So Today...

Social media has given brands the ability to harness the power of large groups to spread the word about their products quickly. When a product is released, a discount is revealed, or an event introduced, a brand can now sit back and let their followers spread the word around in cyber space.

However, most brands are working on an integrated marketing level, where they are simultaneously launching TV, Print, Newspaper, and Magazine advertisements in conjunction with their online social media marketing campaigns. This causes some issues when a brand wants to assess the success of each individual marketing effort.

In order to properly assess where leads are coming from for a new product, brands should consciously put steps in place to gather data from their followers and new customers. This can be as simple as adding a ‘how’d you find us’ feature on the product purchase page, or as intense as developing custom IP address analytics and digging through data.

No matter what technique is used, it is important to implement a system to help determine lead generation. This will help marketers assess the potential of using social media to spread the word. Don’t forget, social media marketing, as with other forms of marketing, creates more touch points. What the customers do after they are exposed to your product is out of your control. Manage your touch points, measure your results. This will help you succeed in social media marketing.

So today… I thought about how managing more than one social media account can be beneficial and not so good for others. While most brands like to show their unique side and personality, most of them do not have somebody that is specifically covering their social media marketing.

Outsourcing your social media marketing is the probably the most efficient way to handle the situation, however there are a few problems the client can run in to. For example, if someone manages more than 2 or 3 accounts, how much of that content will sound the same? That all depends on the industry I think. While it is good to have someone covering one specific industry, I think it can also hurt them in certain ways.

If you have three clients that all talk about the same products, events, and news… how do you choose which client gets the best content first? You don’t. You have to treat each process like the other one doesn’t exist. The perk of staying in the same industry is evident. You understand where and what to look for online, you are able to connect with the right hashtags, and follow and link up with the right people. All these things alone can help the brand you are handling become a industry leader over time.

At the end of the day we have to be professional in what we do. Understand that the client is trying to accomplish something and carry that out. Whether it’s selling/promoting a product, event, or just their company. Ensure that the presence you are maintaining is always fresh, in the client’s best interest, and something that they would actually talk about.

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. 

I was at a conference in Vegas at the beginning of this week that really changed my perspective on certain industries. While many companies attend conferences to learn more on how to manage their business better and develop strong relationships with their partners, some businesses go to get opened up to new ideas and marketing strategies. If you are the CEO of an organization, you have to ensure that you are always on top of new things that are changing in your industry or you will get left behind. Social media is one of those things. Technology and networking are changing so quickly these days that if you do not have a social media presence there will be some question marks raised. This week I saw a lot of companies that want to get involved with social media but seem too hesitant to do so.

I can understand their point of view, they do not want to pay someone to tweet for them or update statuses when they can do it themselves? But can they really do it themselves? They can try, but most companies do not succeed at doing so. While some have tried before, their lack of constant presence can really hurt them. I say leave it up to the professionals. There is a reason that there are experts out there that have social media strategies that have worked in the past and will work for you.  Most businesses are scared to lose their margin of profit because they do not want to lose money on something that isn’t giving them immediate results. At the same time however, they see other companies that have flourished due to their social media marketing and gained profit. So when it comes to getting on board with someone that knows what they are doing in social media, don’t hesitate, let them help you. While you may be investing a small amount right now, your investment will double and triple over time. Don’t get left behind, take that first step to a real social media strategy and let your brand grow online before it’s too late. 

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.