Mediaboss Marketing

Social Media Marketing Strategy

There are many reasons social media can be a productive marketing channel or platform. Rather than emplying it as a tactic du jour, the purpose should dictate strategy and the tactics used for reaching desired goals. A few common outcomes for social media marketing efforts include:

The mechanisms for putting these strategies into action vary depending on the resources and time allocations a company can make on its own, or when working with an agency. In fact, it is most often due to internal resource constraints that companies outsource social media strategy and tactics in the first place.

Type in social media marketing into Google and youll get about as many search results (23 million) as there are social media tactics being promoted. As with any type of marketing, social media promotions center around matching content with interested audiences as well as stimulating conversation and buzz. Content can be created from scratch, mashed up or you can borrow to build by piggybacking on someone elses social media success. The key is to listen and participate.

Speaking of social media tactics, I recently wrote/facilitated an article on social media marketing for Larry Chase on his famous Web Digest For Marketers newsletter and web site which includes social media tips from some of the most opinionated minds on the topic: Brian Solis, Neil Patel, Chris Winfield, Mike Moran, Rohit Bhargava, Jeremiah Owyang, Muhammad Saleem and Jason Falls.

Each of these social media experts provided tips of their own as well as resources from: Steve Rubel, Robert Scoble, Charlene Li, Andy Hagans, Pete Cashmore, Chris Brogan, authors Huba/McConnell and Emanuel Rosen.

I am curious if Online Marketing Blog readers are finding that social media marketing tactics are getting included in strategic marketing discussions? Is social media getting singled out like SEO or PPC in budgets and forecasts?

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Social Media Marketing Strategy - 5 Key Objectives

Social Marketing is a distinct marketing discipline, one that has been labeled as such since the early '70s and is focused on influencing behaviors for good -- ones that will improve health, prevent injuries, protect the environment, contribute to communities and enhance financial well being. Fundamental principles at the core of this practice have been used to help reduce tobacco use, decrease infant mortality, stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, make wearing bike helmets a social norm, decrease littering, increase recycling, increase savings,and persuade pet owners to license their pets and "scoop their poop."

Social Marketing Services, Inc., formed in 1993, is a small consulting firm located in the Seattle area providing consultationfor social marketing campaign development and evaluation. (See Nancy in Pedestrian Safety Video)

Nancy Lee, MBA, Founder and President of Social Marketing Services, Inc., has more than 30 years of professional marketing experience in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Affairs. She conductsseminars and workshops and has had many speaking engagements on social marketing and marketing in the public sector at conferences, coalition meetings and workshops.

Nancy has coauthored 9books with Philip Kotler:

Additional publications available for you on this Web site includePlanning Worksheets andMarketing Primers: Social Marketing in the Public Sectorand Social Marketing, Influencing Behaviors for Good.

The rest is here:
Social Marketing Services, Inc.

You may have something to say. Something pertinent, pressing, academic, or revolutionary about the theoretical, research, and practical issues confronting todays social marketers.

So you publish with Social Marketing Quarterly. More than just an industry journal, the internationally circulated SMQ is the only journal focused exclusively on social marketing issues, serving as an invaluable resource for practitioners, academicians, program developers and administrators alike.

And if you dont have something pertinent, pressing, academic, or revolutionary to say?

You sure as heck stick around to read.

SMQs writings, from authors the world over, are in the company of feature interviews with key field leaders, such as Alan Andreasen, Carol Bryant, Bill Smith, Nancy Lee, and Gerard Hastings. They address special issues pertaining to current topics of interest and relevance to those involved with or interested in social marketing. And they leaving a mark, opinion, or revelation in any of our established sections: Applications, Theory and Review, Training Initiatives, Book Reviews, Notes from the Field, Resources and Looking Ahead.

We recently awarded the affiliate marketing masters of the year award from the guys from Corelnet.com/carbonite.com. They help promote Carbonite offer codes and are doing such a fantastic job, we thought wed give them a home page mention. They have won the award for excellence within their peer group.

All of our manuscripts are submitted to a double-blind peer-review process. Those published help to foster a cooperative exploration of ideas and practices, which builds and strengthens bridges among various disciplines. And this, as you know, is how innovative change strategies and alliances are born.

From research studies, case studies, conference notices, and essays, to editorials, book reviews, and other relevant news regarding social marketing efforts around the world, this is one journal that is so much more than a journal. Heres a taste:

See the rest here:
Social Marketing Quarterly

February 13, 2011

By Wendy Suto in Featured

Theres a lot of fuss surrounding social media these days. If you still havent jumped on the bandwagon and arent sure why so many people are making such a big deal about it, here are 14 benefits of social media for your business and you from Success magazine.

