Executives and business leaders need to understand that social media strategy is part of integrated marketing. Social media is another powerful channel with which to communicate with audiences. Left to the automaters…that’s an absolute dead end.
Automaters just using platforms such as Hootsuite that allow you to send out to all platforms the same message. Is that a good thing for your readers, or customers?
You need to engage with your followers, audience, readers. True social media marketing – not viral marketing – relies on a strategy of relationship building. Sure many marketers use social for viral efforts to build awareness but true social relies on the relationships between a company and its customers. Finding out what drives them, listening to their needs and “being there before the sale.” Social media communication relies heavily on listening and using what you hear to better influence your target market to participate in behaviors you deem desirable. In other words, you build trust with consumers so they will be more likely to buy from you in the future. People do business with those they know and trust, which is why social tools are being so heavily leveraged by brands today.
The101 basic of effective b-to-b advertising are immutable. Regardless of the medium marketers and advertiser must still build a brand and persuasively communicate their ability to solve a problem for the customer.
What is your company doing? What do you think? I am listening and learning.
Marsha
MARSHA DIAMOND 