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: Reevaluate the traditional '4 Ps', says marketer Valerie Simon

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

Valerie Simon

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 17 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Valerie Simon, marketer and co-founder of the #PRStudChat (PR Student Chat) and #HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out) Twitter chats. She can be found on Twitter as @ValerieSimon:

It’s time those in marketing reevaluate all of the traditional "4 Ps," Simon says. Product, Price, Place and Promotion have been replaced by "4 Ss" – Service, Solution, Simplicity and Sharing, she says.

"Effective communication today focuses on engaging the customer," Simon says, "and uses opportunities to share information, opportunities and solutions in a manner that will encourage them to become brand evangelists."

 "Starbucks, for example, makes customer engagement a top priority, soliciting customer ideas through channels such as Facebook and Twitter and even offering discounts to Foursquare mayors," she says.

"It uses social media to spread the word about more promotional events like the recent Starbuck’s Happy Hour promotion."

What separates a successful social marketer from the others?

They "must demonstrate good judgment and the ability to integrate social communications within the overarching communications plan and business needs," Simon says.

"They understand how and when to escalate both potential problems and opportunities to legal, HR or other experts within the organization.

"Successful social marketers must also understand all of the potential stakeholders," she says. "They are on a continuous quest to identify new technologies and understand the potential business implications of these technologies.

"Finally, successful social marketers have a clear understanding of objectives and are able to measure their efforts."

And what skills are the most important in social marketing?

"Good judgment and superior communications skills are essential."

Additionally, Simon says, those looking for a career in social marketing should have:

• Strong brand measurement skills/analytic capabilities and an understanding of online analytic tools (paid, earned, owned)
• Project management skills, outstanding interpersonal skills (working with a wide array of different audiences, personalities and experience levels)
• Expertise in a wide range of social media content management and publishing platforms
• Excellent writing, copy-editing, proofreading and optimization skills
• Ability to quickly embrace new technologies

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: 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: Understand the fundamentals, says Suzanne Vara of Kherize5
Social Marketing: 'Talk to people as human beings,' says Gini Dietrich, marketer and author
Social Marketing: Make communication 'special,' says Eric Miltsch of DrivingSales