Before leaping into social media, marketers need to have a clear picture of who their audience is and what they want, said Aaron Kahlow, founder and chairman of the Online Marketing Summit.
And for their own part, marketers must determine whether they want to be a part of the conversation and whether they're ready for honest customer feedback, he said, speaking at the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing's IMX08 conference. Ultimately, knowing exactly what your objective is for the initiative is key.
Only a small percentage of your audience will really actively participate in social marketing efforts, which is why it is a must to reach your best advocates. Of course, don't mistake "loyal" customers for advocates. It's a mistake to think that "loyal" customers like you, Kahlow said. After all, the only reason that they might be loyal is that they're too lazy to go through the trouble of change.
What type of social media is best for a company depends on their needs and resources, he said. If you want to start a blog, you need to be entertaining and have personality. It doesn't pay to go to the top to find your blogger. "Most CEOs are boring" because they're—understandably—obsessed with numbers and the bottom line.
A better blogger candidate is someone who can engage with your audience peer to peer. He cited how ThomasNet uses engineers to blog about different topics as a good example of this.
If you're interested in creating a community, make sure that this is what you <I>really</I> want to do. A community should engage the audience, not push a brand.
Forums are a wonderful way to get feedback, he said, noting that customer service is a great way to leverage this option.
If you have online video, Kahlow urged people to put it on sharing sites like YouTube. This is a great way to get your message to go viral, even if you're b-to-b. "You'd be surprised at the business terms people search," he said.
