One of the issues about using social networking as means of marketing is that it is very difficult for people to grasp how it works. If you think back, this is very similar to the Internet when it first became accessible to the masses. People could not understand how information was simply available. Where was it coming from? How is it organized? How can we find it? At first, even I remember there being this ethereal and not at all concrete feel to the Internet. Now, it is rock solid. If you are shopping for a holiday gift at a major retailer online, you feel like you may as well be in the store. The concreteness of the medium is established because we understand how it works.
Right now, people do not understand how social media works. There are power users but who are they and do they have any real value to you? The whole mobile aspect of social media makes it seem even more abstract. Ideas are flying into social media sites from all over, people are on the go. It is opinion, interpretation, reposted facts, verified news from legitimate sources... its everything and an abstraction all at the same time.
So how do we use this new format for information exchange for marketing purposes?
There are several ways but after playing with this for about six months, Dog Star Media now has recommended method. And guess what? It all goes back to the basic principles we teach on the flow of information. We have applied the same principles to communications and relationship building. In January, we will begin enrolling clients into a new Social Networking Communications strategy. It will include an integration of the benefits of Twitter, Facebook and Blog/Email marketing. This integrated strategy is based on the most successful examples of what we have witnessed from clients and others in the market of cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic surgery.
Right now, we have a few more social-network-ready clients who are working through the first steps. For now, here is what you can do to get ready if you want to try it after the new year. Open Twitter and Facebook accounts if you do not have them already. Start a blog if you do not have one. You will need all three.
We will demystify social networking for you as we work through this strategy. Soon, you will see it just as you see the Internet, as a concrete way of passing your information along and attracting new business. If you are interested in more on our upcoming intergrated social networking strategy, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.
