Featured in Crain’s by Viva’s Laura Sheridan: Become a fan of social media, add strategy to marketing plan

As featured in the November 9, 2009 issue of Crain’s Cleveland Business.

By Laura Sheridan

Does my company need a LinkedIn profile?  Should I create a fan club on Facebook?  Do I need a blog?  What should I do on Twitter?  Where do I start?  These are the questions most often asked by small business owners about social media marketing.

Why is social media the hottest topic in marketing since the color TV?  Consider the statistics:

• 96% of Gen Yers use social media.
• Facebook added 100 million users in less than nine months.
• 80% of companies use LinkedIn as their primary source for employee recruiting.
• YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.

And, in the time it took you to read this list:

• 660 people sent a Tweet.
• 520 people posted a picture on Facebook.
• 124 teenagers served detention for texting in class.

The advent of social media have changed how we interact.  They have catapulted from being niche technology to becoming mass media.  They offer small business owners a low-cost way to interact with an immense number of the right people, and their results are measurable.

Including social networking sites in your marketing plan is a must do.  The more difficult questions is this:  Which of these nascent marketing tactics should you adopt, and which will ultimately drive sales?

Here are five tips to help you think about the role of social media in your marketing program:

• Get dirty. Social networking sites are unlike any other media outlets. Reading endless articles on the subject is not enough. You must have a working knowledge of the space to truly embrace its potential.Experiment and play. Set up a profile on LinkedIn. Join your favorite ice cream’s fan club on Facebook. Follow your favorite rock star on Twitter. Read blogs and post reviews. Text your friends.
• Define your problem. Just like any other marketing opportunity, decision-making begins with clearly articulating the problem you’re trying to solve. The No. 1 benefit of social media marketing is building exposure for a business. Marketers have said that social media efforts have led to improved search engine rankings, a reduction in marketing expenses, an increase in qualified leads and higher conversion rates.Cleveland-based Vox Mobile, which provides mobile technology device and server support for Fortune1000 companies, has quickly realized impressive results from adding LinkedIn to its marketing program.Vox Mobile started a group on LinkedIn called the BES Admin Alliance (BlackBerry Enterprise Server Administrators’ Alliance). This group has attracted more than 600 members who value the opportunity for frequent interaction with their peers and receive expert tips and training, and who just happen to be self-identified prospects for Vox Mobile.
• Be true to your brand. Every marketing tool you employ must be consistent with your brand’s heart and soul. Nike’s brand is all about authentic athletic performance and conversing with its customers openly and directly. If Nike posted a YouTube video of one marathon runner tripping another, it may attract thousands of viewers, but it wouldn’t be true to the Nike brand.
• Listen to your customers. New digital platforms have changed how, where and with whom your customers have personal interactions. And, never before have you been able to witness those real-time dialogues. For the first time, marketers can read exactly what customers are saying, see which networking sites they’re visiting and observe how often they frequent them.Importantly, you can use your customers’ phraseology in your online and offline marketing materials. What better way to make your brand relevant to your customers than by using their own words to promote it?
• Test, test, test. The metrics available to test are almost as plentiful as the number of videos posted on YouTube every hour. Once you’ve articulated your business problem, then identify the metrics to evaluate the results of these marketing tactics.Social media marketing is a low-cost solution to build awareness and increase sales. Experiment with these new tools that could help you reach your business goals. Start today.

Ms. Sheridan is the president of Viva La Brand, a Cleveland marketing strategy and ad agency search firm.