Digital Media Buzz > All Aboard: 10 Things You Need to Know to Get Social

All Aboard: 10 Things You Need to Know to Get Social

By Patrick Patullo

Social media, which was previously used by a bunch of college kids with $5 in their pockets, exchanging dirty jokes on MySpace, is now adopted by soccer moms, über networkers and even grandparents looking to connect, share and communicate.

In late 2008 and into 2009, social networking and media took off and marketers are starting to follow. The brands entering the fray are wide and numerous. On one side, there are the Apples and Microsofts of the world, all with strong presences across most major networks, and then there are the little guys, experimenting with social media with great glee and ardor.

Fans of Eight O’Clock coffee can meet and mingle on the brand’s Facebook page. Magic Hat brewery in Vermont has turned its esoteric messaging on the backs of its bottle caps into esoteric Facebook posts, all while making sure beer lovers check out their seasonal brews and visit them in the real world at festivals like the Vermont Brewers Festival in Burlington, Vt.

Even Twitter is home to branding messages and communications in 140-character bursts.

Now that the social media train has arrived at the station, what do you need to know to get onboard? What should you do now to avoid getting lost in the noise of all these brands knocking on the doors looking for attention?

1. It’s not about broadcasting. Social media is a two-way street. Marketers that are still posting Twitter messages as if they were commercials are on the wrong track. When in doubt, think of your strategy like it’s a CB Radio. Interaction with customers is what social media is made for. Check out “Entourage’s” Facebook fan page. The campaign does a great job of polling members about favorite characters and favorite lines from the show to create a community of fans.
2. Mark your territory. So you fought long and hard to buy your domain name from that kid in Belgium who had been cyber-squatting for years. Well, get ready for domain name wars on steroids. Last month Facebook opened up its networks to let people claim their personal Facebook domains. The social net domain wars promise to get sticky so even if you don’t have a presence in the major networks it’s a good idea to lock down a domain name. Savvy companies got their Facebook pages in early, but there will still be some disputes. Take note there is a Facebook.com/McDonalds reserved for the Golden Arches but it is only a matter of time before someone snags Facebook.com/MickeyDs.
3. Social marketing is a team sport. Creating a social media presence is cheap. It’s downright free in most cases, but it won’t replace traditional advertising. Its strength is truly in complementing other aspects of a campaign; not a campaign itself. Interactive agency Razorfish recently produced its “Fluent: Social Influence Marketing Report” that found that television and other forms of advertising were still effective and, in fact, more effective when influencing purchasing decisions. “Our survey shows that consumers view TV ads as more trustworthy than ads on social networks when purchasing decisions are made,” says Razorfish strategy director Andrea Harrison.
4. Measurement is the key. Just when you thought you had a handle on your web analytics, along comes social media with its emphasis on “influencers.” Measurement tools are starting to find their way into the mainstream but there are no clear-cut leaders, as there are with web analytics and search marketing. Razorfish’s SIM score, featured in its Fluent report, attempts to put some mathematics behind social marketing. “The SIM Score (discussed in Fluent) measures how much consumers talk about brands and how positive or negative those discussions are,” Harrison says. Telligent and Lithium Insight are two other leading metrics in the social media space.
5. It’s not just about talking. It’s about listening. Companies need to balance the amount of talking and listening, Harrison says. It’s easy to fall into the trap of broadcasting bite-sized messages out to fans but real value can be gained by keeping an eye on what users are saying. When Dell launched its Ideastorm site for user-generated content, one thing they learned was that a large amount of customers wanted the Linux OS for their computers. Dell listened and began offering the OS. “Start with your campaign objectives and a listening engagement to determine where your opportunities and challenges exist with the current conversations around your brand/product,” Harrison says.
6. Social media requires attention. Your social media strategy is not a Ron Popeil “Set it and Forget It” oven. There needs to be a commitment of time and resources to monitor, update and change the campaigns depending on response. If it’s being outsourced to an agency, expect to put in time and effort to track results and ensure conversion goals are being met. “When brands do conversation engagement and community outreach they need to staff the effort appropriately – even if they outsource to their PR firm or ad agency, it’s important to have dedicated staff to ensure responsiveness,” Harrison says. “In addition brands need to have a response policy approved in advance and determine escalation process and responsible parties.”
7. Apply Yourself. Social media applications are the norm not the exception. Savvy Internet marketers are putting in the extra effort to engage users with polls and games. AMC’s new promotion for its hit show “Mad Men” is one example. Users can create digital versions of themselves as a character on the show set in a 1960s ad agency and then post those avatars to their profile pages.
8. You can’t plan enough. Many companies jump into social media without clearly defining what they want to get out of the campaign. Brand awareness and audience engagement are fine but setting those goals early in the process is key to avoiding a lot of head scratching at the end. Researching what is being said about the brand before starting a campaign is a good first step. “A common misstep is to jump in without doing any upfront listening to determine what is currently being said and identify how to leverage existing influencers,” Harrison says.
9. Let your users swear by you, not at you. Where things get dicey for brands is when they engage key influencers and don’t follow through. Social media influencers range from friends to online reviewers and a lack of engagement or too much engagement can lead to a damaged reputation. But the rewards to getting influencers to advocate for your brand are almost immeasurable. “Social media — including corporate and independent blogs produced by key influencers — and user-generated content (UGC) from social influencers, play an influential role that meets or beats traditional marketing efforts,” writes Shiv Singh, vice president and  Global Social Media Lead in the Razorfish Fluent report.
10. Don’t be afraid to use your voice. Social media has its own tone and voice and each audience is ever so slightly different from the next. Understanding your audience’s voice can make the difference between success and failure. “Because of social media’s influence, marketers cannot assume that defining a strong brand and pushing their messages out through a variety of channels is good enough,” Harrison says. “They must develop their own social voices and become brands that participate.”