In Review: 2012 - The Year of the Social Image

2012 saw big developments for platforms sharing images

The year 2012 in social media will be remembered for a lot of things, but the No. 1 thing? It was…

The Year of the Social Image

Pinterest: It’s rapid growth began late in 2011 and rocketed through 2012. In many months it experienced 400 percent growth month-over-month. The site that features images of cute cats and delicious cakes became a huge time-suck for millions. The final seal of approval? The White House joined Pinterest in December.

Instagram vs. Twitter: Facebook bought Instagram and it was probably only a matter of time until Facebook/Instagram wanted nothing to do with rival Twitter. In early December the relationship was over: Why Instagram pulled its photos from Twitter. Then Twitter launched its own set of photo filters

Facebook: The world’s largest social network introduced automatic photo syncing which was a worry for some (Facebook automatic photo sync: 3 reasons to say "No thanks") and no real cause for concern for others (Relax, Facebook’s Photo Sync is an opt-in feature).

Viral videos: We couldn’t get enough of some videos this year and YouTube was the beneficiary. From South Korean entertainer Psy and his 'Gangnam Style' to 'KONY 2012' it seemed video sharing just got more popular by the month. For a good wrap up of the year’s top viral videos see CNN's top viral videos list.

Snapchat icon

Snapchat: This mobile social network is where friends share images (snaps) that disappear forever (its icon is a ghost ... get it?) after just seconds. In a world of perfectly controlled social presences this idea sounds crazy, but it is catching on. It’s now used at least 30 million times a day according to Forbes: Snapchat: The Biggest No-Revenue Mobile App Since Instagram. But a growing concern in late 2012 was that although the images disappear from Snapchat there is no stopping anyone from grabbing a screenshot and sharing that … forever (See: “Snapchat Sluts Hit the Internet on New Website”).


Other 2012 social media developments

Facebook:

• The social network went public and quickly lost money for founder Mark Zuckerberg and lots of speculators: Zuckerberg loses half his personal fortune in market slide as shares go for $18.75.
• Facebook was the subject of a widely circulated, viral hoax that seemed to imply users could add copyright to material they posted to Facebook.
• The ubiquity of the social network became unquestioned in 2012. For example, 80 Percent of Social Network Users Prefer to Connect with Brands through Facebook, according to Kevin Jorgensen, on the Business 2 Community blog.

Twitter:

• The network surpassed 500 million users.
• It has the highest percentage on mobile with 50 percent of users accessing Twitter on a mobile device. 
• It became an important player in conversations around the November elections: Election 2012 Breaks Records with 31.7 Million Political Tweets.

Hurricane Sandy proved how helpful social media can be: From self-organized clean-up crews organizing around social media sites to social media make helping personal it was clear that the super storm had created a deluge of social media responses. The good that came from this included government agencies realizing that they can now listen in real time to the needs of citizens and weather forecasters realizing that in social media they can find out what’s happening on the ground.

More generally it became clear that government agencies and entities of all sorts can no longer ignore social media, according to Elaine Pittman at the site Government Technology: 2012 was the year that using social media to reach citizens became business as usual.

The growth of social media continues to be staggering. For a good wrap up on social media in 2012 see Brian Honigan’s piece on the Huffington Post: 100 Fascinating Social Media Statistics and Figures From 2012.

So what big social media events and happenings are missing here? What other social media news from 2012 will you remember?

How I spent my summer at @ButlerTill agency [video]

Over this past summer I was lucky enough to spend some time at a Rochester, N.Y. agency Butler/Till seeing how they manage an enormous volume of advertising work while still staying sane.

My visit was part of a new Academic-In-Residence (AIR) program devised by myself and company president Peter Infante with the blessing of Butler/Till’s principals Sue Butler and Tracy Till (both of whom, I have to say, are fun people to work with).

For fellow college professors and instructors I can’t recommend this type of program too highly.

Where else can you spend several days being a fly on the wall and gaining a true understanding of current challenges and how agency types are meeting them?

How else can you chat with people on all strata of the business about what they are doing and what skills they find they use every day or not at all?

It also helped that Butler/Till is a fun and creative place to be with spontaneous games breaking out, pets visiting the office and (the week I was there) the bosses at the grills cooking out for all the staff.

