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The Reality of Social Media Marketing
There is no doubt that social media marketing has been all the rave for Internet marketing consultants for the past couple years now. But is the hype transferring into reality for these firms? If you do any research online about social media marketing, you’ll find plenty of companies touting their knowledge, and "in-depth" experience in marketing through the latest social platforms.
But if really you look at what these people are saying, it’s complete theoretical crap. They like to say things like “be authentic”, or “participate in the culture”. I even saw one blog post from a firm where the author compared marketing through social networks to being popular in high school. It’s clear that the author spent a lot of time being stuffed in his locker. He needs to get past his personal teenage trauma and look at the revenue opportunities, not the popularity contest.
The truth about social media marketing is that none of us are experts yet. We have theories, and some of us even have a few wins under our belt. But the technology is maturing so fast, it’s hard for anyone to stay ahead of it.
But things are starting to become clearer. I have been advertising through Facebook ads since the first week they came out, and I have seen those start to produce more results over the past few weeks. Facebook Connect has made it possible for site owners to syndicate reviews of their products to hundreds of the reviewers closest friends. Tighter integration for of Twitter has helped make a microblogging tool a great resource for customer service. Things are getting better, and best practices beginning to emerge.
Getting started in the world of social media marketing requires creativity. You have to think about how your specific model can leverage these new technologies. USWeb is currently building a shopping cart for several clients that give the ability for users to interact with, and promote the site through Facebook. We are also currently working on a website for an attorney that incorporates Twitter in a way that allows the attorney t easily answer questions from, and in the process pitch, prospects instantly.
Ironically, one of the more difficult models to develop a good social media strategy is for an Internet marketing firm like USWeb. Our industry is filled with “experts” in the space who implement Spam-like techniques and muddy the waters for good firms. Being in the B2B space makes creating a social media strategy difficult. Our clients don’t follow our brand the way a personal consumer might.
JetBlue has a clear strategy for their Twitter use, to inform customers of real time information. USWeb doesn’t have that need. But we can use it to post links to short articles we find interesting in our industry for others who might be interested.
Harley Davidson has plenty to post about on their Facebook page. They have events to talk about, pictures to share, etc... USWeb doesn’t have that. But we did create a system that let’s people ask questions on our website that are then viewable, and answerable, on Facebook. And we can create a weekly call to help answer questions for customers and prospects, and then promote that call through Facebook.
If you’re considering how to bring your brand into the social media space, give us a call and we can do some brainstorming together. And if you’re talking another Internet marketing firm, don’t settle for high-level theories, or examples of how other companies are using social media. Ask them what they are doing to market themselves and their clients.
But if really you look at what these people are saying, it’s complete theoretical crap. They like to say things like “be authentic”, or “participate in the culture”. I even saw one blog post from a firm where the author compared marketing through social networks to being popular in high school. It’s clear that the author spent a lot of time being stuffed in his locker. He needs to get past his personal teenage trauma and look at the revenue opportunities, not the popularity contest.
The truth about social media marketing is that none of us are experts yet. We have theories, and some of us even have a few wins under our belt. But the technology is maturing so fast, it’s hard for anyone to stay ahead of it.
But things are starting to become clearer. I have been advertising through Facebook ads since the first week they came out, and I have seen those start to produce more results over the past few weeks. Facebook Connect has made it possible for site owners to syndicate reviews of their products to hundreds of the reviewers closest friends. Tighter integration for of Twitter has helped make a microblogging tool a great resource for customer service. Things are getting better, and best practices beginning to emerge.
Getting started in the world of social media marketing requires creativity. You have to think about how your specific model can leverage these new technologies. USWeb is currently building a shopping cart for several clients that give the ability for users to interact with, and promote the site through Facebook. We are also currently working on a website for an attorney that incorporates Twitter in a way that allows the attorney t easily answer questions from, and in the process pitch, prospects instantly.
Ironically, one of the more difficult models to develop a good social media strategy is for an Internet marketing firm like USWeb. Our industry is filled with “experts” in the space who implement Spam-like techniques and muddy the waters for good firms. Being in the B2B space makes creating a social media strategy difficult. Our clients don’t follow our brand the way a personal consumer might.
JetBlue has a clear strategy for their Twitter use, to inform customers of real time information. USWeb doesn’t have that need. But we can use it to post links to short articles we find interesting in our industry for others who might be interested.
Harley Davidson has plenty to post about on their Facebook page. They have events to talk about, pictures to share, etc... USWeb doesn’t have that. But we did create a system that let’s people ask questions on our website that are then viewable, and answerable, on Facebook. And we can create a weekly call to help answer questions for customers and prospects, and then promote that call through Facebook.
If you’re considering how to bring your brand into the social media space, give us a call and we can do some brainstorming together. And if you’re talking another Internet marketing firm, don’t settle for high-level theories, or examples of how other companies are using social media. Ask them what they are doing to market themselves and their clients.
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USWeb Foundation
The First USWeb Foundation Scholarship WinnerJullaion Jones is the first recipient of the USWeb Foundation scholarship.
The USWeb Foundation School in CambodiaIn partnership with American Assistance for Cambodia the USWeb Foundation has committed the funds to build a school in rural Cambodia.
