Ten Do’s and Don’ts of Social Marketing

After reading a great deal of social marketing advice, it is obvious that a lot of it is originating from marketers themselves unfamiliar with social media. As a college student who has used social media for years and watched it evolve, I believe I can provide good, sensible advice that will dramatically increase your results from social marketing. Hang on to your kepis, this is just the beginning.

DO:

Speak your Brand: Striking the right tone is critical. If a giant corporation like Sun Microsystems can sound fun and excited about the day to day, so can you.  After all, status updates might just be the only acceptable forum for the exclamation mark. By the same token though, do not forget that, like the Wizard of Oz, you are speaking with the brand’s voice. Your message must resonate with the brand. Control over your message and enthusiasm must balance each other (I’m getting the hang of this guru thing…)    (Example: Check out the Sun Twitter Page–home of the !!)

Speak your Audience.  In the words of Seth Godin, social marketing is your chance to respond to your “tribe,” your “otaku”—the people who want to hear your message, so direct your content to them.  Do not be afraid of using technical terms or linking to technical content.  (Example: Mentor Graphics webcast.  Who knows what Innovations in FPGA Synthesis for Faster Design Closure means?  Their audience knows.)

Read and Respond:  Social marketing allows you to engage.  Search twitter feeds and blogs, then respond to those who mention you—it is unexpected and personal.  This list of people and companies reaching out to each other is a great one to be on.    (Example: Whole Foods succeeds admirably.  Jet Blue has added flights when twitter users complain of not being able to reach a conference. IBM and Starbucks also provide popular forums for new ideas and even criticism)Post-Out: Post content from other sources.  You do not need to create all the content you post—put your clients in touch with work they will find interesting.    (Example: Hard to find larger businesses willing to let people outside their “walled garden” of content.  Individuals like Brandon Mendelson are better examples.)

Own the Space.  Dominate the page with unique templates and graphics. Make the site your own.  Even though it lives on another business’s turf, it should be smashable, meaning you should be able to break into many pieces and any piece should be identifiably yours. You cannot break a website like an iPhone, but try scrolling down–the site should still be yours.    (Example: Sky News or the US Army on twitter.  Branding is harder on facebook as they maintain more control on the look of the site, but Vitamin Water and the New York Times do a nice job.  Lots of activity.)

Provide Incentives: Most social websites allow access to your content regardless of membership, so you must provide a reason for the user to click the friend or follow button.  Even after gaining a solid following, continue to provide content and prizes to increase “stickiness.” Unfriend is a click away.    (Example: Dell has tracked over a million dollars of revenue from Dell Outlet and it boast over half a million followers—and, yes, they are giving stuff away.  Major Nelson’s twitter and blog for Xbox Live is another example that offers exclusive content and free downloads.)

Target and Atomize: If you have a diverse client base and product offerings, consider creating multiple accounts to better target your clients.  For example, create one account directed to small-business owners and another directed to corporations, or build accounts targeted to different languages.  (Example: search for Dell on twitter, the result: DellOutlet, DellHome, DellChannel, StudioDell, Ofertas_Dell_MX, etc.)

DON’T:

Sack the Spam: Do not spam your followers with updates—there is no faster path to losing friends and followers than filling their home screen with junk.  Yes, Google tracks page-edits, but content must be meaningful. Again, it is easier to lose followers than to gain them back.    (While there are two million people who would disagree with me, I do not care that much about Ashton Kutcher.  As of writing this he has 21 posts in 24 hours.  Unfollow.)

The Facebook Bill of Rights: Social marketing can be messy.  Do not censor conversation by deleting comments or closing down message boards—it will only exasperate conflict and incite Big Brother comparisons. Instead listen and respond to criticism with good grace.   (Example: Santa Tim and Santa Nick on This American Life)

Why Are We Here?: It is easy to put more emphasis on the social in “social marketing” than the marketing, but social marketing can be more than a tool showing how cool your brand is.  Mention deals, exciting projects, new products.  Use this tool to inspire sales, not diggs.  Of course there are great examples of social media sites that straddle this line—I’m thinking of CEO Tony Hsieh’s domination of the Zappo’s twitter feed—but I think this is outside the range of most marketers.    (Example: The Lion Man on Facebook.  Oh you don’t understand how a Lion Man is related to Ford?  Me neither.  Case Study here.)

Thanks for your time. If you have any other Do’s and Don’ts you would like to add, or you disagree with anything I have said, please post a comment below.