10 Ways to Get Serious About Social Media

Brilliant!
Thank you, Amber.

Here’s number 11 — Get help. I see many businesses spinning their wheels because they don’t have the resources or skill sets to get a job done. Stop making excuses and bring in somebody who can get things jump-started.

Excellent tips Amber!

What organizations need to realize is that is is OK to fail…and social media is a great place to do that. Even failures can be turned into success in the SM space if you are truly engaging with others.
Eric D. Brown´s last blog ..CIO’s – If you can improve one trait in 2010, let it be this one

Such a great post Amber, thank you.

I’d also add consistency… people need consistency (as a part of the community) and those who create the content do need to be consistent (to keep their community engaged). I also think consistency is a tough one to master because you need to find – what I call – your “pulse”. How much and how often you can/should be “pulsing” out content to your community.

As always, lots to think about
Mitch Joel – Twist Image´s last blog ..Don’t Look Back In Anger – Social Media 2009

Amber,

Excellent list. Love number one. Numbers do matter in marketing, but you will get quality numbers if you concentrate on quality content, which will attract a community that is interested in what you have to say and is engaging.
David Cook´s last blog ..novell-pulse-the-first-enterprise-google-wave-3

Love that comment #11. An expert can save you hours and point your focus to the streams where you will be noticed and expand your business. I want to give special thanks to Debra Simpson and Morqan Westerman for designing a plan for expanding my horizons and the reach of my store in Oceanside California.

Great article! Thanks for posting. In a time when more and more information flies at us each day, it helps to lay out our goals, stop and think what is important to us and plan to move forward from there. Sometimes you just have to get back to GO.

Timely… Thanks for the resources.

I agree with Mitch Joel about consistency. I am writing two proposals this week and this is going to help me figure out what I can and can’t do and what to expect. My first one is integrating some traditional marketing techniques too. So this should be interesting! Since I have never done this before so all this helps me a ton.
Jamie Favreau´s last blog ..Social Media to Save the NHL (Last installment a bit late)

It’s the transition from #1 to #2 that many organizations struggle with. Measuring the stats is easy, while measuring results is the challenge. Were you able to improve sales, customer loyalty or brand reputation? Amber’s “metrics you might consider” list is a must read!
Global Patriot´s last blog ..2009 A Year Of Enlightenment

Great post Amber. Besides the wonderful content that others have already commented upon, I love your fresh style of writing. Easy and fun to read. Great Job.

Al Hanzal, http://www.succesfulinternettools.com

Great article. Quality content = quality community. Quality community = getting the things about which you’re creating content accomplished.

There’s a barrier to entry in social media and it’s called, “Having something interesting to say.” Practically nothing else matters if you’re saying something that is interesting to someone else. Ergo Glenn Beck.

Excellent post! Very well said. In fact, this post makes good business sense overall, not JUST related to social media; most of these points are true for other aspects of business, too.
Aaron Hoos´s last blog ..Your business has multiple content strategies

What a great post. It is so dead-on target and so true. How do you get serious about social media for your brand or your client? Very simple. Results. Show your clients the results from the metrics you have established.

I would also add patience and time. Everyone wants to find results and return immediately. Unless you have the 1,000 employees publishing content about your brand every hour, immediacy and true relationships won’t happen in days. Think longer goals and time frames, but don’t stray from your plan of posting consistently and authentically. People don’t see results and then just want to stop. Don’t stop. Stay on task and the return will happen.

Excellent, excellent post. Thanks for writing it!

Spot on, Amber. Especially #7. It’s too tempting to be timid or half-hearted about social media strategy because we don’t have all the answers. But like you said, there are great case studies out there–just commit and go for it! Really, no excuse not to.

Spot on as usual Amber! Thanks.
Bruce Flinn´s last blog ..2010 – My Year of Change

Great Post.

Especially like 6, 7 & 8. Many organisations look at social media as something to experiment with but do it only half heartily and do not put the rigour behind it to actually be able to learn from the results.
Brenda Banning´s last blog ..Looking ahead…. technology trends in 2010 and beyond

Spot on. However, the first question should be do you really need social media. Although it is a good tool for a lot of organizations, it does not mean it functions for all. Point number 5 is therefor a good one to start with: fix your business first and then think through how and why social media is going to help you.

Social media blog
Jeroen Hoekman´s last blog ..What is social media?!

Cool points. To me, it just boils down to being beneficial to the community, thinking about others as often as you think about yourself, and just being a good guy/gal.

It’s How to Win Friends and Influence People for Tech…it’s not hard, but some people make it that way.
Nathan Hangen´s last blog ..Weekend Update – Entrepreneur Style

10 ways to use social media to get a new job How Twitter, LinkedIn and other … and it will ensure that you don’t (too often) commit any serious faux pas.

Amber

Exceptional as always. what about the throw around term of building relationships in social media. I think that this is overused at times as it relates to the types of relationships that are built. I think that when businesses jump into SM they are inundated with information that they have to build relationships that are long term and interactive and constant. This is not always the case. Being top of mind when the consumer is ready to buy is a part of building relationships but not every product/service is going to be able to build that “traditional relationship” I joked in blog post about do we want to build a relationship with our deodorant? What would they say to us: thanks for using us, did we perform or did you stink?

I think that people who are new to social media need a bit more information on the relationships and how they are built – long term vs short term.

Always giving us something to think about.

hi
It is really help full tips.Social media sites is really important now a days in terms of promoting products and website .Ans this post adds value on it .Thanks for sharing

This post is right on target. I think a lot of people miss the mark on social media and this post would be benefical to all of them.

