So Today...

So Today… I really took the time to study this year’s Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Michael A Stelzner. I found this report really interesting. It talks a lot about how social media marketers are increasingly using different outlets like Twitter, Facebook, etc. to grow their brand online. After surveying 3300 social media marketers and figuring out what questions they want answered the most about social media marketing, Michael came up with a great report and a lot of answers. Some of his major findings that I found important included the fact that social media marketing takes a lot of time, something that I think most people overlook. Which is another reason why you should outsource your social media marketing if you have the budget to do so. Not only is it going to save you time, but it will let you focus on doing more important things like running your business effectively. Generating business exposure through social media is very important. This report stated that companies that had a good involvement in social media have increased their traffic (72%) and improved their search rankings (62%) online. While there are a lot of benefits to social media marketing, a lot of marketers do not gain this success over night. The report states, “A significant 58% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more each week and 34% for 11 or more hours weekly.” Experience is a major part of how long it takes someone to manage their brand through social media. Letting someone with experience help you manage your companies social media presence will allow you to grow faster and maintain other important marketing strategies in your business. If we have learned anything it is the fact that it’s a time consuming process if you want to do it right. One of the biggest benefits of social media is being able to separate yourself in this online world filled with distractions. Don’t bug out about what you need to do and how you are going to do it, seek guidance from someone who knows how. It will be your best investment yet. 

In social media today, companies, individuals, and celebrities are looking for options to help them succeed with this new form of communication. Turning to third party marketing firms is become more and more common. As companies transition their online presence to a third party, how do they control the message? As an individual grants access to another person to help with their tweets, how do they maintain personality? If a celebrity has a friend write a message for them, does the message really have merit? These are questions companies, individuals, and celebrities alike must ask themselves before employing a third party firm to help with social media. Companies are an entity, with a brand personality all on their own. If a business is to have an outside firm manage their social media presence, it is important to make sure their personality is not lost in the wings. The company should make sure the third party solution is made well aware of company protocol and methods before handing over the reigns. 

For an individual- it is common to let others contribute to a social media voice, but rarely should an individual give full control to another entity. The value of following an individual stems from the ability to hear their particular opinion on a matter, or get keen insight. When an individual outsources their voice, who are followers really learning from? For celebrities, it is essential to maintain control over their social media space. It is a dangerous situation to have others sharing messages on behalf of a celebrity, as it can be devastating for a fan to find out they are being ‘duped’ by the athlete’s social media pages. A third party should assist in consulting celebs on the content or pattern of their messages, but to remain authentic, the celeb should have their voice in each and every message. If there is a situation where a third party has full control of a social media presence, the first step is to understand the goals of the company, individual, or celebrity. They must get to know the voice, the audience, the strategy behind the client’s social media pages. Authenticity is key in building a large following. Be confident a third party social media company can truly represent the firm before outsourcing.

M Resort 

So I am going to Vegas with my business partner in April. Our social media marketing company Hurrdat has gotten the great opportunity to show what we have to offer to thousands of other companies in many different industries. One of our clients, FileBound is holding their annual Partner Conference in Vegas April 3 – 6, 2011. FileBound is a document management solution provider that gives business the best solutions out there using some of the best people in the business. We are blessed to be in this situation. Not only are we going there with people we love working with, but we are getting out there with over 200 prominent decision makers in the business. Our company has been expanding quickly with new clients and opportunities. It’s great that we have been able to make these connections over the past 8 months since we have started. While this will be a great way to showcase what we can do for companies in the social media realm, it’s Vegas and that is where some of the best partnerships are made. Most people see Vegas as a resort to escape life and have some fun, but Vegas is not just for play. While we might enjoy ourselves, we are going there on a mission to open up some new doors that will hopefully lead to many successful relationships. So while you may be in Vegas next time partying it up with your friends, think of us, we’ll be changing the game.