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: 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: 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

Social Marketing: Utility leads to success, says Google’s Avinash Kaushik

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

 Avinash Kaushik

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social marketing and this is what I learned.This is No. 16 in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Avinash Kaushik, who is the Digital Marketing Evangelist for Google, the co-founder of Market Motive Inc., author of the blog, Occam's Razor, and author of two best-selling books: Web Analytics: An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0. He can be found on Twitter as @avinash:

The secret to future social marketing success will be a new skill, which Kaushik describes as: "The ability to execute utility marketing – in the purest sense of the word (and to avoid the opposite: shouting and pimping)."

In a blog post, he says utility marketing is "delivering such incredible value that you simply become part of your audience's life!"

He goes on to say that mobile apps are the channel to both deliver great content and collect data (with the consumer’s permission).

He asks: "Is there anything compelling and of value that you deliver, selflessly, to your current and potential audiences?"

Utility marketing is the solution, he says, and is pretty cheap.

"A decent mobile app costs infinitely less than producing a single TV commercial and — done right — delivers a hyper-relevant audience with whom you can build a relationship unlike what is possible via any other channel on the planet," Kaushik says.

"And you'll never have to remember to interrupt them, because you'll be part of their life already!"

How important is social marketing?

It is important at this moment in time, Kaushik says, but "will become crucial over the next couple of years."

And what skills are the most important in social marketing?

Successful practitioners will have "a combination of business savvy, authenticity and restraint."

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: 'The lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire,' says author Ric Dragon
Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
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: 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: It's definitely a team sport, says Toyota’s Scott DeYager

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

Social Marketing: 'Talk to people as human beings,' says Gini Dietrich, marketer and author

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

Social Marketing: Make communication 'special,' says Eric Miltsch (@emiltsch) of DrivingSales

What are the most important skills for graduating college students if they want to have a future in social marketing?

Eric Miltsch

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social media marketing and this is what I learned. This is the ninth in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Eric Miltsch, Director of Product Strategy at DrivingSales.com, a site that helps auto dealers across North America stay on top of industry trends, and author of the blog The World of Location-Based Services. He can be found on Twitter at @emiltsch:

Making every communication 'special,' is the key to social marketing success, says Miltsch.

Today's graduates must be able to communicate on every level: In-person, writing, phone skills and video, he says, because "every one of these is an opportunity to connect and have an impact."

"Today, everyone uses some form of these channels and only a select few make the 'hot-button' connection with their audience and create something truly effective, memorable and unique which leads to further action," Miltsch says.

Today's college grads also need to "understand the power of the data behind all of this social marketing activity," he says.

Young marketers should seek out Google analytics website data, customer-relations-management profiles and social platform insights. That way they can understand how their customers find their online properties, interact with their products/services and engage with their brand throughout the relationship life-cycle.

"There's gold in the data and so many miss the opportunity to learn from this information," Miltsch says. 

"Successful graduates also need to think like a CEO," he adds. "Executives want results.

"Are you driving traffic to increase leads? Are you increasing impressions while lowering average cost of sale? Are you driving more foot traffic? Are your customer satisfaction scores and customer reviews improving?

"Delivering positive results will always make your executive team happy."

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

Related posts:
Social Marketing: A good marketer 'walks the talk,' says Kodak’s Jennifer Cisney
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 be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
Social Marketing: Communication is the key, says Cheryl Burgess of Blue Focus
Social Marketing: Hubspot's Sam Mallikarjunan Tells All
Social Marketing: Mark Schaefer on What Students Must Know

Social Marketing: A good marketer 'walks the talk,' says Kodak’s Jennifer Cisney

What are the most important skills for graduating college students if they want to have a future in social marketing?

Jennifer Cisney

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social media marketing and this is what I learned. This is the eighth in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Jennifer Cisney, Chief Blogger and Social Media Manager at Eastman Kodak, where she oversees presences on social sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr. She has been a speaker at conferences as BlogWorld, BlogHer, Marketing to Women, 140 Characters Conference and The Inbound Marketing Summit. She is on Linkedin and on Twitter as @kodakCB and @ljc:

In social media nothing beats firsthand experience, says Cisney.

Therefore, "he or she uses social media themselves and knows the tools, the best practices and the protocol," she says.

And because of that they "understand the practices that make for success... listening, good content, measurement etc."

In other words, "A good social marketer walks the talk," Cisney says.

What skills are the most important in social marketing? 

"First of all you want a good foundation of skills that you will use constantly like communications and organization," Cisney says. "It's amazing how good writing skills can be something you come back to again and again."

And, beyond the day to day activity a social marketer "needs to be able to see the big picture and set strategy that will attain overall goals."

So, just how important is social marketing to the marketing mix?

"Not every business should be forced to engage in social media and certainly not blindly," Cisney says. "But a business should be open to exploring it.

"Perhaps Twitter isn't a good fit for their target audience but Facebook is. You need to know your customers and figure out where you need to be to connect with them.

