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
What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?
Ric Dragon
I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 15 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series). Today: Ric Dragon, is the author of Social Marketology, a social media deep-dive and process reference for marketing professionals, CEO of DragonSearch, and a frequent columnist, blogger and speaker on digital marketing. He can be found on Twitter as @RicDragon: "Social can be the lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire," says Dragon, explaining that "marketers are in the business of creating more value." "By integrating traditional marketing tactics with social, more value will be realized from each component of the marketing," he says. "Create a reminder for yourself – perhaps a tattoo on your forearm or a post-it on your monitor – to always seek out ways to derive more value by integrating your efforts," Dragon says. When asked: What skills are the most important in social marketing, he says there are two major buckets of important skills in social media marketing. "The first bucket has a lot in common with traditional marketing skills: being able to understand actions in their context with an organization’s purpose, vision, goals and objectives; understanding customers; and understanding the complexity of influence," Dragon says. "The second bucket has more to do with participating in social media in ways that help to create conversations and community," he says. "We’re talking high 'social intelligence' and high 'emotional intelligence' here – those little actions that encourage the trust in others, and help ignite deeper engagement." He notes that organizations that are flourishing in social have shown a willingness to relinquish some of the control of the brand, allowing the brand to exist with a more dynamic voice – and thus become a part of the conversation. They've relinquished the "command and control" approach to the brand, and encourage an "enable and facilitate" approach, and have very likely embraced notions of transparency and authenticity, he says. But not all brands have crossed this threshold. "The great challenge for many marketers is in helping those laggard brands join the social revolution – and are thus able to speak the language of the C-Suite," Dragon says. "Instead of eschewing discussions of Social Media ROI, successful marketers understand that social media marketing exists within a complex ecosystem, and helps to create value across a wide spectrum of places in the organization. "Communicating this – having those discussions – is critical," he says. And how important is social marketing as part of the marketing mix? "Marketers today should wake up each morning with a feeling of delight and excitement – we live in a time of real revolution in marketing and business communications," Dragon says. "Brands that embrace these new approaches to building communities, leading with passion and purpose, and one-to-one conversations are going to assume a leadership role," he says, and "will be difficult for competitors to usurp." 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 how marketing fits in, says Amber Naslund of SideraWorks Social Marketing: 'Talk to people as human beings,' says Gini Dietrich, marketer and author Social Marketing: Understand engagement, says Deirdre Breakendridge of Pure Performance Social Marketing: Its 'part of a nutritious breakfast,' says Christopher Penn of WhatCounts Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
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
What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand? I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned.
Scott DeYager
This is No. 12 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series). Today: Scott DeYager, Social Media and Strategic Communications Manager at Toyota, where he oversees earned social strategy and communications. He is on Twitter as @scottdeyager and is part of the team behind @Toyota:
"Social media is definitely a team sport," says DeYager. It not only requires great writing and storytelling but also a knack for team building, he says. "Because you’ll end up working with so many different stakeholders (customer service, PR, etc.) in social media, it’s valuable to understand what each brings to the party and how they create a complete social experience." DeYager thinks there’s a formula for success: "Successful social marketers tend to be equal parts communicator, risk taker and student. "They’re able to humble themselves and learn from their mistakes, hits and misses," he says. "They also consistently align social plans/activities with their brand’s business objectives." Because social is "everywhere these days" brands are "starting to see social marketing as a very important part of the mix," De Yager says. "You can’t watch a network TV show anymore without seeing a hashtag or a tweet across the bottom of the screen. "Companies are also starting to see how social media has weaved its way into paid, owned and earned media," he says. "The convergence of these media will only amplify the importance of social marketing." 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: 'Talk to people as human beings,' says Gini Dietrich, marketer and author Social Marketing: Make music to an audience’s ears, says Mahei Foliaki (@Iconic88) Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty Social Marketing: Understand engagement, says Deirdre Breakendridge of Pure Performance
What are the most important social media marketing skills that graduating college students need to understand?
Gini Dietrich
I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned. This is No. 11 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series). Today: Gini Dietrich, the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communications firm, co-author (with Geoff Livingston) of the book, Marketing in the Round and found on Twitter at @ginidietrich: A successful social marketer "knows how to talk to people as human beings," Dietrich says. "Too often we get to work and get behind our computer screens and start spewing marketing jargon and acronyms that mean nothing to anyone outside of our organizations. "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 says. So, what skills are the most important for college grads hoping to work in social marketing?
Students should connect with their hoped-for employer on social networks, says Dietrich. "When we are reviewing resumes of new college graduates, the ones that stick out (or make their way to the top of the pile) are those who use the social networks to connect with the agency online," she says. "We expect someone who wants to work here will have already found us, connected with us, and begun to build a relationship. That's really No. 1. "If you know how to use social media for networking to find yourself a job, we can teach you how to use the tools for business," Dietrich says. Social marketing will become a very important part of the marketing mix, Dietrich says. "We think social will become one of the ways all of us communicate in the future – just like email and the phone," she says. "It's going to become increasingly important to understand how to use the tools to communicate with customers, prospects, employees, influencers, and other people invested in the organization." 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: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty Social Marketing: Clearly connect business objectives, says author Aaron Strout Social Marketing: Understand engagement, says Deirdre Breakendridge of Pure Performance Social Marketing: A good marketer 'walks the talk,' says Kodak’s Jennifer Cisney
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