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

10 More Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing

The second 10 social marketing experts in this blog series were: Top, from left: Gini Dietrich, Scott DeYager, Suzanne Vara, Ric Dragon, Amber Naslund; Bottom, from left: Avinash Kaushik, Valerie Simon, Paul Gillin, Dan Leveille, Steve Farnsworth

Social media marketing is a new and growing field of study. As someone who is now charged with teaching the basics in this field to college students I have turned to experts to ask them three questions about what makes a successful social marketer and how important social will be as a part of the marketing mix.

I’ve now asked these questions of 20 experts. Their answers were always informative and sometimes surprising.

Today, in case you missed any of the posts, I recap highlights from the second 10 experts who agreed to talk to me (see the link below to read a summary of the first 10). New posts in the series will begin later this week:

The Second 10 Social Marketing Experts:

In the future social success will require "utility marketing", according to Avinash Kaushik, Digital Marketing Evangelist for Google, and author of two best-selling books: Web Analytics: An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0. Utility marketing, he says, is marketing provides useful content and avoids the opposite: "shouting and pimping."

Talk to people as human beings, said Gini Dietrich, the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communications firm. "If a social marketer knows how to talk to people without being a marketer – in the traditional sense of the word – he or she will succeed every time," she said.

Social media is definitely a team sport, according to Scott DeYager, Social Media and Strategic Communications Manager at Toyota. He went on to say that to succeed students require writing and storytelling skills as well as a knack for team building.

Understanding "how marketing fits into an overall business picture," was the advice of Amber Naslund, president and co-founder of SideraWorks. She noted: "Too few marketers understand how the work they do affects the rest of the organization."

"Social can be the lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire," said Ric Dragon, author of Social Marketology and CEO of DragonSearch. He urges students to understand that "by integrating traditional marketing tactics with social, more value will be realized from each component of the marketing."

Understand "the basic fundamentals of marketing and communicating with the target market", Suzanne Vara, founder of Kherize5, advised students. They should also be well "versed in how the target audience uses the tools, engages with the tools and with others," she says.

"Being interesting" is the key to successful in social marketing, said Paul Gillin, a social media trainer and author of five books about online communities, including the new Social Marketing to the Business Customer (with Eric Schwartzman). "Successful social marketers have the ability to create a unique persona and content stream that engages the audiences they want to reach," he said.

Creativity and innovation are key skills to have in social marketing according to Dan Leveille, Product Marketing Manager at deviantART.com. He explained: "You need to stand out from the rest by having innovative campaigns that not only get people's attention, but retain it."

Stay away from quick "win" activities like contests, advised Steve Farnsworth, the Chief Digital Strategist at Jolt Digital Marketing and a Forbes Top 50 Social Media Influencer. Instead of contests, develop "a deep understanding of what customers actually want from the brand," he counseled.  

It’s time to re-evaluate the Product, Price, Place and Promotion approach to marketing, said Valerie Simon, marketer and co-founder of the #PRStudChat (PR Student Chat) and#HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out) Twitter chats. Those traditional "4 Ps" have been replaced by the "4 Ss," she said, "Service, Solution, Simplicity and Sharing."

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

Previous posts:
The First 10 Experts Weigh In On Social Marketing
Social Marketing: Clearly connect business objectives, says author Aaron Strout
Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
Social Marketing: A good marketer 'walks the talk,' says Kodak’s Jennifer Cisney

Social Marketing: Stay away from quick 'wins,' says social marketer Steve Farnsworth

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

Steve Farnsworth

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 20 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Steve Farnsworth, Chief Digital Strategist at Jolt Digital Marketing, a Forbes Top 50 Social Media Influencer and a social and content marketing professional who can be found on Twitter as @Steveology. You can read more at The Steveology Blog.

Stay away from quick "win" activities like contests if you want to succeed at social marketing, says Farnsworth.

Marketers should be "developing a deep understanding of what customers actually want from the brand," he says. "And constantly exploring and evolving how to deliver that." 

What skills are the most important in social marketing?

"Having the ability set clear, specific goals that are aligned with the department and organization's objectives," Farnsworth says.

"And being passionate about, and adept at, metrics and measurement."

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

"Social has always be a part of business," Farnsworth says.

"The difference now is we have tools and technology that allow us to connect with so many."

"The most successful marketing leaders going forward will be those who integrate social into their corporate DNA."

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
Social Marketing: Creativity and innovation are key, says deviantART’s Dan Leveille
Social Marketing: Be interesting to succeed, says author Paul Gillin
Social Marketing: Utility leads to success, says Google’s Avinash Kaushik
Social Marketing: It's definitely a team sport, says Toyota’s Scott DeYager
Social Marketing: 'Talk to people as human beings,' says Gini Dietrich, marketer and author
Social Marketing: Its 'part of a nutritious breakfast,' says Christopher Penn of WhatCounts

Social Marketing: Creativity and innovation are key, says deviantART’s Dan Leveille

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

Dan Leveille

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 19 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Dan Leveille, Product Marketing Manager at deviantART.com in Los Angeles and (in the interests of disclosure) a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology where I teach. He can be found on Twitter as @danlev:

"Creativity and innovation are definitely some of the most important skills to have in social marketing," Leveille says.

Since social is so hot right now consumers are being hit left and right on the web with advertisements and marketing, he says.

"Which means that you need to stand out from the rest by having innovative campaigns that not only get people's attention, but retain it."

What skills are the most important in social marketing?

"Understanding how and why people use social media is a really important," Leveille says.

"Not only should you understand your audience, but you should understand the social platforms you are using.

"Each social network has unique communities, so you should study and understand them before you just jump in and try marketing to them," he says. 

"Social marketing is an extremely important part of the marketing mix," Leveille says.

"As seen time and time again, social marketing is generating more sales for almost every type of company.

"Some businesses are finding it beneficial to invest more resources into it over traditional types of promotion.

"That being said, not every brand has it easy," he says "Some types of brands or products are tough to sell, so depending on what you're marketing, you may have to get extra creative."

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
Social Marketing: Be interesting to succeed, says author Paul Gillin
Social Marketing: Utility leads to success, says Google’s Avinash Kaushik
Social Marketing: Understand how marketing fits in, says Amber Naslund of SideraWorks
Social Marketing: 'The lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire,' says author Ric Dragon
Social Marketing: It's definitely a team sport, says Toyota’s Scott DeYager
Social Marketing: Reevaluate the traditional '4 Ps', says marketer Valerie Simon