At the end of my time there video wiz Alex Weiser interviewed me about my experience at Butler/Till.

Here are five excerpts and what each is about:

• How I was impressed by Butler/Till’s evolution while still handling a massive volume of work.
• The volume of work and unbridled enthusiasm that makes Butler/Till a great place to work.
• How thinking about the next iteration of yourself and your business is so important.
• What goes into "the sausage" behind the scenes at an agency and how Butler/Till is making a "caviar sausage".
• The changes in marketing, advertising and public relations where the skills are combining into a virtual Swiss Army knife-approach to business communications.

So, thanks again to Butler/Till for the opportunity and I hope the program continues for many years to come.

10 More Social Marketing Experts Offer Key Advice

Social marketing experts: Top, from left: David Amerland, Tamara Littleton, Lisa Grimm, Jason Falls, Sandra Zoratti; Bottom, from left: Ted Rubin, Neal Schaffer, Peggy Fitzpatrick, Kent Huffman, Aaron Lee

Social media marketing is a new and growing field of study. Facing the prospect of teaching social marketing basics in a rapidly changing business environment to college students I have turned to experts to ask them three questions.

I’ve now asked these questions of 30 experts. Their answers always impressed me and were always informative.

Today, in case you've missed any of the posts, I recap highlights from the most recent 10 experts who talked to me (links to previous posts are below while new posts in the series will begin later this week):

The Third 10 Social Marketing Experts:

Don’t focus too heavily on the technology, said David Amerland, author of several books including The Social Media Mind, SEO Help, Online Marketing Help and Brilliant SEO. "The technology moves so fast that focusing your skillsets around specific platforms (like Facebook or G+, for example) is self-defeating and will only help you feel dated and out of touch faster,” he said.

"Create a personality for your company on social media that resonates with your audiences,", advised Tamara Littleton, founder and CEO of eModeration a social media management agency with offices in London, New York and Los Angeles. "I think some marketers are afraid of showing a human side when they approach social media and that’s a big mistake," she said. "No-one wants to talk to an anonymous logo."

Being passionate about connecting people and being curious are keys to social marketing success , said Lisa Grimm, Senior Manager, Social Strategy at Imagination, for whom she works onsite at General Mills leading social presence, social strategy development and brand/product integration for Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Eat Better America and Tablespoon. "If you're inquisitive and passionate about how mass communication tools can connect people, you should make a fine social marketer," she said.

"Gotta be able to communicate well", said Jason Falls, the man behind Social Media Explorer, a strategic services agency and an information products company focusing on social media marketing and digital marketing, and co-author of No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide To Social Media Marketing. "Clarity in communication is probably the top skill you need for any job, but this world is all about connecting audiences with messages and vice-versa," he said.

Converse, don't broadcast, was the advice of Sandra Zoratti , Vice President, Global Marketing for Ricoh and co-author of Precision Marketing: Maximizing Revenue Through Relevance. "Consumer conversations, not marketing messages, increasingly determine what gets attention and what gets ignored," she said.

Be yourself, get to know who people are, said Ted Rubin, Chief Social Marketing Officer at Collective Bias, inventor of the term ROR: Return on Relationship and the Most-Followed CMO on Twitter. "Show sincere interest in others," he said. "Listen, but most important ... hear. Look at your own behaviors and ask yourself, 'Would I want to be my friend?'"

Social media marketing requires three distinct kinds of thinking, opined Neal Schaffer, president of Windmills Marketing, a social media strategic consultancy, speaker, author of the books Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing and Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn. Analytical thinking, creative thinking and "analogue social thinking." "Social marketing is not rocket science, but it requires a different mindset," he said. "I believe that traditional marketing and business skills are still important in social marketing, but social media marketing definitely requires that you are strong in these areas."

Engaging with your community is very important, said Peggy Fitzpatrick, Director of Marketing and Social Media Manager for Kreussler Inc., the Brand Sparker at re:DESIGN and a writer and Managing Partner at 12 Most. "If you don't enjoy being social with people, this is not the venue for you," she said. "I genuinely love hearing from people who follow me or that I follow, they brighten my day."

