Thank you to Debra Leitl from eMentorMarketing.com for this guest post. My comments follow at the bottom. Take it away, Debra!
Social media is not a new concept. True, with the invention of the Internet, it has become a more common phrase in business, but social media has been around for quite some time. Some early forms of social media were (and still are) advertising catchy slogans or taglines which can imprint in a person’s memory and instantly link back to the product or service being advertised. Other classic forms are physical demonstrations and public speeches which will also have a lasting effect. Another type of social media is print media; any form of printed advertising, usually distributed by hand. And of course, with the onset of the Internet, the reaches of social media have no bounds.
Through the Internet, media can be spread inexpensively and with the speed of a fast-acting virus. Some examples of online social media avenues are blogs, forums, social interfaces such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, video and picture sharing sites such as YouTube and Flickr, and aggregation websites.
By using the resources available, businesses can either self-promote, or hire a company or individual to “social network” for them. When you hire a company to handle your social networking, you expect them to practice what is referred to as Social CRM, Customer Relationship Management.
Social CRM encompasses a very broad spectrum of attaining new clientele, maintaining the customers you already have, trying to bring former customers back, and managing and reducing the cost of customer retention or acquiring new customers. CRM also handles the cost involved in marketing, trying to reduce it as much as possible.
So the question of how to nurture customers with social media is a very important question. The easiest answer is, be the best social media networker you can be. Easier said than done, right?
It is important for a company to “keep up with the times,” meaning, use whichever facets of social media are the most popular at the time. Currently, the Internet is definitely the most popular tool being used for social networking. But dig deeper: Do your consumers like blogs more than articles? Do they prefer Facebook over Twitter or MySpace? Should you bombard the Internet with professionally designed ads or with customer testimonials? What is the best combination of all of these?
By knowing your target audience, a social media networker can pick and choose which avenues to travel down; which networking practices will reach (and have a positive impact on) the customers.
In addition, it’s also important “not to put all your eggs in one basket.” Just because the Internet is currently the most widely used source of social promotion, don’t forget about the other forms available: recognizable slogans and taglines, speeches and demonstrations, print media, direct mail, TV and radio ads, etc.
A good, no, a great social media networker will be able to nurture your customers from many different angles, encircling them in a warm fuzzy blanket of information and security, letting them know that you (the company) are always there for them (the customer).
Being every-ready to answer any questions, constantly “on-call” for the customer, and thinking just ahead of the customer’s needs, will make the customer feel appreciated, wanted, and taken care of.
With so many options available to each customer, presenting the image that your company is a step above the rest (and actually being a step above the rest) is extremely important. Social media is the easiest, quickest, and most convenient way to attain this status. Using the resources available to you, the social networker, will allow the customer to choose which is the best resource available to them.
About the Author: Debra Leitl is the Mentor in Residence for eMentorMarketing.com. Follow eMentorMarketing on twitter @MentorMarketing. eMentorMarketing blogs weekly about online marketing strategy, and social media marketing.
Commentary from Joe Hage: Thanks for the post, Debra. I must admit, I was thrown off by your first paragraph and looked up social media on Wikipedia.
Wikipedia says “common forms of social media include” those elements in your list … but continues, “A common thread running through all definitions of social media is a blending of technology and social interaction for the co-creation of value.”
This second concept is where I land. Advertising slogans – in particular – stop me in my tracks. I don’t see how they constitute social media.
My company’s tagline is “At The Heart of Saving Lives.” How, from your perspective, does this fit the definition of social media?
Our takes on the definition aside, yes, I agree it’s wise for social media practitioners to “fish where the fish are.” Metrics like those available on Hootsuite, Facebook, and Google Analytics help track which of your efforts are most engaging to your customers. It’s certainly helped me shift my emphasis away from one popular destination to another.
Thanks again for the post and eager for your reply.
Hi Joe, Thanks for the opportunity to be a guest blogger on your site.
The first section of the post was crafted specifically with the intention of driving a lively conversation around the idea of customer care through social media outlets.
Wikipedia itself is a perfect example of how ten thousand Regular Joes all over the world have established credibility and authority simply by creating a reputable
brand presence, then knowing how to work the internet to increase their popularity.
I feel that creating a memorable slogan or brand message is an important aspect of social media marketing because this helps to ingrain your first impression as an authority in your field.
You must first give people something to latch onto, whether it is an image, jingle, slogan, etc. This is a key “social” aspect, which you must first create, before marketing your company.
I feel business based social media marketing is about spreading/pushing an image, but without a brand message or advertising slogan, there is nothing to act as the fuel in your social media vehicle.
I would offer up Coca-Cola which has my all-time favorite marketing message “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”.
The commercial/song spread like a wild fire, in a time before the internet. That song effectively presented Coke as a company that advocates the concepts of peace, love, and harmony…
It is perhaps the most effective social media message ever, because Coke certainly is not any of these things, but they presented a catchy advertising slogan that was remembered by people all over the world as happy and joyous. It advocated all of these popular emotional ideas without requiring Coke to actually implement any peaceful, lovey-dovey practices. That is an impressive social media message.
To build relationships online, you (brand or individual) have to offer something in return, such as valuable information, personal introductions to your already-established connections, or even part of yourself through engagement and interaction.
It’s no longer enough to just suggest that someone should be interested in your product or service. You need to engage your market — ask questions, propose ideas, or simply communicate through social media in a way that gives your followers a chance and a reason to respond.
Then when they respond, interact with them to solidify the relationship, or it will just fade out. Directly acknowledge their response, ask follow-up questions, and share their insights with others. Don’t simply be responsive, be incredibly responsive. Always acknowledge those who reach out or spread your ideas. Follow me on Twitter (@tedrubin) and you will see what I mean. Bottom line: the more responsive you are to your audience, the more responsive they will be to you.
In addition, online relationships will not survive without trust. The key to building trust is simple, but not always easy: Always be good to your word (true to your brand), always be authentic, and always be genuine. Remember, most of your social media interactions are public and very much interconnected – let a positive, trustworthy reputation be the only thing out there to spread!
Last but not least… be very careful if you retain an outside agency to create and manage these efforts. Make absolutely certain they are attached at the hip to senior management and that you have someone watching managing/observing the process daily.
@Debra, interesting example re: Coke. Yes, “I’d like to teach the world to sing” had a viral quality to it and, therefore, did have a social element to it. But I’m wary about the conclusion. Any time any successful campaign element (here, the jingle) resonates with the audience does not mean the element (jingle) should be universally characterized as a social media tool.
So perhaps we can agree that in the broadest possible sense, virtually all marketing elements could be considered social media elements. On the flip side, if everything is social media then nothing really is.
@Ted, thanks and no surprise that I agree with you completely.
Readers, I encourage you to follow Ted on Twitter (@TedRubin). He is a former Chief Marketing Officer who completely gets social media and practices it daily.
What I find interesting about Ted’s approach is how giving and time-consuming it is. Social media is anything but “free.” Look for a follow up post where I interview Ted about social media.
Thanks for the comment.
Great comments, really got me thinking. I’m a “brand” by accident on twitter. Just started from talking about being a fitness expert and then people asking me questions, which led to a blog and then here I am 170 posts later … 🙂
It can kind of evolve away from you a bit and take on a life of it’s own. It’s been an interesting journey.
Thanks for the brain think.
Lisa
Lisa, I’ve been to your blog. You are doing a great job. Thanks for the comment … I understand what you mean about the “journey.”
Joe