Call it “social networking” or “social search” or “Web2.0” — but whatever you call it, the bottom line is that it’s all
about the influence of online communities, and their impact on your brands, products, or services. Given the power of
this new medium, marketers need guidance on moving forward. Below is some actionable advice derived from a recent study
on social networks sponsored by iProspect (www.iprospect.com) and conducted by JupiterResearch (www.jupiterresearch.com).
Identify the “Community”
Social networking sites have “communities” of users who frequently visit them, read the latest user-generated content,
and perhaps add some content of their own in the form of comments, tags, or rankings. To assess a site’s viability as
a marketing channel, marketers should explore each social networking site individually to gain a sense of the unique
traits, temperament, likes, dislikes, and “culture” of its community of users. Once you have a sense of the community’s
profile, determine how closely it matches the profile of the prospects targeted by your other marketing efforts.
Learn the “Code of Conduct”
Also unique to each site’s community is its attitude and tolerance about brand/product participation within their
community. Some social networking sites allow the placement of display, search, or contextual ads on the site. Others
do not. Some allow the posting of links to commercial websites within their user-generated content, while others don’t. Some closely monitor their site for anything that smacks of self-promotional content, while others are less strict. Before deciding on how you will “participate,” spend enough time on the site to gain and understanding of what is and isn’t tolerated by its community. Once you understand the code of conduct, then it’s safe to proceed.
Embrace the Bad with the Good
Somewhere on the Internet, someone has undoubtedly posted something negative about your company, brand, etc. When this
happens on a site that allows you to engage in a dialogue with its community, it provides a great opportunity for you to
redress the issue and to make a positive impression upon that community without being at all commercial or self-promotional.
Just be sure to identify yourself as a representative of your company (honesty and transparency are key), acknowledge
the criticism, respond without being defensive, and clearly explain the steps that are being taken, or what facts exist,
to remedy the object of the negative content. It goes without saying, you must follow through on any of the actions that
you promised or else the community can react even more negatively.
These are some of the important first steps to successful social marketing. Follow them, and you’ll be off to a good start with this powerful medium.
