“As the global economy struggles to correct itself, and social media marketing becomes a strategic imperative, companies will have exciting opportunities to expand in new directions this year…the current shift in geotargeting, mobile marketing, and online reputation management require that small businesses modify their plans to surpass competitors.” – Susan Gunelius, Reuters.
“Still Waiting to Commit to a Strategy…You’re Going to Lose” – Adam Singer
Gunelius is correct; current trends point businesses toward a holistic digital marketing strategy but, the fact is, if your business hasn’t made a commitment to digital yet, surpassing your competitors (even with a gigantic budget) probably won’t happen. Those who’ve already implemented a smart digital marketing strategy are so far ahead of their competition it’s disturbing. Renowned digital marketing blogger and PR expert Adam Singer exemplifies the seriousness of this type of loss with a simple runner’s graphic. In it, the newcomer to digital is running uphill struggling to make it to the top while his competition has already crested the hill and is enjoying the benefits of his win. Stop looking for an easy way out – there isn’t one. Singer writes, “Figure out how the digital channels can best serve your brand. The net result should be a focused strategy that is based on your overall business objectives, economic value to the organization, and a tactical plan.” If you’re in the C-Suite, do your homework and understand digital marketing now, because it’s already too late.
Figure it out!
Here are some social media marketing fundamentals. Social media starts with content and compelling content is predominantly found on blogs and websites with blogs. Compelling content is a viable marketing tool. Gunelius on Reuters explains, “Amazing content is essential to break through the noise.” Yes, social media includes Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Delicious, Buzz etc. but before we go there it’s imperative you see the following key distinction: Your blog and your website are YOUR brand. Facebook and Twitter are not your brand – they are Facebook and Twitter’s brands. The goal is to get your friends and followers to link back to your brand. Have social media accounts but no blog? You’re losing. Fill your blog with compelling, keyword optimized content which inspires others to share what you write on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Buzz, and more. This is how you boost your brand’s visibility on search. Are you posting weekly on your blog? Is your content interesting enough to share? Do you regularly add fresh content to your website? Your answers to all should be YES.
Search engine attention and author authority
Compelling blog content combined with the creative use of Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and other social media channels is a good start. Specifically, you build communities on various social media platforms, share valuable information with your communities in an interesting way, then maybe they’ll share your information with their communities. Sounds simple, right? It isn’t. Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz writes, ” We now know that those link sharing activities on Twitter and Facebook are evaluated based on the person/entity sharing them through a score Google calls ‘Author Authority,’ and Bing calls ‘Social Authority.’” Recently both Google and Bing confessed they give more search engine attention to links tweeted and retweeted by authoritative Twitter users. Know how to leverage social and search.
Time is not on your side.
You won’t get instant gratification from a newly implemented digital marketing plan. It doesn’t matter how much money you throw at it, the fact remains, a good digital marketing plan needs to be up and running at least six months before you’ll see any benefits. At least. A year is a much more realistic time frame. If you study up you’ll understand the daily commitment, knowledge base, and creativity required to make it work. Ready to learn more? Keep an eye out for “A Digital Marketing Study Primer for C.E.O.’s – Part II” and find out how to vet a social media marketing agency and discover how much you should pay them.
I like what you said about a blog and website being the brand as opposed to twitter and facebook. I just keep hearing that the ROI from social media is very difficult to assess. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t utilize them, and your article does point to that. Thanks for excellent information.
Keyuri Joshi recently posted..4 Ideas for Parents to Help- Not Harm- Girl Scout Cookies Sales
Remember Keyuri, your blog is social media PLUS it’s your personal brand. Other social media channels are very valuable – especially when others use them to share your blog posts. When your blog posts are tweeted or retweeted by authoritative Twitter users they get a slight rank boost. The first assessment question to ask is, “Do I show up on search?” The ROI of search is easier to track than the ROI of social – yet social, especially blogging, improves the ROI of search….
I agree that 6 months to a year is a realistic time frame to dedicate to. It’s something most people don’t like to hear, but consistency is the name of the game. Great post, Catherine.
Dennis Salvatier recently posted..Inspiration Comes in the Middle of Night
Thanks Dennis. You’re right, many people don’t want to hear it but when it comes to digital, there is no “quick fix.”
Your article is a great reminder to delve deeper into the digital aspects of social marketing. It does take time and dedication. Thank you, I’m looking forward to part two.
Diane
Diane recently posted..House of Windows 2000
I truly believe this is the break-out year for social media. By that, I mean that all the companies that have been standing on the sidelines trying to figure out what the heck this is all about are seeing the backs of their competitors as they whiz by. Not connecting with your customers, employees, regulators and investors on social media is no longer an option.
I had a similar conversation yesterday. At the end of the conversation ,I was asked to bid on providing some of these types of services. Most interestingly, the person had a blog (not used much), opinion papers (needed editing) and a web site (not bad) and regularly tweeted (a lot was automated feeds). He had pieces but not an integrated plan nor a well executed one.
Thanks for the post. I am really looking forward to part 2.
Rob
Rob Berman recently posted..Does Your Logo Equal Your Brand
@Diane – I’m glad you found it beneficial..
@Jeannette – I agree reputation management through social has become a best practices standard. I love how social is transforming company customer service.
@Rob Glad u like this post – I look forward to your feedback on Part II
Excellent post Catherine! Having a digital marketing strategy is a critical component of any business plan. The time to create one was yesterday but the key is to have a strategy, track it and adjust it. I can’t wait to read parts 2 and 3.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..5 Tips for Incorporating Twitter into Your Social Networking Strategy
Part 3 Sherryl? hahaha – we’ll see.
As a digital marketer, I totally understand what you preach!
thanks for the insight
Ayesha recently posted..Shanghai- The center of Fashion and Luxury in Asia
Catherine, valuable insights — thanks. What I find encouraging as a non-technical business owner is that I can utilize social media strategies and learn as I go, one step at a time. This makes it less daunting and I know results are possible as long as I’m open to taking those steps consistently.
Good points Catherine. I would add digital like other tactics have to be integrated with other tactics used, be part of an overall marketing strategy and as you have mentioned be realistic re results. I think consumer companies are used to this and perhaps that is why they have embraced this are more than B2B companies and some small businesses.
Susan Oakes recently posted..Get The Best From Your Marketing Service Providers
Great advice Catherine. If one reads between the lines, you are basically saying to stop whining and complaining, stop looking for that magic on-switch and get moving
I also like your differentiating between YOUR brand and Facebook and Twitter brands. Our website and blog is the hub of all our marketing efforts and everything else we do needs to link back to our “hub”.
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@ Julie Lichty: Yes, you can definitely learn as you go. That’s the beauty of the Digital Renaissance.
@ Susan: I’d have to agree. I see some business owners looking for a quick fix – hoping maybe some kind of “certification” or “award” will help them choose a good digital marketing company. The fact is, they need to understand digital to know who is qualified to serve them.
@JulieWeishaar: Yes!
Hub Central – your blog, your website. It all boils down to leads and conversions through social.
Very thoughtful analysis, Catherine. Good to hear another voice telling business owners and CEOs “The internet isn’t a fad!” Excellent point about creating a coordinated strategy, have RT’d your post for my Kansas tourism business audience (@ksgran).
Agree with you 100% Catherine!! We are all doing what you suggest and it definitely works.
It’s amazing how conservative people can be, isn’t it. From what I understand it’s mainly C-level people born in the 40s that object.;)What happened to being adventurous and learning new things?
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