For Business:

Establish a Brand and Raise Awareness

Since the majority of the population is already visiting social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, getting your brand name all over those networks can help let people know that youre around. If you have yet to create a company image online, social networks are the place to do it.

Create a fun YouTube video that entertains and informs. Funny videos tend to make their way around the Internet a lot faster than any other kind, so when making a video, keep in mind that you want it to be interesting enough for your target audience to want to share. Using Facebook and Twitter to create a fun online community that your customers will want to visit will boost brand loyalty and drive traffic to your Website, allowing you the chance to make more online sales.

Spy on the Competition

Follow your competitors on Twitter and Facebook and youll be able to see what they have up their sleeve. Just make sure to provide a better deal than whatever they have going on.

Pitch Products in a More Human, Interactive Way

Since people visit social media sites to get personal rather than be bombarded with ads, discuss your business in a fun way and engage your customers with questions. Ask their opinions and entice them to respond back. This way youre making a valuable connection that will help grow your number of return customers.

Bring Attention to Your Products

Featuring a product on a social media site is one of the fastest ways to bring attention to it. Offer a promotion along with it for your online community members and watch your sales skyrocket.

Increase Customer Loyalty And Trust

Speaking to your customers in a personal way will make them feel like they are talking to a friend, not a company. This will help build their trust in you, which will make them do business with you rather than your competition. It will also improve the chances of customer recommendations.

Listen to Your Customers Opinion

Social media sites are an awesome way to see what your target audience is saying about your company or your products. Take their constructive criticism and use it to enhance your product to better meet their needs.

Conduct Market Research

Listen to what your customers say about your products and track what links they click on and youll begin to see what your customers like and respond to. People love to express their opinions on social media sites, which will allow you to hear the truth. Then you can use your new-found information to tweak your product or service to please them as well as continue to post more information and links that they will enjoy.

Strengthen Customer Service

Social media networks allow your company to answer your customers questions and concerns directly in a timely manner. This will improve customer satisfaction and also save you money on long distance customer service phone calls.

For You:

Build Your Personal Reputation

Social networks allow you to get your name out to the world and talk about things that matter to you. This will help you build a good online reputation, which is critical nowadays if youre looking for a job or even a new business contact.

Display Your Resume

LinkedIn allows you to display your full resume online for any future employers or recruiters to see. This will help bring you new opportunities that never would have existed otherwise.

Find a Job

Jobs are posted every minute on social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter along with the links or information you need to apply for them.

Showcase Your Talents And Establish Yourself as an Expert

If youre passionate about a certain subject, whether its work-related or a hobby, the Internet is a great place to show off your knowledge. Soon people will be coming to you for the breaking information on that topic, and talking about you to friends.

Enhance Your Business Contacts and Enhance Personal Relationships

Through professional sites like LinkedIn, you can build your number of business contacts and enhance your reputation as an expert in your industry. You can also connect with those long-lost high school and college classmates, old colleagues, and out-of-town family members.

Share Information with Like-Minded People

Connect with other professionals in your field to share information. Where else would you be able to connect with industry professionals across the globe to swap stories and advice?

Read the original:
Top 14 Benefits of Social Media Marketing - SiteProNews

If it seems like nearly every business on the planet is connecting with fans on Facebook, Tweeting, uploading videos on YouTube and getting LinkedInexcept youyoure not alone. Many organizations who havent gone social yet are feeling the same way, scratching their heads and wondering: Are businesses really making money using social media? Can my business still get in on the actionand the profits?

The businesses that are making money set goals and objectives, follow a plan, choose and use the best tools, carefully monitor their results and faithfully measure their ROI. In other words, there are a lot of things youll need to get up to speed on to get started with social media and be successful.

Our conference is set up in a convenient 2-track format with 10 exciting sessions to choose from. Attend one track from start to finish, or mix and match the sessions to customize the conference to your own particular needs.

CONFERENCE AGENDA

Program hours: 9:00 am 4:00 pm

TRACK 1

Click on a session title to view details

Session 1: Show me the money: How social media actually pays off+

Session 2: The key to social media success: Getting off to a good start+

Session 3: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter: Choosing the right platform for your business+

Session 4: Measuring whats really importantyour return on investment+

Session 5: Success stories: What the best social marketers do better than the rest+

TRACK 2

Click on a session title to view details

Session 1: Cool tools and how to use them to grow your business+

Session 2: Mistakes rookies make but you dont have to+

Session 3: The art of writing for a social audience+

Session 4: Managing your on-line reputation+

Session 5: Monitoring what people are saying about you on-linein 15 minutes a day+

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SkillPath Seminars | The Social Media Marketing Conference