Listening to and understanding what’s happening on social media are the keys, said Kent Huffman, the Chief Marketing Officer at BearCom Wireless, Co-Publisher of Social Media Marketing Magazine, and author of the new book, 8 Mandates for Social Media Marketing Success. Important things are "planning carefully, developing relationships, establishing trust, demonstrating leadership, building community and ensuring value," he said.

Passion is the key to social marketing success, according to Aaron Lee, an entrepreneur based in Malaysia, who is the Social Media Marketing Director for Binkd, a social media contest campaign platform provider, and who blogs at Ask Aaron Lee. "Passion is what separates every successful person from others," he said. "You can feel it in what they do and how passionate they are to help others be successful as well."

So, what do you think? How important will social marketing be in the future and what MUST graduating students know?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Utility leads to success, says Google’s Avinash Kaushik
Social Marketing: Being passionate is the key to success, says marketer @AskAaronLee
Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty

Social Marketing: Being passionate is the key to success, says marketer @AskAaronLee

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Aaron Lee

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 30 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Aaron Lee, an entrepreneur and marketer based in Malaysia, who is the Social Media Marketing Director for Binkd (a social media contest campaign platform provider) and who blogs at Ask Aaron Lee. He can be found on Twitter as: @AskAaronLee.

Passion is the key to social marketing success, says Lee.

"Passion is what separates every successful person from others," he says. 

"You can feel it in what they do and how passionate they are to help others be successful as well.

"As a marketer myself, I’ve seen businesses and marketers fail because they aren’t passionate in what they do.

"They know that social marketing is important for their business, but the lack of passion in using these networks and connecting with people makes them feel social marketing is a chore," Lee says.

"Social marketing is still being confused with online advertising, even as we reach over a billion users on Facebook and business owners tend to use it just to promote their products, get bored with it, and give up after a while," he says.

"Mind you, success is not necessarily about financial well-being," Lee adds. "To me, success is about loving what you do and being great at it."

Some of the most important skills for successful social marketing are "people skills," he adds.

 "As social media marketing is built around the concept of interaction, engagement and building relationships, it is important for one to be a people person," Lee says.

"You can tell if someone is a people person through their interaction with others and most importantly it comes across in all of their posts on social networking sites.

"A people person has the ability to not only connect with people on a personal level, but they are also able to build engagement in their posts regardless of what feedback they get," he says.

Lee says social marketing is an "extremely important" part of the marketing mix. This is because of the three types of media in the marketing mix – paid media, owned media and earned media – its earned media that used to be the hardest to get.

Earned media, or word-of-mouth gained from people, has been called the "holy grail" of marketing because before social marketing existed, it was tough to get people to spread word about an idea or a product.

"Earned media is all about getting someone to trust your product, to support it and to recommend it even as a consumer and not a paid advocate, and this tends to be a difficult and slow-moving – but highly effective – form of marketing," Lee says.

"With social marketing a brand can now reach millions of people on platforms that are human and highly accessible.

"Today, it’s easier to be part of the conversation shared in the everyday lives of people around the world. People are constantly sharing product reviews, post, tweets etc. with their friends," Lee says.

"Friends are also asking for opinions before they buy or watch a movie, and social marketing (helps) make it possible."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing to the future of marketing and what skills and knowledge MUST graduating students have?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Listen and understand, says marketer and author Kent Huffman
Social Marketing: Engage with your community for success, says Peggy Fitzpatrick
Social Marketing: Three distinct kinds of thinking needed, says speaker and author Neal Schaffer
Social Marketing: 'Be yourself' to be successful, says Ted Rubin of ROR fame

Social Marketing: Listen and understand, says marketer and author Kent Huffman

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Kent Huffman

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 29 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Kent Huffman, is the Chief Marketing Officer at BearCom Wireless, Co-Publisher of Social Media Marketing Magazine, and author of the new book, 8 Mandates for Social Media Marketing Success. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Texas State University and can be found on Twitter as @KentHuffman.

Listening to and understanding what’s happening on social media are the keys to social marketing success, says Huffman.

"Of primary importance is the ability and willingness to listen and comprehend on social media before making the leap into that world," he says.

Almost as important are such things as "planning carefully, developing relationships, establishing trust, demonstrating leadership, building community and ensuring value."

Graduating students need a broad understanding of the mechanics of how to use the primary tools and channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, blogs, etc.), Huffman says.

