Stephanie's Blog

6 RULES OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING 

What Is Social Media?
Social Media in its simplest definition is a collaboration of ideas and interactions among different people through the use of technology.  It brings the audience to an infinite level where there are as many possible interactions as there are people.Because every client is different we need to approach the Social Media Strategy for each client differently.

Social Media Strategy will appeal to different clients on different levels, yet should be a part of our overall marketing strategy and that should go beyond blogger relations.

The use of Social Media Marketing should be to bring brand awareness to people on a peer to peer level whether that is through blogs, interactive tools, communities, games, etc.
 

1.  Know Your Product
Before you can expect anyone else to follow your product, you must know your product back and forth, inside and outside, and at times better than you know yourself.  Since you will be become the product's human form on a multimedia platform you want to represent its best qualities, knows its faults, and be aware of how it is always evolving into something better.  Like anything the more time we spend with it and interact with it, the better we will be able to target the right audience.  

Do a little product soul searching.  Ask yourself the following questions:  

    *  What is your product?

    * What makes this unique?

    * Why will people care?

    * What functions does it provide, how does it benefit people?

    * How will people engage with the product?

    * What similar products are out there?

2.  Become Your Audience

It is a bit like Method Acting, you mut become the person you are selling.  You must drink the Kool-Aid, stick behind it fully and most importantly use it!   If you are your own audience you will be able to better identify the larger audience.  

You need to be your own audience so you can identify the larger audience and target them.  

3. Know Your Audience 

AUDIENCE IS KEY.  In order to have a successful social media marketing campaign it is all about your audience and giving them the information that affects them.

Without the audience you have no product to sell.  

As marketers we want to be able to say without our product there would be no audience.

Think about the product you have already defined and then you want to think about the audience.  What types of people are going to use this?  What are their other interests, since you are the audience you could ask yourself 

*  What do you need this product for?

*  What do you want this for?

Most likely your product will be attractive to different people based on their personal needs. Who are these people?

4.   Know Your Environments  

Just like in any marketing Audience is key and always has been key.  The only difference in Viral and Social Media Marketing is that the audience online and if you look closely you will be able to find your audience.  Know where they hang out.  

Use yourself as an example, where do you hang out, where can you find like-minded individuals, do online research, become involved in these audiences and survey what goes on there.  Know which message is going to stick in which locations.  

Know what appeals to different places..How do people use these sites, do they read them, do they comment, do they post videos, images, what do people do on the site?  

You will want to give them what they want in the format they want it.  Allow anyone to access your site through their perferred means whether it is email, video, text message, be prepared to deliver your message, their way right away.  

5.  Create Your Adhesive - Where are you sticky?

*  Roll yourself in glue - you want everything you touch to stick.  

Now that you know how your audience likes to interact online give them something to consume, infect them, and let them spread it to their friends.

Make it sticky, make it infectious!  

6.  Start Infecting 

Get key influencers involved.  These are your most targeted people, they will likely adapt, if it is sticky enough it will spread automatically as there is a need for it.