Digital Marketing Experts
From information found on this website and the array of businesses to be found online, it is evident that social media marketing is no doubt an area that is growing exponentially. Over the last decade, social media networking has become a major part of many businesses marketing models. This growth has lead to a new breed of expert marketing professionals, ranging from digital marketing strategists to social media marketing advisors. Such experts are an authority on social media marketing and assist businesses to kick-start their social media efforts. Rather than working internally within a company, digital marketing strategists work alongside organisations to determine the desired outcome of creating a social media presence. By evaluating their clients’ objectives, digital marketing strategists are able to develop clear marketing models to help business prosper.
Jesse McDougall (digital marketing strategist and author of #tweetsmart: 25 Twitter Projects to Help You Build Your Community) states that it is important to begin this process by asking direct questions to potential clients regarding their social media endeavors: “Why would anyone care? Why are you better than the competition? Why does your organization exist? What makes you valuable? Why do you need a web site?” etc. Perhaps an obvious start point, Jesse has discovered that many organisations struggle to answer these seemingly simple questions, further cementing the importance of asking them in the first place. Starr Hall (International Publicist and Marketing Advisor) repeats a similar idea by highlighting the need for companies to figure out the things that are most important for them in terms of business goals.
Both Jesse and Starr note that a major mistake businesses make is to treat social media as a quick and easy marketing tool. They stress the importance of building brand relationships over a long-term period by creating and fostering a community. Speaking with these social media experts reinforces the notion that community-building is the single most important element in social media marketing. According to Starr, “conversation, engagement and listening” are key components when building a successful social media network. Jesse echoes this sentiment by emphasizing that a social media marketing campaign “isn't—and shouldn't be—a one-way marketing pitch”.
The audience plays a large role in the way social media marketing strategies are devised. Audiences must respond to a campaign in order for it to work for the business. Therefore, it is necessary for a company to know their audience before they begin. Jesse states that he is an advocate for the audience, not the business. This description gives indication of just how important the audience is to a social media marketing strategy. Starr outlines an approach to audience engagement in three simple steps: Listen. Learn. Engage.
Listen to the audience. Learn to tailor a campaign to suit their needs. Engage with the audience to build a community.
For more advice from Jesse McDougall and Starr Hall links to their complete Q&A's can be found below:
Jesse McDougall
Starr Hall
Image courtesy of Oracle Digital