Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, SEO – Which one is right for you?

The question is formed in many different ways. I get it all the time. What is the best social media or social network for me to use? Which ones will my clients respond best to? Should I use social media or invest in search engine optimization?

These are the wrong questions. Lets use a guerrilla analogy: What’s the best weapon for combat? The answer is: You need more than one weapon, you need multiple weapons, multiple approaches and a lot of redundancy and back-up.

Lets step back from “social media marketing” and talk about marketing. We know that the best marketing campaigns use a variety of media and messages. BMW doesn’t just use billboards, they use e-mail, micro-sites, online video, direct mail and also encourage user generated content on some of their more social sites. Starbucks is much the same.

The message here is this:

Stop falling in love with social media tools, start falling in love with your customer

Starbucks, BMW, Ford, Comcast and many other successful social media marketers are customer engagement focused. They surround their customers online with multiple opportunities from multiple media to learn, connect and engage. It takes time, frequency of contact and a lot value added interactions to become top of mind with your customer.

EngagementDB.com a project by Altimeter Group and WetPaint studied the web’s top brands and looked at the impact of using multiple media and channels versus being a one-weapon marketer. Without exception the brands that used multiple media and channels had greater and faster engagement levels. These brands also happened to be more profitable than the others. This is probably not due to social media use but the fact that they are progressive and strategic at all levels in their businesses.

Engagement Altimeter Social Media DB

Here’s your take-away:

  1. Fall in love with your customer, interact with them in multiple channels and add value. Focus on them, not the tools.
  2. Have an over reaching plan and goal that drives your content creation and interaction
  3. Use all of your social media tools, search marketing and offline marketing in tandem and with the same focus.
  4. Stay on message, stay consistent, and continually engage

What are your thoughts on this? Have you found that multiple media helps you engage faster and more effectively?

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April 27, 2010 · Filed Under Internet Marketing and SEO, Marketing and PR, social media, social media tips, social media training

Comments

  • http://internjoe.wordpress.com/ Intern Joe

    What about using Hi5 or Myspace

  • http://www.coachtia.com Tia Singh

    That is a GREAT reminder Shane!!

    “Stop falling in love with social media tools, start falling in love with your customer” stopped me in my tracks and made me laugh out loud.

    It's all about the INTENTION you bring to your work, to attract clients, etc. I think we're very lucky to be a part of this social media fast track to getting eyeballs and establishing credibility / visibility so fast. And I also believe that will only get you ———–> this far if your focus isn't on relationship building.

    So yes, SM tools help with momentum but how far you get depends on the core of your values and business strategies, just like you said. Cheers! Tia @TiaSparkles

  • http://defactocio.wordpress.com Michael D. Berg

    Loved the article … Often we can lose sight of “the message” and pay too much attention to the technical side and “the tools” … Be patient and take your eyes off yourself and you will be successful …

    It's too easy to fall victim to a shoot first and ask questions later mentality when it comes to Sales and Marketing … if we take the time to ask lots of questions of people we meet and learn about what's important to them we come across as genuinely caring and genuinely interested in finding solutions for them.

    Thanks Shane … Great Article … Michael @defacto_cio

  • shanegibson

    Hi5 and Myspace are still good tools for reaching certain markets. MySpace allows you to pull in videos, links, aggregate information etc. as well. Hi5 would be good for interacting with certain markets like Thailand, Colombia and parts of Eastern Europe where it is widely used. In most cases the demographic is younger than your average Twitter user and income is low from a global perspective.

  • shanegibson

    Tia… the core values are most important in my opinion, I wish more companies would start with values and build from there.

  • http://www.coachtia.com Tia Singh

    More companies are :) we're proof!

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  • bkjrecruiter

    Loved the article Shane… I did an exercise last year, that for an entire week I wrote down everything I did (EVERYTHING) for an entire week, and the time used “PLAYING/SOCIALIZING” with social media, and I have to say that “Stop falling in love with social media tools, start falling in love with your customer” is exactly my major takaway of this article and exercise I did… Bottom line: Serve your customer vs. serving yourself/ego, etc,, Best, Brian-

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  • http://www.seo.fm Website marketing

    This article rises a great point; you really can't try to structure your customers around the tools you use–they just don't fit into boxes like that. If they have the choice–whether it be connecting through twitter or through search–the relationship tends to last longer, it seems, and it avoids the one-trick pony track. Internet marketing should really hit the different angles.

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  • http://www.blogcatalog.com/user/SEOP SEOP

    Good points. I still believe that SEO should be a holistic approach and not be one-dimensional focusing on just one element.

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