Social Media is Just One Inbound Marketing Element!

  

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Image courtesy of Preview

Key Takeaways:

1. Social media is one inbound marketing element;
2. Use a metered approach to your corporate involvement;
3. Be patient.

There is a lot of confusion out there about social media development and I hope this post isn't going to add to it, but I must make some points clear about this emerging tool. Notice I said tool, that's what it is and it's just one of a number of tools that are available to business today to help them connect and communicate effectively with their target audience. That doesn't mean you should begin by blowing the whole budget on some sort of social media strategy, DON'T! But it does mean that if you're serious about having a complete modern marketing strategy then you do need to understand a little about social media and how your company might be able to use it effectively as part of your business development.

Social media platforms are a great tool for your company and are a key inbound marketing element because they allow you to engage in 'conversation' with your target audience. Not only that, the popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, allow you to spread your message through a virtual network...hopefully! But a note of caution, social media by itself is not a complete meal. A business development diet that is comprised of only social media will not bring about a healthy outcome. Others my have you believe otherwise and are set up just for this purpose, and they are doing some brisk business because of the confusion for the most part. However, when combined with otherinbound marketing elements as part of a modern marketing strategy, social media has a great deal to offer.

So how do you begin a social media initiative for your company? Starting social media is not as difficult or complex as you might have been led to understand.

First, got to ONE party! That is, to start, pick ONE social network that you feel comfortable with, too many and you're going to get overwhelmed. Ever go to multiple parties in one day? For most people it's not their best experience, it's pretty difficult to focus at one event if your thinking about the others that lay ahead. Remember, inbound marketing is about finding out how to interact with your target audience in a meaningful way, so extend this idea to your social media efforts, and to be meaningful you can't spread your resources too thin. Often businesses think that Linked In offers a good first social network because it is business oriented. In an upcoming post we'll be giving more insight on Linked In, (help with our Linked in survey) but for now, don't think that this is necessarily the best fit for you, do your homework so that you can be effective with this new undertaking.

Next, social media requires a somewhat different way of thinking from traditional outbound marketing because of its very interactive nature, so 'listening' is important. As the saying goes "We have two ears and one mouth so that we'll listen twice as much as we speak." In social media terms this means that you will begin by searching out the relevant information (all the big social networks have search functions built in) and 'listening' to what is being discussed, what the hot topics are, and what the tone of the discussion or conversation is like. Think of it like this, if you're at a cocktail party, you don't walk in and immediately begin telling everyone about the great and wonderful you, well at least most people don't. There are social conventions that involve listening, questioning, offering your 2 cents...you have a conversation! Social media is very much the same, think of it as a conversation at a cocktail or dinner party and govern yourself accordingly.

Finally, after awhile, if you think you have something important to offer the conversation that fits and will add value to the overall discussion, go ahead and get involved. If you are genuine with your input, you will gain a level of trust and become recognized as a resource, if you're not, you will quickly be dismissed as yet another wannabe, so only offer value, it can take a long time to reverse a bad reputation. OK, now you're started!

A final note here, don't be intimidated by social media. It is a great tool to use for your business development as part of a modern marketing strategy but it is only one of the inbound marketing elements, not the whole package. As with anything we talk about in this blog, don't expect results overnight, social media takes time, be patient, but nurture your participation and you will see positive results. If you've initiated your social media actions as part of a comprehensive inbound marketing project, you see new visitors coming to your website, new leads and you'll support them into new business for your company. Say yes to social media.

We're at the edge of the future!