Social Media Marketing Grows Up
The past 12 months I've watch Social Media Marketing mature and become an integral part of many digital marketing plans.
It's been interesting to say the least.
A year ago this time companies' thirst for knowledge and understanding of Social Marketing was insatiable. Presidents, CEOs and CMOs were looking to understand what it is and why they should do it. Very few were willing to spend a dime on it. Most not convinced it was worth the time nor money. The questions where "what is it" and "why should I do it".
Wind the clock forward 12 months. It's no longer a "what" and "why" conversation. It's "how" and "when". The belief that a social strategy is needed is now a forgone conclusion.
The How? Most start with a Social Marketing Audit. It gives you a social footprint of what you and your top competitors are doing now. Company executives are surprised at the results. Their companies are often more active in social than they realized. Renegade staff, maverick managers are often the culprits. Tweeting and bloging on behalf of the company. Secretly. Because it's not a strategy embraced by the Executive Team yet.
You can't build a social strategy without knowing where your company is today. A social audit is the first step.
The When? If you haven't already started, get going. Remember in the mid 90's when the 'net was just starting to become a true business medium? While the internet was maturing there were some companies that jumped on board and had a web site. Some sat on the sidelines and didn't have a site.
During this time, we all began to use the presense of a web site as a subconcious measurement of how serious a company was about their business.
Well, social marketing is about to become the new yardstick. If a prospect asks "Are you on LinkedIn?" or suggest that you follow them on Twitter, your company needs to be in the position to say YES!
Get Started.
It's been interesting to say the least.
A year ago this time companies' thirst for knowledge and understanding of Social Marketing was insatiable. Presidents, CEOs and CMOs were looking to understand what it is and why they should do it. Very few were willing to spend a dime on it. Most not convinced it was worth the time nor money. The questions where "what is it" and "why should I do it".
Wind the clock forward 12 months. It's no longer a "what" and "why" conversation. It's "how" and "when". The belief that a social strategy is needed is now a forgone conclusion.
The How? Most start with a Social Marketing Audit. It gives you a social footprint of what you and your top competitors are doing now. Company executives are surprised at the results. Their companies are often more active in social than they realized. Renegade staff, maverick managers are often the culprits. Tweeting and bloging on behalf of the company. Secretly. Because it's not a strategy embraced by the Executive Team yet.
You can't build a social strategy without knowing where your company is today. A social audit is the first step.
The When? If you haven't already started, get going. Remember in the mid 90's when the 'net was just starting to become a true business medium? While the internet was maturing there were some companies that jumped on board and had a web site. Some sat on the sidelines and didn't have a site.
During this time, we all began to use the presense of a web site as a subconcious measurement of how serious a company was about their business.
Well, social marketing is about to become the new yardstick. If a prospect asks "Are you on LinkedIn?" or suggest that you follow them on Twitter, your company needs to be in the position to say YES!
Get Started.
Labels: Social Media
posted by Malinda Pengelly
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1 Comments :
Great post Malinda.
On the audit: I think it's important to also include in that initial audit, beyond a snapshot of how your own company is engaging in social today, an analysis of what the social landscape looks like around your brand, your customers, and your product space. That way you get a nice foundation of understanding of where your company and brand stands and where the conversations you care about are happening, to build your eventual engagement plan off of.
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