I recently spent two full days at a client’s site, listening to first-hand accounts about the value the client has in offering its service to prospective customers. Listening to employee after employee, asking the same battery of questions again and again drove home one salient point for me: relationships are at the core of every successful business, and they are the foundation upon which successful marketing is built.
Think about the companies you buy from on a consistent basis. A local drycleaner, a local restaurant, a barber or hair stylist. Small businesses rely heavily on the value of quality relationships. For them, technology comes second. First is the personal relationship they build with their repeat clientele, and that relationship is deepened – the trust is expanded – based on high quality, good value, and respect between the business and their customers.
Some businesses think the solution is to be on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social networking site, and that alone will send customers flocking to the store or website. The fact of the matter is that businesses that want to get involved in social media should learn a lesson or two from their favorite local drycleaner. Anyone looking to succeed in an overcrowded marketplace needs to start by building quality relationships. While using tools like social media can help, they must be part of a clear, strategic marketing approach. Social media, as part of a marketing strategy, is a brand-building tool. It will build brand awareness and create a positive perception of the brand that will help to grow brand equity. When you focus only on the tactical tools, and there is no thought-through strategy in place, the results will not be what you had hoped for.
Altimeter Group, a strategy consulting firm, knows precisely the point I wish to drive home, which is that social media is not a strategy; it is a tool. “The strategy,” they say, “is using social media to deepen relationships with target audiences.”
We have complex relationships that we rely upon to be successful every single day on the job, whether those relationships are with clients, customers or business partners.
Altimeter Group has spelled out solid approaches to thinking strategically about social media. Here is a JPL twist on this concept based on our wide-ranging experience with clients and utilizing social media.
Social media are tools in the toolbox. Developing a strategic integrated marketing is fundamentally where to begin.
Put nearly all your time and effort into building relationships – not in perfecting cool apps for a specific platform. As we see all the time, social media sites come and go, but one-to-one and one-to-many relationships are the power behind successful brands.
Define your target audience by closely examining your business goals. If you are being strategic, your engagement in social media will be driven by specific business objectives – social media won’t drive your business plan.
Understand what role social media plays in your business model. Does it move inside information to brand advocates? Is it a customer service funnel? Is it a sounding board for innovation? Defining what your social media does will make developing tools and content much more rewarding.
Clearly define success. Not all fans are equal. Understand that in the social media world, quality ranks higher than quantity. Having five exceptionally well-connected fans or followers with trusted voices is more valuable to most strategies than 500 fans who never say a word to anyone about your product or service. However, to get those five key people, you must carefully observe rule 2: put nearly all of your time and effort into building relationships.
Relationships really are the key to any successful strategic social marketing strategy. You can have all the fun apps you like on your Facebook page, send all the notices out about your events, but if no one comes back to your site on a regular basis, what value does it really have?
Think of your five most important personal relationships – and make sure two of them are not family. How do you maintain those relationships so they are healthy, engaging, and rewarding (in a personal sense)? Do you consider Harry your best friend because you bombard him with emails 30 times a day and he doesn’t complain? Why does Jack still speak to you after all these years? Does Sophia know as much about you as you do about her? Why is that?
Take the time to get to know your best customers – their likes and dislikes – and what really builds brand appeal in their hearts and minds. If you do, you’ll be well on your way to building strong relationships that pay off when you finally choose to launch social media tools in the places that are right for your brand and its most loyal customers.
Relationships are the Key to a Successful Social Media Strategy
I recently spent two full days at a client’s site, listening to first-hand accounts about the value the client has in offering its service to prospective customers. Listening to employee after employee, asking the same battery of questions again and again drove home one salient point for me: relationships are at the core of every successful business, and they are the foundation upon which successful marketing is built.
Think about the companies you buy from on a consistent basis. A local drycleaner, a local restaurant, a barber or hair stylist. Small businesses rely heavily on the value of quality relationships. For them, technology comes second. First is the personal relationship they build with their repeat clientele, and that relationship is deepened – the trust is expanded – based on high quality, good value, and respect between the business and their customers.
Some businesses think the solution is to be on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social networking site, and that alone will send customers flocking to the store or website. The fact of the matter is that businesses that want to get involved in social media should learn a lesson or two from their favorite local drycleaner. Anyone looking to succeed in an overcrowded marketplace needs to start by building quality relationships. While using tools like social media can help, they must be part of a clear, strategic marketing approach. Social media, as part of a marketing strategy, is a brand-building tool. It will build brand awareness and create a positive perception of the brand that will help to grow brand equity. When you focus only on the tactical tools, and there is no thought-through strategy in place, the results will not be what you had hoped for.
Altimeter Group, a strategy consulting firm, knows precisely the point I wish to drive home, which is that social media is not a strategy; it is a tool. “The strategy,” they say, “is using social media to deepen relationships with target audiences.”
We have complex relationships that we rely upon to be successful every single day on the job, whether those relationships are with clients, customers or business partners.
Altimeter Group has spelled out solid approaches to thinking strategically about social media. Here is a JPL twist on this concept based on our wide-ranging experience with clients and utilizing social media.
Relationships really are the key to any successful strategic social marketing strategy. You can have all the fun apps you like on your Facebook page, send all the notices out about your events, but if no one comes back to your site on a regular basis, what value does it really have?
Think of your five most important personal relationships – and make sure two of them are not family. How do you maintain those relationships so they are healthy, engaging, and rewarding (in a personal sense)? Do you consider Harry your best friend because you bombard him with emails 30 times a day and he doesn’t complain? Why does Jack still speak to you after all these years? Does Sophia know as much about you as you do about her? Why is that?
Take the time to get to know your best customers – their likes and dislikes – and what really builds brand appeal in their hearts and minds. If you do, you’ll be well on your way to building strong relationships that pay off when you finally choose to launch social media tools in the places that are right for your brand and its most loyal customers.