Social media. It’s today’s hot button for business owners and executives who want to keep up their marketing savvy. Theories abound, but businesses need facts.
A lot of people use Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media—66% of online adults in fact, according to a new report from the Pew Internet research folks, but what are they doing? Two-thirds say they participate mainly to stay in touch with current friends and family or to connect with past friends. No mention of business. The report goes on to say:
Other factors play a much smaller role—14% of users say that connecting around a shared hobby or interest is a major reason they use social media, and 9% say that making new friends is equally important. Reading comments by public figures and finding potential romantic partners are cited as major factors by just 5% and 3% of social media users, respectively.
Still nothing about business purposes. And it’s clearly a heavily individualized activity—focused on connecting people, one person at a time. So where do businesses fit in?
A recent presentation for online marketers in Chicago profiled some of the most popular tools and programs being used in social media today, including the free HootSuite for managing all your social media sites at once.
One of the first points made was that most owners/execs realize it takes a ton of work for any business to implement social media effectively. Yet even with a consultant advising them, they still have to figure out who will do the work. The presenter, Mary Duquaine, is a strategist for I.M.(Integrated Marketing) Think Tank, which offers digital strategy, training and Internet/mobile marketing services for businesses. She also teaches Social Media Marketing at Lewis University.
As the size of the company grows, the issues get more complicated. Jason Seiden, of Ajax Social Media, a workforce marketing firm that was recently invited by LinkedIn to help corporate users optimize their profiles, says implementing social media the right way-via employees, or what he calls “workforce marketing”-gives the company leverage.
Large companies tend to manage their internal communications by top down control. According to Mr. Seiden they should focus their first social media efforts via a team—e.g., the recruiting/employment branding team. He said all companies are similar in that “top executive support is imperative if social initiatives are to succeed.”
As for content, most people already know you can’t just start selling something on Twitter or Facebook. Ms. Duquaine reminded that audiences quickly disappear when they smell sales pitches. Many business owners think instead of using Twitter or Facebook as tools to generate brand recognition and to engage audiences.
Mr. Seiden said: “People are not interested in connecting with brands on social media—whatever marketers say. The research shows that people want to keep in touch with, connect with, and socialize with one another…”
So how does a business “do” social media?
Let’s say a small business wants to promote a book or other similar product. What do they do?
While it’s important to know which social media tools most people in your target markets are using, the much larger issue is what exactly you do with them. It’s a delicate, complex effort “to build an audience, seed messages, generate interest, and convert interest into sales,” said Mr. Seiden.
He recommends the following top 5 practices for using social:
Make yourself credible. Anyone vetting you on social media should see a single, clear message that makes sense. Be consistent. Marry your online and offline personas. Consistency of messaging is key. Give, give, give. I’m not looking you up because I couldn’t find your biography on Amazon. I’m looking you up because I think you might help me solve my problem. Prove it. Be yourself. Don’t follow others’ examples. Set your own instead. Automate. As your audience grows, you’ll find it impossible to communicate manually with your tribe. Use tools such as Hootsuite to align messages across mediums…
Ms. Duquaine suggests these 5 best practices:
Consider your website your social media hub. Link all of your social media efforts back to your own website. This will strengthen your online brand presence. Claim your space and complete your profile. There are many different platforms beyond Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Find the platforms that make sense for your business and claim your space. Be sure to complete your profile and include a link to your website. Listen and identify influencers on each social media platform. Key influencers will help you connect to your audience. Listening helps you to learn the proper social etiquette, identify your audience and connect with influential members. Engage with the community. Use a consistent branding presence and online voice. Building relationships is the primary function of social media. When you provide value, people will respond. Dedicate resources. Social media takes time and energy. Consider social media a part of your overall customer service and branding efforts. Dedicate human resources and use appropriate tools to help manage your company’s online presence.
“The lines between personal and professional are gone,” said Mr. Seiden. “The world is now truly profersonal™.”
Forget privacy in the workplace, as technology continues to shape the world we live and work in.
Pew Internet Research, report Why Americans Use Social Media HootSuite, home page Integrated Marketing Think Tank, I.M.ThinkTank home page Ajax Social Media, home page