Social media marketing is the new way to get the word out about your business, website, blog, etc. I was tagged by Kim @ (Anti)Social Development to join in this writing project about choosing one practice that I feel best helps in social media marketing.
The value in marketing in many of the social networks simultaneously is knowledge that there are people in each community that do not belong to others. Some people’s only social media outlet may be Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc. These people more than likely take advantage of that network to the fullest extent in terms of having the custom layout and heavy use of all the features (blogs, status, applications, etc.). Power-users like this are not likely to join, friend, or fan you if your profile is one that is basic, static, and lifeless.
Although it can seem time consuming, if you feel a network has enough potential, you should make your page on that site unique unique. Customize the layout to make your profile standout, but don’t over commercialize it – it should look more personal. Give people reason to keep visiting your page by consistently updating information. Attract friends from other networks by making sure that there is content on each of your profiles that has some variety and a little something that the other ones do not have.
Interacting on your contact’s pages as much as possible, through comments and applications, makes people more interested in you, and in what you are there to market. You will gain more attention from your contacts, and then their contacts as well, as your avatar routinely appears on their page. Help others whenever you can, especially if it is something aligned with what you are marketing. This will give you more authority in your area. All of this will also give you an opportunity to learn more from others.
Reflect
“Taking the time to think and reflect after listening can reduce misinterpretation of the author’s intent.”
Pause
“I think before you listen, you need to pause so you ears are trained for the right sounds.”
A Shift in Mindset
“Meaning instead of people thinking about what they can ‘get’ from their communities they need to think about what they can ‘give’ to their communities.”
Listen
“Learn how to listen. Simple, I know. But it’s a best practice.”
Respond
“Exceptional brands deliver beyond the product. They create and deliver a brand experience by being responsive/engaging and sharing in the conversation.”
Be Vigilant
“Vigilant is defined as ‘keenly watchful’ and ‘ever awake and alert,’ but I would argue there is also an element of stalwartness, a sustained resolution to continue onward.”
Embrace Your Audience
“Ninety percent of what you hear comes from less than 10 percent of your audience; 90 percent of that is negative.”
Lift Up Others
“I think we should share our time, resources, smarts, links — lifting others up and enjoying their success. Just like in any offline neighborhood — there’s always a neighbor who’s ready to offer a helping hand.”
Alignment
“If your organization is considering (or is well on their way) pursuing social media in your tactical marketing plans. It (social media) MUST be in complete alignment with your strategy and differentiator as an organization and in complete alignment with what you’re already doing in your marketing plan.”
For more articles on this subject, check out the posts Technorati tagged with Social Media Marketing Best Practices Project.
This is part of The Best Practices in Social media Marketing Writing Project. If you would like to be tagged for this project, or have feedback towards my best practice suggestion, please mention it in the comments. Also, be sure to check out my Squidoo lens about Social Media Marketing & Networking. I have covered Facebook, Myspace, Plurk and Twitter, as those are some of the most popular networks and the ones I use most frequently.
This post brought to you by Kristi Hines
Kristi Hines is creator of Kikolani which focuses on blogging tips and social networking. Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Kristi has written 310 awesome article(s) for Kikolani.
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~ Alex from Our Evolution
Thanks for sharing the social media marketing love, kikolani. That’s something that makes YOU unique, for sure, as I have no idea what your real name. For all I know, you’re Hawaiian or Filipino and Kikolani is your name.
But that makes you you… and your contributions are equally individual.
@Alexander: Thank you!
@Ari: You’re welcome. I thought this was an interesting subject to get views from various authors, and there has been a lot of great writing on the topic, including your article.
You are close about my name. Kikolani is a combination of my grandmother’s name, which is Japanese, and my middle name, which is Hawaiian. I thought Kikolani was a very unique name, until just recently when I met someone online from Hawaii whose first name was just that.
Hi Kristi,
I am SO glad you wanted to participate
Being unique and interacting with others is a great social media practice. At first, people will be intrigued and then by interacting they will learn more about you and that you want to participate in their community.
Interesting post, Kristi
This whole idea of branding via social media, and branding by virtue of our own individuality, uniqueness (or, in Words Are My Power terms, authenticity) very much appeals to me, and is aligned with my way of thinking. You already know I’m quite an active – some would say power – user on my chosen platform (Facebook). Interesting times indeed are these, no?
MH
Although i am not brand new any more, i am still learning about the whole blogsphere. It is expierenced bloggers such as yourself, that are very influential in others creating blogs and being active for change. Your one of the big reasons i started my blog! Thank you Kiki.
Also, i love the new layout!!! Very clean and proessional.
Nice post, I was nice and unique and got the scoop for it on Stumble Upon.
Wow good post. Actually stumbled on your blog from netstrife. I absolutly love the layout of your site, looking forward to reading more from you
Great post Kristi. Got a thumbs up on StumbleUpon.
Best Wishes,
Shinil.
http://www.shinils.com/ – My Posterous blog
@shinils on Twitter – http://twitter.com/shinils
@Kim: Exactly. People on social networking sites want to be social, and the more interesting you are, the more social interaction you will have.
@Matt: Very interesting times. Now people can market themselves or anything else from the comfort of their PC or Mac.
@Tony: I think even the experienced are learning new things everyday, as technology is constantly changing and new things become popular all the time. I am glad I was a good influence!
@Dude Dean: Thanks for Stumbling! That was very nice of you… I am glad you enjoyed the article.
@Dan: Thanks. I hope to get new posts up (almost) daily.
@Shinil: Thanks for the Stumble!
Truth is I haven’t really capitalized on the power social media marketing yet. I know I should. There are just too many agenda and too little time for me. Excuse, huh?
Anwyay, I just have a peek at your squidoo lens. What a comprehensive article you have it there. Impressive..
“I think before you listen, you need to pause so you ears are trained for the right sounds.”
I’m loving this quote.
Yan
@Yan: Social media can be quite distracting at times. But the things I have learned from others through the various networks has been very valuable.
Thanks. The Squidoo is still being developed. I want to add more networks that I use, because I use so many of them right now.
That is definitely a great quote!
Michelle MacPhearson just came out with a video on the top 20 social sites and how NOT to waste time. If you are unaware of who she is, she is considered a real queen bee in social media…squidoo expert, etc.
http://www.michellemacphearson.com/top-ranking-social-media-websites/
I hope you don’t mind the link, it’s relevant
BTW, I found you through someone’s commentluv plugin…some sweet stuff here so I subscribed
@Dennis: I appreciate the link actually, and the subscription.
I have subscribed to both your link & hers, as I am always interested in learning more about marketing & social media!
Well thanks! I also really appreciate all the links you shared here….now where did I put that time to read?
@Dennis: As with everything else, sometimes it seems like we have to fight to get the time to do all the things we want and need to.
Thanks for the interesting and introspective post.
Where I come from girls are considered to know nothing about IT, but my girls and I started a blog and promoted it to receive some visits. It’s a start but we will not back down from this challenge.
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