No matter what the so-called experts say, there’s no sure fire way to ensure any marketing campaign will be a success let alone a social media campaign. Still, there are things you can do to avoid failure.
Doing it for the Wrong Reason
Just because social media is all the rage right now, it doesn’t mean you should do it for the sake of it. Just because “everyone is on Facebook” doesn’t mean you should rush out and get a Facebook Fan Page for your widget or business.
The decision to use social media as part of your marketing campaign needs to be taken carefully. And with your end goals in sight. Don’t think of it as “something extra” to spice up a campaign. Think of it as an integral tool for reaching and communicating with your audience. Otherwise you risk falling flat on your face. Just ask Adam Sarner.
Doing it on the Cheap
A lot of social media tools are free – Facebook, Twitter, WordPress blogs, FriendFeed, etc. But that doesn’t mean a social media campaign is cheap and easy. It’s certainly not something your company should do on the cheap.
It takes time to build a community and engage with them. It’s also incredibly time consuming to write blog posts, be active of Twitter, develop videos for YouTube, and build quality resources for your community.
Time and effort costs and organizations looking for a quick, cheap social media PR fix aren’t going to get it. In fact, rushing a social media campaign that’s ill thought out is probably more likely to garner a backlash.
Wal-Mart’s failed Facebook campaign is a case in point. Wal-Mart tried using Facebook’s Pages feature to market a different image. Their decision to restrict comments and feedback on their Facebook Page to “Wall Posts” instead of having a discussion board came across as an effort to control the message of the campaign, notes David Wilson, and backfired spectacularly. The community’s response was to ridicule the lack of conversation and very quickly a flood of anti-Wal-Mart comments appeared on their Wall posts.
Doing it Without an Audience
Social media campaigns by their very nature mean engaging your community or audience. To do that you have to have one first. You need to know where you audience are online before you can do anything and this can often take time because people are on different places on the Net.
As part of the social media campaign I’m running for a senior high school in Stockholm, I’m not just on Facebook, Twitter or wherever the students are online. I get out there in person and go into local schools and talk about working with the Net and how students can use social media profiles to their own advantage. By association this gets them interested in the work I’m doing for my client and slowly but surely the community grows. It’s a slow burn, but building an audience takes time and commitment.
You build an audience by offering genuine services, resources and openness, reacting to issues that arise as a person, not a corporation. Thinking “sell, sell, sell” will cripple you as you explore this space.
Doing it Without Sufficient Planning
Before starting any social media campaign you need to listen. Listen to where your audience is; listen on different channels; listen to the issues that are important to them; and even go listen in person.
Rushing out there and jumping on the social media bandwagon isn’t likely to bring you any success. Badgering people to join your Facebook Page isn’t what building an audience is about. Tweeting “follow me” won’t get you where you want to be. It’s harassment and as likely to turn off a customer as force-feeding them TV-commercials. Rushing out and hiring a Twittering intern, like Pizza Hut did just because Twitter’s hot, probably won’t cut the mustard either.
The risk is that if you act without some forethought, you risk making yourself and your brand (or online reputation) look a little bit silly. So get out there and do some research. Social media marketing, just like any other kind of marketing, requires cogent research. It’s what leads to a better understanding.
For starters, you might want to read: Chris Brogan and Julien Smith’s Trust Agents for starters. It could save you a lot of money and heartache.
Social Media is Not the New Black
Ten years ago a lot of companies rushed out and launched websites just because everyone else was doing it. It’s taken about that long for a lot of businesses to learn that a website isn’t just a digital glossy billboard or business card. It’s a channel to engage with your audience.
Now we’re seeing a lot of businesses rushing to explore social media purely because it’s the new must-be-there online space.
Like a garden, tend social media campaigns carefully, or risk being overrun with prickly customers who know how to use the Net to blog, tweet, digg about your failures online.
Thinking about starting a Social Media campaign?
Related posts:
- Social Media Results: A Successful Campaign
- The Reality of Social Media Marketing
- Why Use Social Media?
- Is Your Business Social?
- Share Different Sides of You with Social Media
Jon Buscall - Communications Consultant
I'm an available-for-hire online communications consultant based out of Stockholm, Sweden.
What I do:- Online Marketing and Communications Strategy
- Speaking
- Teaching
- Training
- Write stuff: articles, blogs, brochures, copywriting, presentations, the works!
Contact me today to set up a free consultation to discuss how I can help your business succeed online.
