Okay, I admit the title is a bit over the top. These ten tips aren’t exactly secrets and they won’t, in and of themselves, turn you a social media superstar.
Stated more accurately, these are practical guidelines that will make you a better member of social networking communities in which you participate. (But, if I used that as the title, would you have read the post?)
1. Pull, don’t push
One of the first lessons you will learn very quickly when engaging in social media is that old school marketing tactics don’t work. Don’t come out of the gate pushing your products or services. New tools require new rules.
For example, don’t respond to new Twitter followers with a “Thanks for following. Visit my Web site for a free…[insert whatever promotional message you've seen.].” That’s a dead giveaway that the offender is new to social media and has yet to understand that it’s a “pull” medium, not “push.” If I want to review your credentials, I’ll read your bio. (You did complete your bio, right?)
2. Win the right to be heard
Social media engagement is a conversation, and participation in the community is required. In fact, you might say participation is the fifth “P” of marketing.
3. Content is STILL king, but conversation is queen (and conversion is the prince)
Nothing beats well-written, informative and entertaining content in all its variant forms: Blog posts, tweets, video, podcasts, images, webinars or whitepapers. Try to place yourself in a position of being a knowledgeable expert (assuming you are, of course). Community is the context.
Not only that, but keep content and commerce separate. Never the twain shall meet is a good rule of thumb. Editorial and advertorial should be distant kin, if related at all.
4. Authenticity and Transparency are social networking cornerstones
Those words may seem trite, but I believe they remain the cornerstones of this new media marketing paradigm. Be real. Be open. Be honest. Admit mistakes when you make them.
5. You don’t have to be on every social network
It’s impossible to maintain an active presence on every social network and, you know what, you don’t have to. You do have to be where your customers are, however. They expect you to be there.
As a default, I recommend a presence on the big three: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. LinkedIn is your business suit, Facebook is business casual, and Twitter is the 24/7 ongoing cocktail party. Connect with those who connect with you and anyone else where it makes business sense.
6. Give and you shall receive
I talked about this in my Dale Carnegie post, but it’s worth reitierating. Having an attitude of helpfulness goes a long way toward establishing a credible name for yourself in social media circles. “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” is the way St. Francis of Assisi put it (Steven Covey too, for that matter). “People don’t care that you know until they know that you care” is how I put it.
“Lose control of your marketing,” is how David Meerman Scott put it. Give ideas and information away freely with no strings attached. Be willing to give up control of the marketing message, as if you could hold it close to the vest in the first place, given the current Web 2.0 landscape.
7. The rules of marketing still apply
Don’t throw the marketing baby out with the bathwater. Social media is another channel to build your brand and market your message. It’s not a panacea nor should it be considered a replacement for every other form of advertising and marketing.
One thing I have learned is that there is room for intergration. Email and search are still where most marketers spend top dollar, and for good reason, they both perform very well. It’s all inter-related anyway and social media is finding its place.
8. Social media is a mindset, not just toolset
You have to incorporate social media DNA into your thinking. Don’t just change your toolset (tactics), change your mindset (strategy).
9. Be yourself, whoever that may be
My good friend Aileen Bennett has a mantra that she lives out in every respect, “Be Yourself.” No better advice to be given to anyone, regardless of whether they engage in social media or not. One thing is certainly true, you can’t be who you are not. (See tip #4)
That’s why I recommend using your photo as your avatar and your name as your handle. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have an identity tied to your brand (Zappos and Dell are good examples.), it’s just that in social media, people would rather relate to and build trust with other people than brands. It’s a trust economy after all.
10. That’s where you come in
What’s your top “secret” for social media superstardom? Feel free to leave a comment. I’m sure the list could be quite extensive.
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Great info, Mr. Paul C!
The #1 things I stress with all my coaching clients is just have fun and be YOU!
Thanks for your time.
Keep the faith and keep being you!
~Ronald
TrueBeliever & HopeDealer
Great points Paul. For consumer companies I recommend the following social nets a a minimum:
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
Youtube
Flickr
One thing I did not see, but maybe I missed it, is attracting friends, fans, readers etc. Without them no mater what you say won’t matter. And getting friends is the hardest part of social network marketing for businesses.