"If you are not prepared to engage with them on social media when they are active there," she says, "then you will need to be prepared to be left behind."  

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

Related posts:
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 be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
Social Marketing: Communication is the key, says Cheryl Burgess of Blue Focus  
Social Marketing: Hubspot's Sam Mallikarjunan Tells All
Social Marketing: Mark Schaefer on What Students Must Know

Social Marketing: Its 'part of a nutritious breakfast,' says Christopher Penn of WhatCounts

What are the most important skills for graduating college students if they want to have a future in social marketing?

Christopher S. Penn

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social media marketing and this is what I learned. This is the seventh in the series (see the links below for other posts in the series).

Today: Christopher S. Penn, Director of Inbound Marketing at WhatCounts, an email marketing service provider; co-founder (with Chris Brogan) of PodCamp, the UnConference series; and the author of the excellent "marketing, media and martial arts" blog Awaken Your Superhero:

"Remember when we were kids and we saw commercials for breakfast cereal?" Penn asks. "And they always included that tagline 'Part of a nutritious breakfast?' That's social marketing."

"It's a channel, in the same way that email, news, PR, direct mail, SEO, advertising, etc. are channels.

"It's part and parcel of marketing, and if you want to really succeed, you need to know how it interoperates with other channels," he says.

So, what skills are the most important in social marketing?

Two are vitally important, Penn says: Understanding how human beings work (psychology, applied) and being a fantastic writer.

And, what separates a successful social marketer from the others?

"It all comes down to hitting your numbers, whatever they may be," Penn says "Reduced support costs, increased customer satisfaction, more marketing leads, more closed sales.

"Whatever you are measured on," he says, "you've got to be able to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that you are contributing to the success of your organization."

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

Related posts:
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 be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
Social Marketing: Communication is the key, says Cheryl Burgess of Blue Focus  
Social Marketing: Hubspot's Sam Mallikarjunan Tells All
Social Marketing: Mark Schaefer on What Students Must Know

Social Marketing: Make music to an audience’s ears, says Mahei Foliaki (@Iconic88)

What are the most important skills for graduating college students if they want to have a future in social marketing?

Mahei Foliaki
(a k a @Iconic88)

I’m asking three questions of some leaders in the field of social media marketing and this is what I learned. This is the sixth in the series (see the links below for earlier posts in the series).

Today: Mahei Foliaki, co-founder at Iconic88 Media, and known as @Iconic88, "Unofficial Chief Happiness Officer of Twitter" and co-founder with Bridget Davis of The Internet Chef:

Making music to an audience’s ears leads to social marketing success, says Mahei Foliaki.

Social marketing is an increasingly important part of the marketing mix and is "like a piano," he says. "We have access to the same keys on a piano in the USA as people do in New Zealand."

"The point of difference across the world is how the notes are played in combination as chords to make a song.

"Those that play the best music for their audience win," Foliaki says. "Knowing what, how, why and when to play is the competitive edge," he says.

"If one is successful here, marketing investment becomes more efficient … because 'word of mouth' between friends, family and trusted sources is the most powerful of advertising we know."

To get to the point of providing what an audience wants the successful social marketer must also be a good listener, Foliaki says.

"If you listen to people, you'll immediately know how to make a positive difference in your communications," he says.

Social marketers should always "bring value to your communications channels so that the person you’re communicating with leaves happier than when they arrived."

Being well read is also a key trait. "The more one reads, the more they can contribute to conversations," Foliaki says.

And what separates a successful social marketer from the others?

Foliaki says how they listen to people, engage/respond to people and give back without any expectation of reward.

And, "empathy is a must here (in social media)," he says.

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

Related posts:
Social Marketing: Clearly connect business objectives, says author Aaron Strout
Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
Social Marketing: Communication is the key, says Cheryl Burgess of Blue Focus  
Social Marketing: Hubspot's Sam Mallikarjunan Tells All
Social Marketing: Mark Schaefer on What Students Must Know

Social Marketing: Clearly connect business objectives, says author Aaron Strout

What are the most important skills for graduating college students if they want to have a future in social marketing?

Aaron Strout

I’m asking three questions of some of leaders in the field of social media marketing and this is what I learned. This is the fifth in the series (see the links below for earlier posts in the series).

Today: Aaron Strout, Group director at WCG (a strategic communications counseling firm) a member of the advisory board at Vintank (a company that offers software to connect wine industry with its customers in social spheres) and co-author of Location Based Marketing For Dummies:

Clearly connecting business objectives to actions in social, is what separates a successful social marketer, says Aaron Strout.

"While social media can be fun and a great way to connect, companies aren't paying you to mess around," he says.

"However, if you’re engaging and connecting with people on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook leads to good things for your business, it is a worthwhile activity."

Therefore, what separates a successful social marketer from the others is "being able to clearly connect business objectives (sales, awareness, loyalty, foot traffic) to actions."

Strout says success for a college grad will depend on strong communication skills.

