Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn. Social media has taken the world by storm. It's in all the digital e-newsletters, print magazines, and even Jon Stewart has caught the bug -- did you see "My Stalker Just Grunted On My Twitter"?
Retailers and business-to-business companies of all shapes and sizes are considering jumping in and getting involved, if they haven't already. So it's probably going to surprise quite a few when I say:
Hold Up. Stop. Wait a Minute.
Social media marketing is a great tool for getting your company seen and heard, building brand awareness, and increasing leads and sales. But you have to do it the right way and invest the work and time upfront to make it reap real returns for your business. This means research, research, research. This means understanding the unique characteristics of each social network and its users. This means being able to accurately define where your target audience is.
It sounds like a lot of work, and that's because it is. Social media marketing isn't a quick, free way to impact your bottom line. It isn't something that you should give to an intern because they know how to set up a MySpace page. It's a marketing tool, and it should be given just as much attention (if not more) as your advertisements, SEO and PPC campaigns, direct mail pieces, and your website.
With that in mind, here are a few steps to get you started.
Step 1: Learn the difference between social channels
Each type of social media comes with a different set of rules, a different audience, different user expectations, and different preferences. It's important to learn the difference between social sharing sites, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, social news sites, and social review sites -- because the differences between them can and will affect your success. So let's take a look at what those differences are:
- Social sharing sites. From written reviews to rich media, users share information of all forms on social sharing sites. This includes videos, photos, and more. And all of this user-generated content can be made instantly available to millions of users and site visitors. Think YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr. These are three popular examples of social sharing sites.
- Social networking sites. If you've ever heard of a little site called Facebook, you are familiar with a social networking site. Basically, these sites build communities of users that share a common interest -- hobbies, high school, ex-girlfriends, you name it. They serve as a means for people to meet new people and stay connected with friends and families (and even enemies). They also allow businesses to connect with other businesses or individuals. Communication is a huge part of social networking sites and includes tools such as email, instant messaging, and real-time posts on an individual's profile. Today's other popular social networking sites include LinkedIn and MySpace.
- Social news sites. Just as the name says, the main purpose of a social news site is to exchange newsworthy information. Digg, Technorati, and Reddit are good examples. On these sites, users submit photos, videos, news articles, blog posts, and more for others to view. Often, other users can vote on which pieces of newsworthy information they like the most. The submissions with the most votes will usually appear on the social news site's front page, increasing the chances that others will see it.
- Social bookmarking sites. One example of a social bookmarking site is Delicious. Users of Delicious can store, organize, search, and manage their favorite web pages online. They can also make their bookmarks public, or choose to share them with just a few specific individuals or groups. Other examples include Diggo, Blinklist, and Simpy.
- Social review sites. These are sites that give consumers a platform to be heard. Users can submit reviews on specific products and companies, including advice, testimonials, and personal recommendations. Examples of popular social review sites include Epinions, Viewpoints, Yelp, Omgili, and Buzzillions.
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