These should probably be carved on a couple of stone tablets. If we can only teach this to others who are not in the marketing sphere in our organizations. Seth Godin has a parallel thinking post on his blog about when the new tactics don’t work. Thanks for this insight to start off my week.
“Not only that, but keep content and commerce separate. Never the twain shall meet is a good rule of thumb. Editorial and advertorial should be distant kin, if related at all.”
A very good point. Your content should obviously be related to your business, but not a thinly disguised advertisement. Quality content will always do its own promotional heavy-lifting.
It’s worth noting that it’s important to listen and follow-up. Pay attention to when and what people say about you and your company, provide honest and timely follow-up.
Yes but you broke step three by writing this article. If an article–like this one–has already been rehashed, rewritten, reworded and semi-plagiarized on thousands of other sites, wouldn’t that make it unoriginal and un-entertaining?
I enjoyed the article. I especially appreciated the great definition of the top 3 sites given in no. 5.
Thanks for the tips everyone, and the criticisms as well. Both are welcome.
I enjoy reading your post, Paul. Although I understand and in a way agree with Bobby Revell’s comment, it’s always good to read (and be reminded) about what elements are important for successful social networking.
On a separate issue, while many corporations already move forward in this arena thanks to progressive management, many of us marketers are still facing the challenge of convincing executives of the benefits and get going with it. I think there is a fundamental dilemma at play here for #9.
Marketers oftentimes cannot be themselves (or represent themselves) and hope the company will benefit in the future due to their personal actions now. It takes lots of time to build trust and reputation, and marketers will take that trust and reputation with them when they leave the company (on good terms or bad, it doesn’t matter). From the company’s standpoint, it can do whatever it wants to foster social networking, but it can’t control any gain from such activities unless social networking is clearly representing the company and its viewpoints from the beginning.
Maybe this is why companies are hesitant to jump in the game?
I think the key is mixing it up. I looked at how people were using Twitter for instance and came up with 15 difference ways it could be used. If you just retweet other people’s tweets, or just promote your products, or just talk about your family it won’t work. You need a mix. It makes it natural,it let’s people know about you as a person, it shows you are generous with others, and you can still promote what you are doing.
Great blog about Twitter and social media. I tend to take the approach that to be succesful on twitter you should twit 20% social chit chat.. 60% on sharing.. info, knowledge, opinions, tools, resources, info.. and 20 % demonstrating your experise and telling us what you do…
I think that there is a simple 5 Steps to Business on Twitter 1) Connect 2) Engage 3) Find common ground 4) Meet face to face or chat 5) Refer or do business..
Too many people try and sell and will fail just like they fail in other forms of networking.. It takes time and effort..
Mark Shaw
http://twitter.com/markshaw
Paul
Here is my #10 -
Patience. It isn’t a virtue, it’s a mandate in SM. Don’t expect results tomorrow but done right, SM will create results for lots of tomorrows.
- Tom
@chuynh – I understand Bobby’s point. Nothing here is original, but rather a simple reminder of what works and what doesn’t, much of which has been gleaned from others.
There is a real tension that exists between personal and corporate branding. Can you do one without forsaking the other? I think so. However, you’re right that personal brands and their respective social equity travels with the person. It’s a chance I think companies should be willing to take.
@Ellen – That’s right. As Miyagi said, “Balanace, Danielsan, balance.”
@Mark – You’re absolutely right. SMM is not a solution for quick lead generation, but, rather, the building of long-term trusted relationships.
Thanks for the mention Paul.
Love the article.
BEing YOURSELF is all about being transparent, being the same person (with all your differing facets) in business and in life. With the web it is so easy to find out about all aspects of someone’s life. If we come across conflicting information, we don’t spend time analyzing it, we just leave without a sense of trust.
Keep up the great work.
sorry link was wrong.. that’s so ME. (just to prove i’m being myself!
@Aileen – I was wondering when or if you would show up. Glad to see you did. You are an original, the real deal!