Beyond that, "the most important key to success with social media marketing is comprehending and applying the behavioral traits of individuals and brands that have already been successful," he says.

"The importance of social media in the marketing mix has been rapidly rising over the past three or four years, particularly in the B2C arena."

Business-to-business marketers, whom Huffman says, "typically lag behind when it comes to adopting new trends … have begun jumping on board” and using social media. That’s a "strong sign," he says, "that social media marketing isn’t a fad but is here to stay."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing to the future of marketing and what skills and knowledge MUST graduating students have?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Engage with your community for success, says Peggy Fitzpatrick
Social Marketing: Three distinct kinds of thinking needed, says speaker and author Neal Schaffer
Social Marketing: 'Be yourself' to be successful, says Ted Rubin of ROR fame
Social Marketing: Converse, don't broadcast says Ricoh’s Sandra Zoratti

Social Marketing: Engage with your community for success, says Peggy Fitzpatrick

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Peggy Fitzpatrick

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 28 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Peggy Fitzpatrick, Director of Marketing and Social Media Manager for Kreussler Inc., the Brand Sparker at re:DESIGN and a writer and Managing Partner at 12 Most. She is on Twitter as @PegFitzpatrick:

Engaging with your community is very important for social marketing success, says Fitzpatrick.

"If you don't enjoy being social with people, this is not the venue for you," she says. "I genuinely love hearing from people who follow me or that I follow, they brighten my day."

"Being social is one thing that many overlook.

"Basic social skills such as saying thank you and greeting friends/fans goes a long way," Fitzpatrick says.

"Dropping the social from social media turns you into a broadcaster and the fast track to going nowhere," she says.

"Being unique is also a crucial point. If you like someone else's post, tweet or comment, don't be tempted to steal it just because it's easy.

"Sharing, with credit to the source, builds a relationship with the person you shared from," she says, "and builds trust from your followers as they see you are generous and a person of integrity."

Hard work is what separates a successful social marketer from others, Fitzpatrick says.

"There is no short cut or cut to the head of the class pass," she says. "You need to be consistently good."

And, just how important is social marketing as part of the marketing mix?

"I think that soon social marketing won't even be considered part of the mix, it will be fully incorporated," Fitzpatrick says.

"Traditional marketing is what may be soon overlooked and that would be a mistake.

"Print is here to stay and may be used to promote and extend all newer forms of media," she says.

"It's great to have an online LinkedIn profile but you can't beat a well-designed, professional business card for a post meeting touch point."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing to the future of marketing and what skills and knowledge MUST graduating students have?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Three distinct kinds of thinking needed, says speaker and author Neal Schaffer
Social Marketing: 'Be yourself' to be successful, says Ted Rubin of ROR fame
Social Marketing: Converse, don't broadcast says Ricoh’s Sandra Zoratti
Social Marketing: 'Be able to communicate well,' says strategist and author Jason Falls

Social Marketing: Three distinct kinds of thinking needed, says speaker and author Neal Schaffer

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Neal Schaffer

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 27 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Neal Schaffer, president of Windmills Marketing, a social media strategic consultancy, author of the books Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing and Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn. He can be found on Twitter as @NealSchaffer

Social media marketing requires three kinds of thinking to be successful, says Schaffer.

"I believe that traditional marketing and business skills are still important in social marketing, but social media marketing definitely requires that you are strong in these areas," he says.

"Analytical thinking: There will be a need to crunch a lot of as well as analyze data from your social efforts.

"Creative thinking: No doubt that you will always have to be thinking out of the box as to how to better engage people and have them talk and share content about your brand.

"'Analogue Social' thinking: Social marketing is not rocket science, but it requires a different mindset," Schaffer says.

"Social media was made for people, not for businesses, so there is a need to always remember this and be customer-centric in thinking," he says. "I call it an 'analogue social' thought process, but it comes down to thinking naturally of how people relate to each other and what makes them tick when they are active on social channels."

"The successful social marketer understands the role that social media plays in his or her business and is confident in their having played a role in influencing the success of their marketing program," Schaffer says. 

 "This means that they can speak to past results and how they influenced tangible business results," he says.

Social media is the "newest, fastest growing and continues to be the least understood part of modern marketing," Schaffer says.