"Making sure you are clear and concise and don't come across as too serious is also helpful," he says.

"One rule of thumb I always use any time I update on the social web is a.) would my boss be comfortable with what I'm writing and b.) would my wife be comfortable with my update (for younger folks, you can always sub in parents for spouse).

"The key is, it's OK to push the envelope a little," Strout says. "But you should always be aware of the potential outcomes/consequences."

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

"Increasingly more important," Strout says. "Many companies now realize that having a balanced mix of offline, digital and social marketing are critical to a company’s success."

"One of the forces driving the need for more social marketing is that budgets are tighter and resources are more scarce," he says "So doing 'more' with 'less' is the new reality."

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

Related posts:
Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
Social Marketing: Communication is the key, says Cheryl Burgess of Blue Focus  
Social Marketing: Hubspot's Sam Mallikarjunan Tells All
Social Marketing: Mark Schaefer on What Students Must Know

Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty

What are the most important skills for graduating college students if they want to have a future in social marketing?

Scott Monty

I’m asking three questions of some of leaders in the field of social media marketing and this is what I learned. This is the fourth in the series (see the links below for earlier posts in the series).

Today: Scott Monty, Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager for Ford Motor Company who writes the excellent The Social Media Marketing Blog and is found on Twitter as @ScottMonty:

"A successful social marketer is one who is not timid," says Scott Monty. 

They’re someone "who will try new things and be willing to fail, and who will constantly learn from his or her mistakes," he says. 

Asked what sets a successful social marketer apart from the rest, Monty says: "Piecing together trends and creating new and exciting opportunities rather than rehashing old ideas will make their efforts stand apart."

"It is important to know the overall practices of advertising, marketing and communications, and to understand the fundamentals of the business you’re using it for," he says.

But, aside from specific knowledge of industry or practices, it’s also "important to be curious and to understand what makes people tick."

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

"It’s currently a small piece of the overall efforts in communications and marketing, both in terms of budget and impact," Monty says. "But it’s something that is on everyone’s mind."

"Understanding how to truly integrate it into the traditional mix is the challenge," he says, "Rather than treating it as an afterthought or add-on."

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

Related posts:
Social Marketing: Communication is the Key, says Cheryl Burgess of Blue Focus
Social Marketing: Hubspot's Sam Mallikarjunan Tells All
Social Marketing: Mark Schaefer on What Students Must Know

Social Marketing: Communication is the key, says Cheryl Burgess of Blue Focus

What are the most important skills for graduating college students if they want to have a future in social marketing?

I’m asking three questions of some of leaders in the field of social media marketing and this is what I learned.

Cheryl Burgess

Today: Cheryl Burgess, Managing Partner at Blue Focus Marketing – a social branding consultancy that was the winner of MarketingSherpa's 2012 Reader's Choice Award - "Best Social Media Marketing Blog" – and who is on Twitter as @ckburgess: 

"Communication is absolutely essential in order to succeed as a social marketer," says Cheryl Burgess. 

"At its core, it means communicating among all the different departments in a business," she says.

However, a brand’s customers don’t see a company as a series of departments; they see it as a unified front. 

"This means all employees must be truly unified behind the scenes," says Burgess.

"If not, a brand risks presenting an inconsistent, potentially schizophrenic message." 

Strong communication also implies the ability to court influential people in your audience, whether that’s other business professionals or potential customers willing to help spread your message, she says. 

"Here, strong communication also means strong listening skills," says Burgess. "You have to keep your ear to ground and know where to spend your time in order to get the most bang for your marketing buck.

"According to Burgess, a successful marketing message will invariably take on a life of its own, one not necessarily expected when the campaign was first designed.

"The best social marketers aren’t afraid of this," she says. "In fact, they embrace it and do what they can to further this process. 

"In other words, they don’t act like a robot, blindly following 'the plan' until the campaign has run its course.

"They let the campaign take its own course, following it where it wants to go and clearing more space for it along the way.

"This organic approach ensures the presentation and execution of another key trait of social marketing: authenticity," says Burgess.

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

"It’s becoming more important every day," says Burgess. "No marketing campaign should be without a social component. A 30-second commercial, for instance, shouldn’t be the beginning and ending of a campaign. You will only reach a small part of your audience, and you won’t be offering them any chance to engage."

She says good examples of this are the recent Old Spice commercials, which were so successful they helped redefine the concept of "manliness" in pop culture.

"While the commercials themselves were incredibly iconic and memorable, Old Spice made sure the level of engagement went much further than that," says Burgess.

"The Old Spice Guy engaged fans daily on Twitter, and answered fan mail on YouTube.

"Old Spice made sure its message was everywhere, and users ate it up."

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

Related posts:
Social Marketing: Clearly connect business objectives, says author Aaron Strout
Social Marketing: Don’t be timid, says Ford’s Scott Monty
Social Marketing: Hubspot's Sam Mallikarjunan Tells All
Social Marketing: Mark Schaefer on What Students Must Know