Great post. As a consultant, which I would imagine many of your readers are, I find it absolutely crucial to “give away” a certain amount of free advice, and share knowledge and experiences. The social networking community, specifically the Big 3 you mention above, provides the best medium for doing so. There is no better testimonial than proving yourself.
Thanks
One big difference between marketing online and offline is that online requires speed in building credibility. There are so many people out there purely into making big bucks instead of offering real value. Social media is a good way to build credibility.
Great post. the 10th secret should be – Be flexible and innovative. As the social media apps are still evolving marketers should be flexible and innovative in choosing the means of the communications and tailor them according to the products and services they offer.
Internet Marketing are evolving because there are vast of needs in developing online businesses.
Yes i know what you mean, I found a tool on http://www.eziseo.com that will perform a traffic website conversion calculation and tell you your ROI for your volume of visitors.
maybe we should be talking more about Business Networking as opposed to Social Networking – there’s enough mind share out there to pander to your social appetite, maybe it’s time for whozintown.com?
When it comes down to defining internet marketing I don’t distinguish between traditional and internet marketing. To me, it’s simply all marketing. Everything has to be incorporated market a brand. There are no short-cuts.
When it comes down to defining internet marketing I don’t distinguish between traditional and internet marketing. To me, it’s simply all marketing. Everything has to be incorporated market a brand. There are no short-cuts.
I enjoyed your post. I believe 100% in being open and honest about who you are when replying. That is the essence of social media and I hate it when people hide behind screens to protect their identities. Especially when their response is of the negative sort.
Sehr wertvolle Informationen! Empfehlen!
Great Article and well written advice!
Great Article..
Thank you!
Esther
It’s always great to see articles like this. Although the material is not new, we all need to be reminded that SocMed. is after all, all about being “social”… the rest is simply a consequence thereof whatever your preferred outcome.
A gem of a thought “Pull not push”…writing this one on my handy-dandy marketing notebook…
Change Your Mindset link is broken – I was interested in seeing what that one had to say.
I liked the article – good practical advice. I get that it is a networking exercise, one of the three legs of the stool – networking, marketing, selling. I believe lots of us are looking at social network marketing as some sort of short-cut. I’m no longer doing that.
Thanks.
This was an awesome article – I loved the ideas and the humor and clarity in presenting the ideas.
My purpose is to bring mindfulness in marketing and I loved the points made in this article about Participation being the 5th P and authenticity. Social networking is going to be very important for mindful/conscious businesses because it allows them to tell their story and connect with people in very authentic ways. And it is feasible even for small companies with a big purpose to educate people about their purpose – no need for expensive advertisements, which range from being completely inauthentic to good entertainment at best.
I think the concerns that big companies have about adopting this are legitimate, if you are thinking using the old marketing paradigm. And as Paul mentioned social networking is a mindset and not a tactic. This means that if the company allows and encourages the people in the company to be authentic and share who they are and what they bring to their work. If the company creates a corporate culture that encourages its employees to participate as a community around what the company stands for and how each one of them adds value and meaning, then the company is connecting with the customers through its employees’ authentic communications. This way the company does not have to fear its key social networking officers leaving the company and it is consistent with the mindset of Authentic Participation.
The ‘Social Network Marketing’ idea is new for me. I did however once run a ‘Network Marketing’ company. The internet has definitely become a new twist to an old idea so to speak. My products have been out of the market for over 10 years and now I find myself in new territory. I very much appreciqate your insights. Your advise will certainly help build my roadmap to utilizing these new tools as I re-introduce my products to the world. I am very thankful. SIncerely, Randy Ambrose
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Yes,
And to keep being organized you a need a tool which can save you contact information for all the social networks you are in.
François@mmm
Great article. I think you missed highlighting one point which I think is critical: Social Media Marketing levels the playing field and small medium businesses can fight back at large companies by being innovative and leveraging one thing all of them have: a core fan group. It really is a case of David vs. Goliath where the big brands have the $$$, the consultants, the experts and the small guy has creativity and innovation and the ability to react and change things quickly. In this economy adapting to changing conditions with Social Media Marketing is definitely something to explore.
Thanks Paul for the great article!!
I love reading your articles!!