Social Media Marketing Communication To Conversation

Social Media Marketing Communication to Conversation

Steven GoldsteinInternet Marketing Consultant

sgoldstein@enableinternet.comwww.enableinternet.com

@stevejgoldstein440.666.0523

Agenda

• A Brief History of Marketing• Communication Versus Conversation• The New Marketing Mindset• What is Social Media?• Three Types of Social Media • How to Build Your Community• Q&A

Traditionally, marketers have used these things…

…to compete for our attention!

Seth Godin says…

“It's estimated that the average consumer sees about one million marketing messages a year- about 3,000 a day.”

Mass Marketing is…

• One-Sided

• Tightly controlled

• Interruptive

• Lacks permission

• Urgency

• Mostly irrelevant

No worries…

Everyone is doing it!

Companies, higher education, and non-profit

(pretty, please...)

A.K.A. (The Shotgun method)

Is Mass Marketing Bad?

Not necessarily…

Mass marketing uses mass media to reach and influence an audience with undifferentiated needs.

So, what’s the problem?

It doesn’t work anymore!

Somewhere along the way…

• People stopped being masses and became individuals with different needs. Many choices.

• Communications technology exploded from cable, internet, to cell phones.

• Response to the information overload was more mass marketing.

The consumer response to information overload

A practical example: print ad

• How many people could see it: 100%• How many people did see it: 50%• How many people remember something: 20%• How many people remember you: 10%• How many people prefer you: 3%• How many people intend to purchase: 1%• How many people actually do it: <1%

Results

• Big $$$ spent, little to no ROI.

• Can’t measure ROI anyway.

Marketers live on a lonely island

• Underappreciated

• Blamed

• Misunderstood

• Marginalized

It’s really hard to be a marketer.Don’t blame them…

• Mass marketing tools are all we’ve had until now.

• In this economy with less budget, marketers are expected to do more with less. Show me ROI.

• Marketers have creative ideas, but senior management doesn’t listen or support.

• Marketers are subject to vague and poorly defined roles with other departments.

• There are silos between departments. Little collaboration.

• There is no time to learn new media or get resources to support it.

• My advertising agency costs me a lot of money and keeps me on the wrong path

There is hope…

Communication versus conversation

• Communication: Marketer generated message without concern for the intended recipient. It’s all about my brand and my urgent needs.

• Conversation: Two-way dialogue between two or more people with liked minded or shared beliefs and values

Joseph Jaffe: Join the Conversation p. 2-3

The Internet is the happy home of two-way communication

The Internet is a democracy

• Nobody owns its

• Pretty much anybody can have a voice

• Control is resisted

• Marketing and promotion are discouraged

• It’s all about sharing and caring

• People helping people

• Wisdom of the collective

You are one of many

The new marketing mindset

• People don’t need marketing. They ask their network for recommendations.

• Outbound marketing is interruption: (see mass marketing)

• Inbound marketing is based on permission and respect for the consumer. Let’s be human.

What is social media?

It’s media (content) that is shared between people with a common purpose. It’s enabled by internet technology but extends to other digital media too.

Examples

• Networking connection• Recommendations• Referrals• Blog posts• Articles• Podcast• RSS Feed• Video

It’s all about sharing ideas

The conversation is already happening!

Are you listening?

It’s one big cocktail party out there

Three types of social media

• Publish

• Share

• Network

Publish

Share

Network

How to Build Community

• Engage to build relationships. Don’t be a broadcaster.

• Think about your purpose, and focus on compelling content.

• Listen first, then join or start a conversation

What is content?

• Information and experiences that are meaningful to both parties and meant to be shared.

• It’s not about the features and benefits or stuff that is all about you.

A website is a content sharing hub

If I don’t engage, what happens?

• Consumer will ignore

• Consumer will seek alternatives

• Consumers will think you don’t care

What’s the average cost of these social media sites?

That doesn’t mean social marketing is free, though…

So, what’s your conversation strategy?

Thank You!

Q&A