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: Understand how marketing fits in, says Amber Naslund of SideraWorks

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

Amber Naslund

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 14 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Amber Naslund, who is president and co-founder of SideraWorks, a consultancy specializing in social business transformation, and the co-author of the social business book The Now Revolution. She can be found on Twitter as @AmberCadabra:

Understanding "how marketing fits into an overall business picture," is critical, says Naslund.

"Too few marketers understand how the work they do affects the rest of the organization.

"Collaboration and communication are key, but as much inside the company as outside to customers," she says.

And Naslund has one particular request for college graduates:

"I really wish I saw more grads coming out of school with amazing writing skills," she says. "It's so important in business overall."

Asked "What separates a successful social marketer from the others?” Naslund ticks off a list of key skills:

• Willingness to learn quickly (this stuff moves fast)
• Ability to collaborate with others (this isn't a solo race, either)
• Curiosity and a willingness to take smart risks in order to try something new and prove it
• A strong grasp of analytics and the ability to audit and adapt your efforts accordingly

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

"If we're just talking marketing, I think it's pretty important, but it's not everything," Naslund says.

"The tools will always change," she adds.

"What's most important is to understand the motivations behind social media's rise – open communication, speed, adaptability, personal connection – and keep those at the center of your efforts no matter what platform gets the spotlight tomorrow.

"Marketing should be about building stronger ties between your customers and your products and services," Naslund says. "The tenets of social are good ones to adopt for doing that well, period, regardless of whether Twitter is still here tomorrow."

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: Understand the fundamentals, says Suzanne Vara of Kherize5
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: Make communication 'special,' says Eric Miltsch of DrivingSales