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Social Media Marketing
February 2011 | Volume 9 Issue 2
Social media marketing has evolved from a novelty to an integral and strategic part of business communication. In this issue of CW Bulletin, our experts offer their best tips for getting out your messages, from employing location-based tools, to ensuring that your content is both relevant and timely.
Natasha Nicholson
Executive Editor
Amanda Aiello Beck
Managing Editor |
Features
LOCATION-BASED MARKETING
by Christine Gallagher
You may have noticed a trend lately on Facebook or Twitter: Some people have started to “check in” wherever they may be at the time—perhaps the local Starbucks, their neighborhood bookstore or even the post office. You may have seen some of your friends and followers doing this and thought, “OK, why should I care where you are?”
If you are a small business owner, however, you might want to take a closer look at what’s going on.
ENGAGING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund
Social media isn’t all about planned campaigns and editorial calendars. In some cases, the best way to win the hearts and minds of customers and prospects is by offering them something timely, relevant and personalized. This means contextually appropriate, just-in-time marketing in which you find a chance to engage authentically with a customer, and you take it.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
by Ernest Barbaric
“Can you get us more Facebook followers? We have over 2,000 fans and need to get to 10,000! Can you help us with that?” This is often how “we need help with our social media” conversations begin; however, this is completely backwards. It’s like calling an airline and asking to book a flight for exactly 876 miles—without having a destination in mind.
Every move and each tactical tool (social media or otherwise) your organization employs should align with your business and marketing strategy (the destination).
by Marc Meyer
If you’re new to social media marketing, you might feel like you’re a little late to the game. In a sense, if you are new, you are a little late. But, fear not; there are some who have been slogging through social media so long without any discernible results that they might as well have started yesterday. There is not much of a difference between you and them. You still have plenty of time.
Columns
A New Year’s PPI
by Suzanne Salvo
Are you confused by the title of this article, or are you chuckling at the play on words? Serious photographers and image editors reading this know that PPI (an acronym for pixels per inch) refers to an image’s resolution. Get it now? If part of your job is creating or managing photos, you should know basic digital image terminology and should have understood the title’s meaning. If you didn’t, perhaps a different kind of resolution is in order. Instead of the same old boring promises you make and break each year, how about adopting a few resolutions designed specifically to improve your visual communication skills?
Your Work Is All Around You
Start 2011 with a Social Media Check-Up
by Daria Steigman
Your work is all around you.
It may be a nifty title for a column, but it should also be a reminder that you no longer get to dictate what’s said about you, your business or your brand. While true “control” has always been a myth, the reality in this age of spidered content and 24/7 Wi-Fi is that other people can find out a lot about you really quickly.
Tips for Managing Your Workload
by Morgan Leu Parkhurst
Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series on communication overload.
Professional communicators play critical roles in many areas of an organization. As a result, they are often pulled in different directions. Requests for their time and skill come standard with the position, and they still have their own projects and deadlines. With the advent of new communication channels, especially social media, time management challenges have become even tougher. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome communication overload.
- "Embracing the Loaf Love," Conkling Fiskum & McCormick Inc. for Tillamook Cheese
- "GM Shows the World What’s Next," Weber Shandwick with Jack Morton and McCann Worldgroup
- "Voice of the Customer," Network Solutions and Livingston Communications
Communication in the News
Related Resources provides additional articles and resources for understanding this month's topic of social media marketing. You can also find some of these links alongside each corresponding feature article for quick reference. Links include:
- "Social Media Marketing Checklist," by Lee Odden
- "7 Quick Steps to Foursquare Marketing," by Scott Bishop
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