the valuable information they provide.

What best suits your company’s communication style? What best suits the way your market communicates with you and consumes information? How do I want this to benefit my current and potential customers? Answering those questions goes a long way in determining not only the voice of your Twitter account, but who you want to follow it. Basic Law of Attraction type stuff.

If you’re already on Twitter, what are some tips YOU give people when they ask this question?

Photo Credit: pixelpackrWhen I look over my Twitter stream I see a lot of the same ideas being shared a hundred different ways:

“There is no such thing as a social media guru.”

“Listen, Engage and Act.”

“Social media is not a fad”

And so on. And so on. And so on.

Is it enough for you already?

Not by a longshot.

There’s a reason why you keep seeing these concepts over and over again – it’s because they need time to sink in. 

Practice makes perfect.

Imagine yourself as Michael Jordan – not the game-winner sinking, ankle-breaking, lockdown defending legend we all know. Imagine Michael Jordan on his first day of practice.

Ever.

He might have played some ball to that point, and might have even thought that he knew it all – after all, he’d seen the players he admired doing it on television, watched kids older than him play, and had done some shooting around himself, right?

Wrong. He had to learn how to shoot a proper jumpshot. How to dribble. How to throw a chest pass and a bounce pass. How to lay the ball in. Even Michael Jordan didn’t get it right the first time. His success came from a combination of (un)natural skill and the dedication to develop the muscle memory that he relied on every time he needed to hit a shot under pressure or make a mid-air decision.

It’s the same thing here. If you want to play in this game, it’s not bad to hear the same thing over and over again. Eventually, you’ll reach your lightbulb moment, where it all makes sense because you’ve heard it over and over and it finally clicked.

When that moment happens, you’re ready to play for the Bulls.

image courtest of ronploof

When you start engaging your consumer through social media, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of feedback that comes your way. Your consumers are all individuals with their own individual opinions, and while what they say definitely does matter, it’s up to you to judge when that feedback should be acted on and when it needs to be debated or even (gasp) ignored.

I’ve managed the social media presence of a large company with a very vocal consumer base and I can tell you from experience that although it’s important to listen to the consumer and value their participation in the conversation, you also have to realize that you may know your business better than they do – and that’s OK.

Because you’re supposed to. It’s YOUR business. If you DON’T know more than the average consumer of your product or service, it’s time for you to start studying. The key is being open and listening while exercising judgement. When you recieve feedback from a consumer, positive or negative, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is this an idea/issue I’m working on? If so, and you’ve been hearing the same feedback a lot, it might be time to open up the curtains a little bit and talk about that process.

2. Where is this coming from? Is it well written? Well thought out? Before you worry that someone’s complaint will ruin your rep in the social space, consider these things. The outlandish rants of a lunatic, however profanity-laden, do not a ruination make. In all likelihood anyone with a legitimate gripe who is reasonable will at least discuss the matter with you in private before plastering it all over the internet.

3. Is this person coming from a place of knowledge? If not, maybe you can educate them. In fact, maybe you should.

Is customer feedback important? Yes. Should they be heard? Yes. Should they determine the future of your company?

That’s up to YOU.

After all, it’s your business.

Guess what?

You don’t.

I know, I know – it seems a little odd coming from the Social Media Marketing Institute, but I’ve been in so many meetings where I’ve sat across a table from people with their arms folded asking me the title question of this post when the answer is simple.

You don’t.

Nobody needs Twitter to do more business. You don’t have to have a blog to be an expert and you don’t need Facebook to stay in touch with people. Frankly, if you’re not interested in it and don’t see the point you’re likely not going to have much success anyway because you’ve declared it to be useless before you even used it.

So here’s my alternative: instead of asking why you need social media, ask why you’re asking about it. Is it because you’re looking for new ways to reach and communicate with consumers or because it’s the new toy and you just HAVE to have it? You wouldn’t buy advertising on a whim, or hire a publicist without forethought because those things cost money – social media is free, right?

Wrong. It costs time, commitment, and if you’re planning on hiring someone halfway decent to execute it on your behalf, money.

The point I’m trying to make isn’t a new one. In fact, it’s been cried out from the tops of digital soapboxes for years. We’ve said it on this very blog countless times and you can find variations on the theme strewn around the blogosphere like buoys in the ocean. The point is this:

Social media is part of an overall plan that you utilize because its capabilities extend beyond your business’ current reach. Want a deeper level of engagement or relationship with your consumer? Social media can help. Want to humanize your brand? Social media can help. Want to organize like-minded people to action on a grassroots level? Social media can help. Want to relay targeted but useful information to reach new consumers and retain current consumers? Social media can help.

Maybe the questions isn’t “why do I need social media?”

Maybe it should be “how can I improve and grow my business?” Or “What are our core strengths and weaknesses?” Or “What opportunities are we NOT taking advantage of?”

Any one of those questions will lead you to a much more satisfying answer for your business.

Photo Credit: Horla Varlan