Mark Twain once said: It ain’t what you don’t know that will hurt you. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so. Mark Twain was a smart man, wasn’t he? Knew a lot about people and how they could learn to stand out and become a difference maker also. So he probably could learn the ways to use business social media tips, yes?
Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.
Are you a current marketer adapting to the new world of social media? It’s time to check look at yourself in the mirror: How is your social media marketing doing across the channels that your business is active in? Are your videos getting the views you want on YouTube? Is your Twitter following increasing every day? Are you getting comments on your blog?
Related post: Social Media Plan … Successful Tactics You Need to Employ
Your personality traits have a lot to say about your sociability. Just as your personality, as well as sociability, have a lot to say about your social media marketing.
Consider when Hershey launched Reese’s Pieces, they knew it would be an uphill battle. It had to compete with M&M’s, the 800 lb. gorilla of the industry. They hoped co-branding the new product with its popular peanut butter cup would help, but M&M’s dominated the category.
It was slow going for the first few years, but then in 1982 opportunity knocked. The brand was offered a product placement in a new film about a boy who befriends an alien by luring him with candy. The producers were looking for $1 million to provide product placement.
Mars, the owner of M&M’s rejected the deal, but Hershey’s took a shot and it paid off. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial passed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film ever. Reese’s Pieces became a viral hit and sales shot up 65% in the first two weeks after the movie hit the theaters. If you want to know how ideas spread, you can learn a lot from that little alien.
These 10 social media marketing tips should reflect your ability to be a content marketing difference maker. How well do you stack up?
Unpretentious
Do you avoid creating a feeling of ego? At all costs, no question. Be genuine and honest.
Writing skill
Can you create prose that is imaginative and at the same time being provocative? You need to write with confidence and humility. Be humorous at times but be taken seriously all the time.
Social media in business … engaging
Know the importance of continuous networking both online and off. It is the core of social media marketing after all. Use many channels to connect as your followers can be found everywhere.
Listener and learner
As a successful social media marketer, you should put a lot of emphasis on listening and learning. And being social. An effective social marketer needs to make friends easily. And build solid relationships. Listen first, ask good questions, the listen intently some more.
Patient
Never be pushy or in a hurry. You know that the best path to successful social media marketing takes time and being a patient person.
Social media in business … natural leader
Be the person that makes all the people around you better. Empower people to act. And build a tribe of like-minded professionals.
Nurturing style
Stay away from selling at all cost. No question about this. Set your goals on be relentlessly helpful to people you meet.
Social media marketing tips … responsive
Your most important action is to engage the people around you. Right on it when customers ask questions or make comments.
Sharer
Wear your humility always and be eager to recognize and share the good work of others.
Social media business ideas … newsworthy
Show your ability to make news, but also be an effective curator. Be a person who is rarely predictable and always adding value.
Related post: Word of Mouth Marketing Examples … 11 Effective Ones to Study
Here is an interesting example:
When Hershey launched Reese’s Pieces, they knew it would be an uphill battle. It had to compete with M&M’s, the 800 lb. gorilla of the industry. They hoped co-branding the new product with its popular peanut butter cup would help, but M&M’s dominated the category.
It was slow going for the first few years, but then in 1982 opportunity knocked. The brand was offered a product placement in a new film about a boy who befriends an alien by luring him with candy. The producers were looking for $1 million to provide product placement.
Mars, the owner of M&M’s rejected the deal, but Hershey’s took a shot and it paid off. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial passed Star Wars to become the highest grossing film ever. Reese’s Pieces became a viral hit and sales shot up 65% in the first two weeks after the movie hit the theaters. If you want to know how ideas spread, you can learn a lot from that little alien.
In his bestselling book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell provided an explanation for viral hits like the Reese’s Pieces meme. A special class of rare people, he reasoned, can give spark to an idea due to the influence they have on the rest of us. He called his “Law of the Few,” which he formulated as:
The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.
These gifts, Gladwell explained, came in three distinct flavors: “Connectors” are social butterflies, traveling between diverse groups of people and seeding ideas. “Mavens” become a trusted resource by collecting knowledge and sharing it freely and “salesmen” have almost magical powers of persuasion.
The bottom line
We don’t need to tap into mysterious powers of influence to make an idea spread. In reality, what’s essential is a good story and a density of social relationships.
So do you have what it takes to be successful in social media marketing?
Remember this simple fact. Being social isn’t a new way of marketing, it’s a new way of doing business.
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Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?
Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.
More reading on social media marketing and advertising from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Are You Employing the Smashing Value of Creative Stories
How Small Businesses Win Social Media Marketing Wars
The Ultimate Guide to Creative Social Media Marketing
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.