"Social doesn't exist in a silo and complements every other type of marketing, so it doesn't replace any marketing channel," he says.

"However, it can play an increasingly important role as a channel in its own right as well as how it can positively affect all of the other marketing that you are doing."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing to the future of marketing and what skills and knowledge MUST graduating students have?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: 'Be yourself' to be successful, says Ted Rubin of ROR fame
Social Marketing: Converse, don't broadcast says Ricoh’s Sandra Zoratti
Social Marketing: 'Be able to communicate well,' says strategist and author Jason Falls
Social Marketing: Wanting to connect and being inquisitive are keys, says Lisa Grimm

Social Marketing: 'Be yourself' to be successful, says Ted Rubin of ROR fame

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Ted Rubin

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 26 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Ted Rubin, Chief Social Marketing Officer at Collective Bias, inventor of the term ROR: Return on Relationship and the Most-Followed CMO on Twitter where he is: @TedRubin.

"Be yourself, get to know who people are, what they do, and what is important to them" and you’ll have social marketing success, says Rubin. 

"Show sincere interest in others," he says. "Listen, but most important ... hear."

"Look at your own behaviors and ask yourself, 'Would I want to be my friend?' "

What separates a successful social marketer from the others?

"In my opinion one of the most important things is to have an active, interactive and engaged personal social presence and to make sure to experience multiple platforms," Rubin says.

"An open mind, a curious nature, and being comfortable experimenting, testing and evolving" also help, he says.

"More important than social being a part of the marketing mix, is to wrap a social shell around everything you do," Rubin says. That means "marketing, sales, advertising, vendor management, production, research, internal communication and most importantly customer service."

"When you simply look at social as a part of the marketing mix it becomes just another tool in the marketing toolkit rather that adding value to the organization as a whole.

"Social media and relationship building drives engagement, engagement drives loyalty, loyalty correlates directly to increased sales," he says.

"ROR, Return on Relationship™ = ROI."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing to the future of marketing and what skills and knowledge MUST graduating students have?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Converse, don't broadcast says Ricoh’s Sandra Zoratti
Social Marketing: 'Be able to communicate well,' says strategist and author Jason Falls
Social Marketing: Wanting to connect and being inquisitive are keys, says Lisa Grimm

Social Marketing: Converse, don't broadcast says Ricoh’s Sandra Zoratti

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Sandra Zoratti

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 25 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Sandra Zoratti , Vice President, Global Marketing for Ricoh, co-author of Precision Marketing: Maximizing Revenue Through Relevance and a speaker on social marketing. She can be found on Twitter as @sandraz:

"Both B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) marketers need to converse, not broadcast," says Zoratti. 

They need to "be a part of the social marketing conversation that is occurring around them," she says.

"Consumer conversations, not marketing messages, increasingly determine what gets attention and what gets ignored.

"In order for the conversation to be credible, marketers need to be relevant, be real and listen to the conversations," Zoratti says. 

"Thus the top three skills needed are relevance, authenticity and listening," she says.

The challenge for social marketers is standing out.

"Every single day, we sift through 294 billion emails, 532 million Facebook updates, 400 million Tweets and 2 million blogposts," Zoratti says. "And on average each person is exposed to 5,000 messages."

"As consumers, this is overwhelming," she says. "As marketers, good luck cutting through that cacophony." 

"Smart social marketers are using data-driven insights (based on customer and prospect behaviors, social listening, iterative learning) to know their customers as intimately as possible and using these insights to converse and engage in relevant and compelling ways."

"Social marketing is extremely important now and becoming more and more important as a part of the marketing mix," Zoratti says.

"Peer-to-peer reviews, online conversations, YouTube videos, as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ networks, etc. are the new sources of power which are shaping brands, determining credibility and ultimately driving a company's revenue and viability," she says.

"The increasingly impactful role of online voice and reach is evidenced by the role of Klout and Kred scores as determiners of influence and power as companies are now paying to play with the highest scoring Klout and Kred influencers," Zoratti says. "That, marketers, is a whole new world."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing to the future of marketing and what skills and knowledge MUST graduating students have?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: 'Be able to communicate well,' says strategist and author Jason Falls
Social Marketing: Wanting to connect and being inquisitive are keys, says Lisa Grimm
Social Marketing: Create a social media company personality, says eModeration’s Tamara Littleton

Social Marketing: 'Be able to communicate well,' says strategist and author Jason Falls

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Jason Falls

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 24 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Jason Falls, the man behind Social Media Explorer, a strategic services agency and an information products company focusing on social media marketing and digital marketing, and co-author of No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide To Social Media Marketing. He can be found on Twitter as @JasonFalls:

"The ability to communicate clearly and effectively in both the written and spoken word," says Falls.

