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04.27.09 How To Decide On Social Marketing Tactics And Measuring Success  By Lee OddenThe benefit from a firm grasp of social media for companies is impossible to ignore. Whether you work in marketing, advertising, public relations or interactive, there are distinct competitive advantages for both individuals and businesses from a better understanding of the social web. This post provides specific advice from in-house social media marketers including: Dell, Comcast, HP, Wells Fargo, Intel, Best Buy, General Mills, Ford, UPS, Home Depot, Cirque du Soleil and a mix of SMM consultants/agencies: Altimeter Group, Crayon, Ogilvy 360, Future Works, Doe Anderson, New Marketing Labs and others. Advice includes justifying investment in social media, strategy, how to decide on tactics and measuring success. Our 25 contributors include: Charlene Li, Richard Binhammer, Chris Brogan, Katie Paine, Valeria Maltoni, Joseph Jaffe, Dave McClure, Tac Anderson, Brian Solis, Rohit Bhargava, Jim Cuene, Jason Falls, Michael Brito, Scott Monty, Gary Koelling, Jessica Berlin, Tim Collins, Dave Evans, Brian Clark, Debbie Curtis-Magley, Geoff Livingston, Frank Eliason, Lindsay LeBresco, Nick Ayres and Shonali Burke - an impressive mix of social media talent that we've interviewed in the past at Online Marketing Blog. Charlene Li - Founder of The Altimeter Group and best selling author, "Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies". So much of social technology and media engagement is centered on listening - not something many people, let alone companies, are very good at. What are some of the significant corporate cultural shifts and behaviors that you see as necessary to understanding, energizing and embracing the groundswell?
We lay out in the book five key objectives that you can achieve by tapping into the groundswell: Listening, Talking, Energizing, Supporting, and Embracing. All of these activities are being done today, but as you say, they aren't always effective and in many ways, some existing techniques are becoming obsolete. Companies need to realize that they have to give up control - or as I like to think, the semblance of control - in order to engage with the customers and employees in the groundswell. It's really, really hard, and most companies don't "get it" initially. And even if you do get engaged, you'll constantly be making mistakes and learning along the way. So we offer a few words of advice on how to do this:
• Never forget that the groundswell is about person-to-person activity. You are not speaking as "the company", but as a person. Most companies don't know how to do this, and it takes a lot of practice to find that voice and feel comfortable with it. • Be a good listener. All companies say they listen to their customers, but do they really LISTEN and let people know that they are listening? • Be patient. This takes a long time because you are going to be transforming your company, one person at a time. • Be opportunistic. Start small with the people who are most passionate about building relationships with customers. Continue reading this article. About the Author: Lee Odden is CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, a digital marketing and public relations firm in Minnesota that specializes in search, social and online PR consulting and training for companies worldwide. Odden has been cited for his internet marketing expertise over the past 10 years by the Economist, Forbes and U.S. News and contributed a chapter to the book, "Online Marketing Heroes" published by Wiley. For the past 5 years he has also been the editor of TopRank's Online Marketing Blog, a Technorati 100 favorite blog and one of the top marketing blogs according to Advertising Age. |
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