Recently, two of our clients approached us and asked specifically for a social media campaign.
They. asked. us. It wasn’t one of those cases where we had been pushing the benefits of a social media/web 2.0 strategy down their throats. The two clients were as diverse as can be – existing in the national retail world and in the local philanthropic realm. For both, we’d suggested elements of social media as part of a broader Strategic Communications Plan, but never a full campaign.
As we move ahead with developing the campaigns for both (which we’ll share here once they launch), we’re working with some of the local thoughtleaders for Web 2.0 – like Tac at NewCommBiz and George at Seybold Scientific and Paul at CarewCo. The Valley is getting has its own network of early adopters who not only know the theory and social applications, but how to harness the power for use with businesses and organizations.
This week, there has been a rash of opinion pieces, columns, articles on PR and social media. Some of the words of wisdom and insight that struck me…
From Sally Falkow’s roundup and opinions on a PRSA & Business Marketing event on Social Media
What are your objectives in terms of brand? Who are you trying to reach? Is this target group social-media savvy? Older age groups are far less engaged with social media than younger ones.
In some industry verticals, there may be some early adopters, but the majority of the decision makers you want to reach may still be stuck in the ’90s trying to master their email. Take a look at the Forrester Social Technographics ladder. And don’t refer to the people you want to talk to as an audience or a target group. The point of social media is that you are engaging in real conversations, not mesages to audiences. And they now have the power to talk back.
What business problem are you trying to solve? How will the use of social media address this? Which tool is best for the job — a corporate blog, a Facebook fan page, a polished piece of video on Youtube, a coordinated combination of several? I’d suggest a different approach here – examine and understand the customs and culture of that community before you barge in with the intent of solving your business problem. Sure you have a need you wish to address, but you won’t get very far if you are not sensitive to the needs of the people in that community. They are not there to provide a solution for your business problem.
Another interesting bit of insight from Dean Takahashi at VentureBeat, giving advice for PR folks when dealing with bloggers
- PR people should realize that we’re (bloggers) all hungry for more multimedia.
- Beware of “pay to play“ and similar schemes (buy an ad on my site and I’ll write – the online version of the advertorial!)
- Blog monitoring. Just like traditional media, know what they write about/care about before reaching out.
And lastly, some interesting demographic information from EMarketer on the makeup of the blogging community – who’s speaking & who’s listening. (Who knew the average age of adult bloggers was 37.6?)
-Jess
Great post, Jessi!
I can confirm that Carew Co. also has a flurry of clients asking about social media/networking. As a blogger since 2004, I can say the time has come (and technology is here, and fast a-changin’). It’s all very exciting.
The key point is that social media doesn’t accomplish squat unless there is a network of subscribers/peeps/fans. It can’t be stressed enough that content is key (they won’t join if the content isn’t relevant/great/now). Social media/networking not a solution, it’s a platform. It’s still a truth — the message IS the media, no matter how delivered.
It’s also important to stress the importance of “commitment” with these activities. I’ve had clients ask me how their blog will stay up-to-date. Content and messaging are the core of the solution. Without this, you have empty technology and a lack of personality (and no audience).
Great post. It’s a fun time to be alive!
Comment by Paul Carew — June 13, 2008 @ 6:07 pm |
Excellent post. I’ve noticed this last year a spike in clients requesting Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Optimization related services in the Treasure Valley area.
Back when I provided web design and development services in early 2000 in SanFran, marketing was always built-in. It seemed crazy to build a site without an exposure plan in place. Marketing on the web sure has come a long way since then.
Leveraging social networking websites for marketing is still a somewhat new frontier. Many new marketers are making the mistake of becoming dependent on Social Media traffic, which can have many pitfalls that relate to targeting, quality of traffic and duration.
It easy to get traffic from social networks, but difficult making sure that the traffic is the ‘type’ of audience you are after. Plus, networks like StumbleUpon contains a percentage of traffic that is considered ’spammy’, which means there is a potential for lowering earnings on any advertising program. This might even bring about a reduction in Google’s PageRank, which could lead to a drop in Search Engine rankings. I have seen many new marketers fall into this trap. In regard to duration, social networks tend to bring it fast, then drop off.
Whew! Didn’t plan on writing that much, but there you go. Keep up the great work, I find myself reading your blog more and more.
Comment by Joshua James — June 13, 2008 @ 6:41 pm |
Thanks for the comment Paul! Big err on my part not including you in the gurus who’ve been great for feedback and advice in this constantly evolving world (of course you are now there!). Great point on the commitment needed, and that it will live and die by the content.
Comment by idahopr — June 13, 2008 @ 7:04 pm |
Happy you wrote as much as you did Joshua! It’s always fascinating to get the perspective from those operating in this realm for some time – and working in places outside our market. Glad you’re enjoying the blog
Comment by idahopr — June 13, 2008 @ 7:07 pm |