The Value of Social Network Marketing
Last week I discussed the concept Punk Marketing. In that posting I talked about how the concepts of punk marketing have been around a lot longer then Social Marketing and the whole Web 2.0 thing. After a few emails in the past week asking me to answer a few questions I have decided this week to answer those questions in relation to Social Network marketing.
1. Should I have a Facebook group/page for my business?
A. Right off the top of my head, my answer is yes. Facebook is no longer just for the 16-25 crowd. I have more friends and peers using Facebook in the 30+ crowd then I do in the under 30 crowd. The marketplace on Facebook is free and you can advertise your products or services there. In addition, Facebook uses the concept of “trust” to enable people you don’t know to hear about you. For example, you email a friend on Facebook about your services. Because they are “your friend” they are much more likely to actually read that email, and look at the Facebook group page. They in turn can use the “Share” feature to let all their friends know. If properly executed, and with the proper branding, images, content, and media, it is possible to gain over 100,000 members in as little as 10 days. Those numbers can’t be bad for your business.
2. What is the value in using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn?
A. The value is in what you do with these tools. And never forget, they are tools. You can meet new clients, develop professional friendships, locate sub-contractors, educate yourself, teach others, and leverage your brand. The secret in my honest opinion is to brand ALL of these site profiles to reflect your brand and yourself. There has been tons written on this subject. Check out the book, “Always On” by Christopher Vollmer to give you an idea of how Social Network have changed the ways companies do business. Soon to be published is the Twitter Handbook. ”Get your copy of the Twitter Handbook (Free if you sign up now) at http://TwitterHandbook.com“
3. Can Social Network marketing damage my bottom line?
A. Yes. Just like everything else in life, if you do it wrong it can cost you in the end. Don’t for example have pictures of yourself and personal friends slamming beer on your Facebook profile. Is that the image you would want to portray to potential clients? Also, I see a lot of people spinning their wheels (wasting time) because they don’t fully understand how to implement these tools. If you are not sure, or don’t know how, hire a consultant who does. It’s cheaper to pay a professional who can do it right, then to screw it up yourself and waste time “trying to do it on your own”.
4. If I get all this Social Network stuff happening, does my company still need a web site?
A. Yes, yes, and YES. The idea of “this stuff” is to drive business to your website. It’s about increasing your sales. Sales = Profit. Make damn sure your web site is ready for a Social Network marketing campaign.
5. How can I use this, AND still follow your idea of Punk Marketing?
A. This is easy. While raising awareness for your brand, you can also raise awareness for local grass-roots non-profits in your area. Create links to their web sites from your site and your profile pages. Maybe help them to create a Facebook page or group. Or if you want more advise, just email me.
6. My company is a non-profit, can these tools help us?
A. Yes. The United Way, Unicef, and a number of the other big non-profits are using Social Networks to prompt awareness for their causes. Virgin’s charity side is leading the pack with brilliant ideas.
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Songs for the day:
1. The Little Things – Danny Elfman – Wanted Soundtrack
2. So Alive – Love and Rockets
3. If You Could See – Fastway – Trick or Treat Soundtrack
4. Walk Away – Dropkick Murphy’s – Blackout
5. Bringing on the Heartbreak – Def Leppard – High and Dry
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Help a kid have a chance in life.
Covenant House
http://www.covenanthouse.org/ http://www.covenanthouse.ca/
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Links:
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/
MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/
LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/
This entry was posted on August 20, 2008 at 5:00 pm and is filed under marketing with tags charity, facebook, internet, marketing, music, profit, punk, sales, social media, social networks, twitter, web 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 20, 2008 at 5:06 pm
My account has just been disabled on facebook because they say I have overstepped the mark by adding too many friends and that it’s not the place to be doing business there. If I’d have been sending harrassing emails, fair enough, but messaging all of my fan group to let them know about my new blog is a bit of a joke. I’ve had to email facebook twice in the last 2 days asking when they are going to re-activate my account but they have not yet replied. I have no confidence in facebook and feel they are a bit like ‘big brother’ watching your every move. It can be a great place for networking but God help you if you overstep what THEY think is an acceptable limit for adding friends. They have said they are not allowed to divulge their reason for doing what they have so I cannot fight my own corner. I’m very disappointed in them.
August 20, 2008 at 5:18 pm
@catwalkcreative – Yes, they can be a LOT like Big Brother. But as the punks back in the 70’s learned, you need to be creative. Just because you posted a flyer up, didn’t mean it was going to stay up. I have heard from a few people who have been through what you have gone through. The Facebook team legally has no reason to disclose information if they don’t want to.
It is a fine line, and this is why I suggest above that if you’re not sure, then get someone who does. Groups like “Poker Without Cards” for example are doing it successfully.
Gateway Communications back in the early 90’s lead the pack in “email marketing”. Two years later their efforts were labelled SPAM. But S. Astle who was the brains behind Gateway, adjusted his focus and continued to make sales through email.
Put another way, “A little knowledge can be dangerous”. And I want you to know, that I am in no way trying to dismiss what you are saying. What I am suggesting is find out how those who are succeeding at it, are doing it.
- The Iconoclast.
August 20, 2008 at 6:45 pm
There are other network groups that I’ve joined now. Facebook was a great way of keeping in touch with all my friends but there’s obviously a limit to how many friends facebook think is acceptable (joke!) – that doesn’t happen in ‘real’ life does it?! There are people on there with hundreds more friends than I have but they are still able to function and I’m not in a position to try anything else as I can’t even log in to my account.
I appreciate what you’re saying but I think that because I’m not paying facebook a fee, they don’t like it. There are hundreds of businesses all over facebook promoting themselves by encouraging you to visit their websites and to buy something in order to earn points to use on weird facebook games and applications. They are probably charged a fee for the right to do that – that is where the difference probably is. I haven’t paid facebook for the right to promote my business and therefore I feel I am scuppered! Whether they will activate my account is anyone’s guess. Telling me how many friends I can add and telling me to ’slow down’ because I’ve got too many friends is a pretty odd way to run a social networking site. I am not bothered too much about it but I do have a lot of genuine friends on there who will now be wondering where the hell I am!