"Clarity in communication is probably the top skill you need for any job, but this world is all about connecting audiences with messages and vice-versa," he says.

"Gotta be able to communicate well.

"Technical aptitude is secondary and not always 100 percent critical, but it sure does help if you know you're way around a computer, the web, HTML (to a degree) and connecting to your relevant communications points through various devices."

What separates a successful social marketer from the others?

"The ones who have a marketing and communications background versus those who have just 'grown up' with Facebook and other channels tend to be far more mature and sophisticated about the basic use and implementation of social media," Falls says.

"And then those who can move beyond just communication and understand the underlying technologies, data, data manipulation, using the social graph and more ... those stand out," he says.

Social marketing is critical for most (not all) businesses, Falls says.

"This is simply where consumers are playing ... where they connect with others.

"While many platforms are not the best formats for marketing, brands and marketers are still potentially viable connection points for consumers," he says.

"So, providing another touch point for consumers where they spend a lot of their time is critical for awareness, customer service and sales."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing to the future of marketing and what skills and knowledge MUST graduating students have?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Wanting to connect and being inquisitive are keys, says Lisa Grimm
Social Marketing: Create a social media company personality, says eModeration’s Tamara Littleton
Social Marketing: Utility leads to success, says Google’s Avinash Kaushik
Social Marketing: 'The lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire,' says author Ric Dragon
Social Marketing: Understand how marketing fits in, says Amber Naslund of SideraWorks

Social Marketing: Wanting to connect and being inquisitive are keys, says Lisa Grimm

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Lisa Grimm

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 23 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Lisa Grimm, Senior Manager, Social Strategy at Imagination, for whom she works onsite at General Mills leading social presence, social strategy development and brand/product integration for Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Eat Better America and Tablespoon. She can be found on Twitter as: @lulugrimm

A passion for connecting people and being curious are keys to social marketing success, says Grimm. 

"If you're inquisitive and passionate about how mass communication tools can connect people, you should make a fine social marketer," she says. 

"Innate curiosity, passion for people, a strong foundational knowledge of mass communication and wicked interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills are integral skills in social marketing," she adds.

"Social media is about connection and today brands/businesses have the opportunity to 'connect' with consumers/customers online the same way (and in the same networks) people are connecting with their friends and families. 

"This 'opportunity' should be respected and treated with great care," Grimm says. 

"And I believe it is those who seek to understand what matters to their audience, how to create meaningful and relevant content that evolves and sustains relationships are those who succeed in social marketing."

What separates a successful social marketer from the others?

"Those who question and challenge convention," Grimm says. "Additionally, those who have generated results rather than talking about how to get them."  

And, just how important is social marketing as part of the marketing mix?

"It's essential, as is strategic planning, PR, advertising (print and digital), content (collateral, print and digital) and measurement," Grimm says.

"At a minimum, the social web provides a great barometer for the climate of a brand and its competitors," she says.

"So if nothing else you can gain great intel from social listening that informs strategic communication development.

"Beyond this, social media provides the opportunity to have direct relationships with consumers and an unprecedented rate of word of mouth, which can be extremely positive or negative," Grimm says.

"Never before has this existed and the opportunities are endless."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing in the future of marketing and what MUST graduating students know?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Create a social media company personality, says eModeration’s Tamara Littleton
Social Marketing: Don’t focus too heavily on technology, says author David Amerland
Social Marketing: Its 'part of a nutritious breakfast,' says Christopher Penn of WhatCounts
Social Marketing: Clearly connect business objectives, says author Aaron Strout

Social Marketing: Create a social media company personality, says eModeration’s Tamara Littleton

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

Tamara Littleton

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 22 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Tamara Littleton, who's the founder and CEO of eModeration, a social media management agency with offices in London, New York and Los Angeles. She has extensive experience in community management, social media, crisis management and child safety, and is a member of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS). She can be found on Twitter as: @tlittleton

"Create a personality for your company on social media that resonates with your audiences," says Littleton.

