IAB Canada | Social Media Marketing Course

As a follow-up to my April 11th post re: Social Media Marketing 101, here are some of my takeaways and opinions from the course presented by Mitch Joel, Author, Six Pixels of Separation.

One of the fundamental take-aways from the session was the mind shift from traditional reach metrics such as impressions and page views to participation by a consumer.  I believe Mitch referred to it as "hands over eyeballs".  Reaching the right audience vs. the size of the audience is much more important with social media and web 2.0 where we should be more concerned with interested consumers participating in conversations about their favorite brands.

The term "the long tail" coined by Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, where numerous niche products have been ignored by corporations to focus on more popular but limited number products to maximize revenue and profits (basically the 80:20 rule).  With social media and web 2.0, we now have the technologies to effectively communicate with smaller consumer-groups who are interested in niche brands, products and services in "the long tail" (see image) and have typically been ignored.  To leveraging social media, companies can and will need to build out web 2.0 platforms where their consumers or communities exist.  Consumers are already having conversations about your brand on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, etc. thus platforms should be built to listen and take part in the conversations without controlling them.  With social media, a community manager can engage in conversations vs. traditional advertising which is considered by the consumer as self-centered, one-way communication.  That said, if companies can't be interesting or provide the support required to effectively listen and participate conversations, they shouldn't be involved in social media marketing.  Social media marketing is not just having a social presence but requires brand presence with effective listening and participation.

The growth of social media will result in new roles in organizations.  The Community Manager will become a common role in the coming months and years.  Typically a CM role may be an extension of Public Relations but this individual will also require a stronger understanding of brand values, goals and beliefs as well as an expert on the company's products and services vs. the traditional PR role, to effectively communicate, educate and build trust among existing and potential consumers.

As for publishing content, companies should own their content since we do not know which platforms will survive or dissolve in the long run.  Content such as blogs, video, presentations, etc. should be served on the company website and then shared amongst relevant communities.  Remember the goal is not reach but participation thus finding the right audience is key.  Again, this is a mind-shift in thinking and key stakeholders will need to be educated to ensure they understand the importance of participation vs. reach in social media.

Marketers should note that social media platforms are not themselves part of the marketing mix but platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, etc. are part of the social media mix... there's a difference.  Brands will need to find out where their consumers are on the web, which channels they are using and how to champion each channel.

As a student of social media, I recommend picking up a copy of Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel or attending one of his lectures/seminars as a great introduction into the world of social media.  That said, as I become more educated about this exciting channel, through courses, lectures, seminars, readings and communicating with experts in the industry, I will share my experiences with you on this blog and hope you will do the same.

Are there any fundamentals that you would like to share re: social media marketing?  Thoughts on integrating social media with other digital channels such as email?  Many think that social media will be the death of email, what do you think?

Colin Bhowmik, Digital Marketing Consultant, Open Rate
colinbhowmik@openrate.ca
http://www.openrate.ca/