Myths and Mistakes of Social Marketing
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Do you find the world of media mystifying? Does your company question the value of media marketing efforts? If so, you are not alone. In this article I'll address some of the most common mistakes and myths that surround media.
Perhaps the most common myth is that media is free. Although it is true that most sites and many of the tools needed for social media are free there are still plenty of costs to consider. You have your employees or consultants that provide the daily social activity (relationship building through articles, comments, posts etc.) and the costs of producing media presentations such as testimonial and product videos, podcasts, blogs, tweets etc. Do not forget about applications to track your social media efforts. Expertise, time and tools still come with a price tag even if it is significantly less than more traditional advertising methods.
Some companies and individuals believe that media is strictly the reality of teens and young adults but this is not the case. If you look at the statistics, Facebook's largest user group is in the 35-54 yr. old age range. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that the fastest growing media age group is 55 and older. If we consider media participation from the company perspective age is irrelevant but good writing skills, influence, interpersonal relationship skills and expertise are critical. In this respect age and life experience provide greater benefits than youth and inexperience.
Many would have you believe there are no rules in the world of media but this is really untrue. What we can say is that the rules of engagement do change and evolve. There is a basic etiquette a nd there are definite practices that are not looked upon favorably. A key rule in media is to be humble- Do not think you need to engage in a lot of self-promotion. Rather, speak honestly and thoughtfully about your industry, your company, your products and services. Sincerity and honesty are well received and add value. Do not over-automate-make your company accessible and responsive. A real voice, a personal email rather than an auto responder show you care about your customers and their experience. Lastly, but most importantly remember the balance of power has shifted from the supplier to the buyer. Your customers do not want to be bombarded with tons of advertising. They search for information. So focus on providing relevant, accurate information on all levels, personal, corporate, industry wide. Expertise is valued and generally rewarded-pushing a product is NOT.
You'll hear media is hard …. media is easy so what's the bottom line? The truth is that media marketing is both. For some it comes naturally and it is easy for them to do. For others it is difficult because they do not possess the skills necessary to build long term relationships, write effectively or manage the day to day activity and the required tracking and analytics. Can anyone do social media? No, not everyone is well suited with the appropriate skills. There are certain techniques and processes that are more effective than others. It takes time, education and experience to understand the nuances of social media marketing but media skills can be obtained and improved with education, time and experience.
Remember that your media "persona" is the face of your company. It pays to carefully choose who you want to represent your company. Assemble a team that can share the responsibilities and utilize the strengths that each person brings. Someone may be great with analytics and lousy at engaging with your target market. Play to each individuals strength. If you are using a consultant talk about who will be performing various aspects of your media and if you are unhappy with work ask for a change in personal until you feel the right people are in the right positions. It is important to focus on the word "social". Those who are most successful in this realm are friendly (social), creative, helpful, articulate, curious by nature and love talking with others.
If you are expecting an immediate jump in traffic and conversions you are bound to be disappointed. Social media is a powerful marketing approach and it can provide significant increases in traffic and sales conversions but do not expect it to happen quickly. Good media marketing takes time-a lot of time to build long term, loyal, productive relationships and alliances. Think about how long it takes to cultivate a really good friendship. It does not generally happen in a day or a week. More often it takes months or even years. Are there occasional "miracles" -yes, sometimes a comment or video will go viral and set off a chain of events quickly and unexpectedly that gives an immediate boost to traffic and sales but that is not the norm and it is not what you should expect . You should expect incremental improvements over time.
Some people believe social media carries a high risk. This attitude is most prevalent in fields like medicine, financial services, and other regulated industries. There are situations where a company has to be cautious about its social media participation and content for liability and security reasons. One should be aware of any specific industry and regulatory environment and the rules that govern it and use appropriate safeguards to ensure privacy, security or regulatory requirements. Most likely people-customers, prospects, analysts, journalists, shareholders and others-are already talking about your company and / or industry across social media channels. So if there is a real risk the greater risk is in ignoring conversations that impact your industry and brand. You should at a minimum follow the chatter and stay on top of it if your industry excludes your participation.
Do you believe social media is something new? Social media is actually a variation of a time-tested and honored medium-word of mouth advertising. Many of the social media tools we use now like Twitter, Facebook and blogging are relatively new but fundamentally social media and "word of mouth" advertising are both about participating in and influencing the direction conversations take about your industry and brand. The practices are old. The difference is that social media has increased the accessibility, speed and magnitude of conversations.
There are some businesses that should not participate in social media marketing but for most businesses social media marketing is a requirement to remain competitive and successful in the marketplace. Government agencies dealing with security and intelligence, companies involved in building weapons systems for the US military, other high security or high risk industries might best be warned to avoid using social media. Ultimately, your company is responsible for determining whether or not social media is an appropriate marketing approach. You must do your due diligence and understand any regulatory issues that may affect your ability to use social media but by large and there are few situations where social media can not or should not be utilized.
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