"I think some marketers are afraid of showing a human side when they approach social media and that’s a big mistake," she says. "No-one wants to talk to an anonymous logo."

It’s possible to build loyalty through interacting with customers, deliver great customer service and to use tools like Facebook apps to collect customer data that can be fed through to customer relationship.

"Using social media it’s possible to listen to what customers like and deliver it (and what they don’t like, and fix it)," Littleton says.

"Social media is becoming less of a shiny new thing that brands want, and more of a data-driven insight and sales channel," she says.

So, what skills must students master?

"Be social," Littleton says. "You have to be interested in listening to and talking to people (rather than just broadcasting to them)."

She continues: "You also need to be able to write well, stay calm under pressure, think creatively and understand your audience. It helps to be interested in the subject you’re marketing and to have a reasonably thick skin to withstand criticism."

A successful social marketer looks beyond follower numbers to see what social media can do for the business, Littleton says.

"A good place to start is to use social media to listen to what customers want and then develop it.

"An objective for social media isn't 'get one million likes', it’s 'contribute 20 percent to sales.' "

Social marketing is extremely important to the overall marketing effort, says Littleton.

"When companies started using Facebook and Twitter, they were really focusing on follower or fan numbers," she says. "But we’re starting to see that social media can have an impact on new sales, increased order value or customer loyalty."

So, what do you think? How important is social marketing in the future of marketing and what MUST graduating students know?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Don’t focus too heavily on technology, says author David Amerland
Social Marketing: Its 'part of a nutritious breakfast,' says Christopher Penn of WhatCounts
Social Marketing: Make music to an audience’s ears, says Mahei Foliaki (@Iconic88)
Social Marketing: Clearly connect business objectives, says author Aaron Strout

Social Marketing: Don’t focus too heavily on technology, says author David Amerland

What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?

David Amerland

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 21 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: David Amerland, who is the author of several books including The Social Media Mind, SEO Help, Online Marketing Help and Brilliant SEO. He speaks on social media, maintains a blog (Help My SEO) and can be found on Twitter as @davidamerland. 

Don’t focus too heavily on the technology, says Amerland.

"The technology moves so fast that focusing your skillsets around specific platforms (like Facebook or G+, for example) is self-defeating and will only help you feel dated and out of touch faster,” he says.

"It is easy to lose sight of the wood for the trees and go for shiny new toys here. The truth, however, is that social marketing is marketing."

Marketing is still about connecting products with customers and skilled marketers are those who understand what they need to do and then work out the best channel to do it through, Amerland says.

"Hone the skills which allow you to pick this out in any situation and you should never want for lack of a job in marketing," he adds.

"Having said that," Amerland says, "Social marketing does have some very specific tropes which are new to this era.

"One is speed of response. You can go from a mistake to a full blown social media crisis in 24 hours and this is unprecedented.

"Another is transparency. Marketing, these days, has to be done in the plain light of day, so to speak," he says.

"It's no good putting out a polished, finished message and expect an encouraging response if, first, you have not somehow included your target audience in the mechanics of your marketing campaign."

To be successful social marketers need to know how to project real authenticity as opposed to manufacturing sincerity," Amerland says.

"They may not be slick or perfectly finished in what they do but they are always engaging and it is engagement which really matters." he says.

And how important is social marketing as part of the marketing mix? "It is hugely important but it depends upon the product and target audience," Amerland says.

"The campaigns which do best are integrated marketing campaigns which make digital marketing appear as natural as print.

"The trick (if we call it that) is to create a narrative which unlocks the potential of each medium and contributes or reinforces the way the target audience interacts with it.

"Today's successful marketing campaigns employ a strong gamification element," he says.

"Which makes partners of marketers and marketed to produce closer alignment to what each wants to achieve with the other."

So, what do you think? How important will social marketing be in the future and what MUST graduating students know?

Previous posts:
10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Utility leads to success, says Google’s Avinash Kaushik
Social Marketing: 'The lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire,' says author Ric Dragon
Social Marketing: Understand engagement, says Deirdre Breakendridge of Pure Performance