STARR HALL
Starr Hall is an International Publicist and Marketing Advisor from California, USA. She has trained and worked with thousands of entrepreneurs and businesses around the world including corporations, non-profit organizations, authors, CEOs and associations. Starr is author to several books including “The Social Wave: Why Your Business is Wiping Out with Social Media and How to Fix It” published in 2011. Here Starr speaks about the approach businesses should take to social media marketing and how best to utilise social media as a marketing tool.
Starr Hall is an International Publicist and Marketing Advisor from California, USA. She has trained and worked with thousands of entrepreneurs and businesses around the world including corporations, non-profit organizations, authors, CEOs and associations. Starr is author to several books including “The Social Wave: Why Your Business is Wiping Out with Social Media and How to Fix It” published in 2011. Here Starr speaks about the approach businesses should take to social media marketing and how best to utilise social media as a marketing tool.
How long have you been working in social media marketing?
I shifted into the online world via AOL on or around 1996, I have been addicted ever since.
What excites you most about social media marketing?
Being able to connect with people around the globe on a very personal level as well as get insight into consumer behaviors- what moves someone to take action, what makes an audience engage and what gets them to talk about a brand.
What are the greatest challenges involved in social media marketing? What are the biggest mistakes social media marketers make?
Challenges- staying not only current but ahead of the curve when it comes to all things social. With over 10,000 social media sites and new ones surfacing every hour, we need to keep our eye on the social ball…well actually we need to keep our eye on the ball in addition to juggling 100 others and assessing them while we are juggling. Biggest mistake is focusing on the numbers and sales bitching online. Social is about authentic and transparent engagement, not about pushing products or services. Consumers will buy at the level they trust. You have to build that trust through conversation, engagement and listening.
How do small businesses utilize social media in comparison to larger companies or organizations?
Working with and for both entrepreneurs and premium brands, I have realized that it is really all the same except that big brands have the budgets to put massive social effort into campaigns. Entrepreneurs can often be limited on time and resources, so they have to work harder to support and manage campaigns.
When you talk about rewarding your dedicated users, like sending them a gift card/coffee card in response to a tweet, what do you suggest for non-profit organizations or companies with little funding to put into their marketing?
It isn’t necessarily about the reward it is about the recognition…or the status. Reward people with words, videos, shout outs, introductions, access to etc. Make them non-profit VIP! A coffee card lasts for 1-2 cups, words/acknowledgement can last a lifetime.
How do organizations measure a campaigns effectiveness?
There are a ton of programs available now-a-days to measure brand sentiment, reach, opportunities and more. Ranging from $20 per month up to $25,000. Radian6, Brandwatch, socialmention.com, Google Analytics to name a few.
What do companies or organizations need to do in order to value a social media marketing campaign?
This is a tough question to answer as every brand is different, their audiences are different and their goals/KPI (Key Performance Indicators) vary. Companies need to figure out what is important to them, what do they want out of a 2 week Twitter storytelling campaign? Is it more followers, is it site visits, sales increase? Then once they figure that out they need to map out the steps to get their audience to take those actions. When accessing, find out what made someone click over and what held them back, ask these questions of your audience, that is what social media is all about. Adjust campaign as necessary and keep moving forward.
If you could summarize the key specialties of twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, blogs, emails, websites, Instagram, in one sentence?
Listen, learn then engage. After you are done with that start over again.
What do think about ‘trend’ social medias like Pinterest & Instagram in terms of marketing? Is there a way of predicting how successful a social media platform will be or become? Are there any key features that will determine how well it is received?
The only way to predict social media in my experience is go with your gutt. Does it feel right? Is it gaining traction? What is pulling people in? Is it sticky and keeping them there? If it feels right in your gut and it is gaining traction as well as keeping people- you had better adopt early and often. Jump on and determine if your audience is on that platform or could be. Don’t just try it for a week and determine that it doesn’t work, be consistent and keep trying, there is always a way. Even though MySpace is fighting to come back right now, there is still a way that you could make a campaign work on this site if you really listen, learn and engage. If the audience is there, then there is always a way to connect and convert.