Social Media Marketing has taken wind because it levels the playing field for large and small corporations alike.

This has left several old school marketers and business executives wondering how do you combine the timeless principles of marketing with the latest social media platforms?’ To answer this question, it helps to have a knowledge of the principles of marketing.

  • Marketing is about selling.
  • Every business must have a marketing plan to sell their products or services.
  • Listening and engaging existing and prospective clients is paramount.
  • Prospects care about themselves, not you or your product.

Gone are the days of big ad budgets and well-crafted PR campaigns.

The Marlboro Man was the single most successful cigarette smoking campaign in history. It projected a masculine image and encouraged millions of men to smoke. It gave the notion that you’re as cool as a cowboy whenever you pick up that cigarette. A lot of kids saw those ads growing up. Now, generations and generations of smokers are dying younger than ever from various cancers. Even small children as young as 3 were interested in smoking cigarettes.

Hindsight is 20/20. Consumers are now leery of blindly putting their faith into a product. Large ad agencies are no longer able to tell the consumer what is good for them. The consumer is now letting businesses know what they want and what they expect. Consumers are also letting businesses know whether or not they will choose a particular brand or service, based on feedback acquired through social media.

Businesses are now tasked with having the creativity and a willingness to authentically engage with consumers online.

There must be an open and honest line of communication between businesses and consumers. Successful internet marketers of yesterday were able to capitalize off their understanding and manipulation of search engines and directing heavy traffic to their client’s websites. Today, understanding the algorithms is not enough. Being found is one thing, engaging is another. Therefore, there has to be some sort of call to action in order to accurately measure any ROI. An online suggestion box, a downloadable information packet, or a customer care feedback form are good places to start. These actionable items allow business owners to see how often a particular form was filled out and which actionable item is or is not being completed.

Social marketing programs must be designed to build and maintain your relationships, one client at a time.

To be successful with social media, the following rules should apply:

  • Identify social media opportunities by discovering the social media platforms your target market can be found.
  • Engage prospective and existing customers through your social media channels.
  • Motivate action.

Capitalizing from having a social media presence is not just about being active on social platforms . . . it is about using social platforms to take marketing by the hand.

Use social media as your marketing weapon of choice. To acquire a fully loaded weapon, the following strategies apply:

  • Determine which social media tools are best suited for your corporate culture and for acquiring the best-qualified leads.
  • Engage those target markets effectively when you locate them.
  • Build an online community and presence.
  • Set goals for measuring online success.

Start with these four initial steps and you will be well on your way to not just creating but measuring an effective social media plan.

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