Great stuff…your content has been a great resource in assisting me with incorporating social media into my commercial real estate practice
Coy Davidson´s last blog ..The Nuances of Leasing Medical Office Space

This post (and comment contents) has become one of more favorites on the subject.

And like Mitch suggested, consistency is key. Its a process, like branding, and not a campaign or one off.

There’s a recent article stating;

“…over 75 percent of Fortune 1000 companies with Web sites will have undertaken some kind of online social-networking initiative for marketing or customer relations purposes. But, he added in an interview with CNET News, 50 percent of those campaigns will be classified as failures.”

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10058509-36.html

Hopefully this is the spot to bring it up.
any theories on why this might be?

While discussing with others, one thought was many of these companies might be using a half-hearted effort and not applying the necessary resources.

I believe this might be part of it, along with a lack of consistency, and most of the points above.
online branding blog´s last blog ..Looking Forward

Great post, Amber. #8) Absolutely, long-term. This is fundamental change in how business is done – marketing, customer service, product development, collaboration… communication. #10) Not only should you not be paralyzed by mistakes, you should expect them. There is no ’sure thing’, no flawless expert and the medium is still nascent. If you’re not making mistakes you’re not pushing yourself enough.
Lynnelle´s last blog ..Social Media Marketing & the Five Phases of a Sale

hmmm. wonder why Sean’s picture is there instead of mine. quite the surprise!
Lynnelle´s last blog ..Social Media Marketing & the Five Phases of a Sale

I’d say really interact with your community one on one, a la Gary Vaynerchuk. I’m asking questions and finding good resources based on requests for my facebook fans. Be helpful, be a filter of quality information. Many people get twitter and facebook pages and still broadcast their message (or get someone else to do it), and try to automate everything.

Fully engage and interact with your audience would be my suggested.
Will Kriski´s last blog ..It’s 2010 – Time to Take Back Control

Hi Amber,

Great post! I echo Mark’s sentiment above. Companies should be OK with looking for help when they need it. Happy 2010.

AJ Gerritson

I agree with the above posts about jumping into the world of social media, even if the idea is terrifying.. As a freelance marketer I try to stay as informed as possible about marketing programs that will benefit my clients and social media is becoming a very worthwhile PR/Marketing plan. Many small business owners, such as myself, want to handle all aspects of their business but hiring a marketing & social media specialist that’s geared towards small business owners will definitely help businesses succeed in today’s ever changing internet based world. Small businesses helping other small businesses will change our landscape forever…

Thanks for the great article… Have a great 2010!!

Kathryn J

Amber knows what she is talking about. I love this post. If you want to jump in, please do. Help is all around, you are not on your own. Don’t forget that social media is a team sport.

Excellent advice Amber…kind of like a forceful nudge.
I would add that businesses need to approach social media realistically. They need to have a better understanding of the resources (time/expertise) needed for social media success. Many jump in without strategy and are misinformed about the “real” amount of time that engaging, active social media takes!

Thanks for this stimulating post, Amber. Great resources and terrific food for thought…and action!

Two other ways I see to get serious:
#12: Start thinking like a business person and link your social marketing efforts to your organizations business objectives – Social media and marketing tools are important in today’s evolving landscape, but they are just that, i.e., tools. The key is to select the appropriate tools and tactics that align with the fundamental objectives your organization is trying to achieve (in that vein, social is like all other marketing tactics). Just as the best way to ensure long term success is to make sure your social marketing efforts are in lock step with business objectives, the fastest way to kill forward progress is to fail to align your social tactics with objectives/strategies.

#13: Stop pretending that social media/marketing is free and recognize that you’ll have to pay for it one way or another – Some companies/organizations keep trying to believe that social media is free. That’s wishful, and wasteful, thinking. Nothing is free, and if you’re serious about integrating social tools into your business efforts, then stop trying to believe that social media is free. It’s time to deal with the reality that there will be internal costs, external costs, technology costs, etc. to plan and execute a strategically smart social plan. So, sharpen your pencil and budget for it.

Again, thanks for the GREAT, post!

Cheers,
Ted

Well, these are very good tips. Not clear about the trends of social media in the new year 2010. “Approach social media methodically” this will work, I hope.

Yes, great points. Social Media is not a replacement for a business plan and should not be used as a substitute. Thanks for sharing!
Yosef Solomon´s last blog ..Gravity Summit 2010

Excellent points. #11 is dead on as well. I’m going to add an addendum to #13 posted by Ted.

Not only does a good social media strategy include money, but look into the value of the branding of developing experiences that get people interacting with your company for longer stints of time.

Creating experiences that are designed specifically to your target audience costs money, time and creativity and how much you spend can generally have a direct impact on what kind of experience is going to be developed.

As time moves on, the excuse of being ripped off by a snake oil company isn’t going to fly, they’re preying on your ignorance, and that you worked with them only goes to show that you did not do your due diligence in research before signing a contract. There are plenty of talented people in this field who make it easy for you to find them, and there are a lot of resources available for free that are easy to find.

By spending just an afternoon of research time, you can get at least a basic idea of what works and what doesn’t so when someone says “we’re going to get you on these platforms” (classic snake oil pitch) you can say “yup, but what are we going to do once we’re there? How are you going to bring in people who are going to be interested in me? What steps are you going to take to make this actually worth my while? If they can’t answer questions like this in a way that makes sense to you, don’t work with them.

It’s like going to an AD agency and asking

“How are we going to make this commercial”

And they answer:

“With a camera.”