Social media yahta-yahta-yahta. I think the last time that the business world was overtaken so completely by one innovation was when computers started appearing on desktops a couple of decades ago. Social media is just as revolutionary and takes just as much planning to make it work for you. But it’s critical because it’s where brand communities are built. And it’s overwhelming.

Most of us don’t have the resources to pull off intricately orchestrated marketing campaigns like Coca-Cola’s Expedition 206 or for a full-time engager like Lee Aase, Mayo Clinic Social Media Manager .

I say, so what! You can do some Internet research on your own to see what’s going on in your market space and what (if anything) is being said about you. You can start a Facebook page and build it up over time. You can join the throngs on Twitter and tweet when there’s something relevant to say. Start with a goal, create a plan and then stick to it. Be realistic about how much resource you can devote—even if it’s only 2 hours a week.

Why now? Because the world isn’t going to come rushing to your door the minute you get engaged. Just like any new friendship, it’s built in phases. First you meet, then you go out for coffee. If there’s chemistry and they find you interesting enough, your new friend might invite you to meet some of their friends…and so it goes. Brand community-building is the same. One-by-one steps that deepen the relationship.

If you don’t get out there now, your competitors will be out there tempting your customers to have coffee with THEM. You’ll have to dive in at some point—so why wait?

Your friend, Beth Woolley

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The brand that’s made me the happiest this year is Wolfgang’s Vault. I go there on a regular basis, often on Friday afternoons when I’m finishing up administrative tasks and need some ear candy. The more I listen, the more often I return. I’ve heard concerts by artists I wish I’d gone to and concerts from the same tours I saw “back in the day” by artists that hadn’t made it big yet. I started going to the site a couple of years ago to relive some great musical moments in my life—but now I’m getting much more.

I love that the Vault has branched out to newer artists and more recent concerts. Their A to Z list of performers is huge and inclusive, so I can experiment. There are artist interviews as well as concerts. There are lots of free downloads as well as ones you have to pay for. Plus concert listings in my area.

The website has improved steadily. It’s become increasingly easy to use and what Wolfgang’s Vault is adding, I’m enjoying. I must be in their target demographic—they’re hitting me in my soft spot and I love it!

What’s the brand lesson? Do one thing really well and build from there. Innovate around what you know and give your customers and fans an easy path to follow as you lead the way. If the substance is there and you demonstrate that you’re listening, you’ll keep your die-hards and win new ones.

Have a great 2010!

Beth Woolley

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I’m middle-aged and I’m very attached to my privacy. I started on Facebook when two things happened simultaneously: a client “friended” me and an old friend made it clear that FB was the best way to keep up with her. Within a few months, I’d connected with a high school friend (among others) and was posting pictures of my “girls’ weekend.” I’m still restrictive with my privacy settings but I’m a fan of people, organizations and causes, I occasionally tweet and I’m connected to all kinds of online communities, running the gamut from information providers to purveyors of fun.

Have I purchased anything I wouldn’t have because of social media? Not yet. But my purchase decisions have been influenced by it. I’ve hired services recommended through Angie’s List and I just signed up—via a social media site—to receive notices on discounts for local services, including restaurants. And that’s hitting me where I live—if I’m going to make an impulse purchase, it’ll be for a cocktail and a snack (but I digress).

I’m interacting with complete strangers about things I care about. I’m donating more. I’ve become more attached to brands that make the effort to connect with me and that’s changing what and where I purchase.

Even though I don’t spend more than an hour or two with social media each week, if you don’t provide a place for me to connect with you, I’ll find someone else who does (or they’ll find me). I know I’m not everybody’s demographic—but I’m somebody’s.

Is anyone else surprised by their own relationship with social media?

Beth Woolley wants to know…

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Social media will hijack your brand (if it hasn’t yet already). The masses will talk about your organization as kindly or ruthlessly as they wish and you can either partake in that conversation or slink off to the dark ages. Whatever you do, don’t underestimate the power of social media. By participating in the conversation, you have the power to engage your customers on their terms and on a deeper level. Plus, you get to learn from your audience in real-time and for free.

The number of social media avenues can overwhelm, so my recommendation is to start with the most popular, most trafficked site out there—Facebook.  Checking Facebook has now become routine habit akin to checking e-mail, with people spending hours at a time on it and checking it multiple times per day. The question is no longer why you should use Facebook, it’s how to best use Facebook.

Facebook empowers your brand by offering it another “home” to thrive and grow, aka your Facebrand page.  Today’s consumer wants to interact with your brand, so by fostering this page and proactively engaging them, you can begin to manage your brand’s greater online presence.  And if you don’t think this is important, ask yourself what’s the first thing people do when they want to find out about something—they Google it.  Your online presence is the megaphone to your brand. If done right, your brand online can better communicate what your brand offline promises.

So here are a few helpful hints to help you create and take full advantage of your brand’s Facebook page:

·          Do a little research to get to know your audiences. This will help you determine what content will be the most valuable to them.

·          As you start communicating, be authentic and use your brand as a filter.  Before posting or tagging anything, weigh its content and make sure it aligns with the brand you’ve created offline. 

·          Let people come to you. Facebook, as a social tool isn’t a place to advertise.  So don’t crowd your page with too much marketing fluff –it’s sure to turn them off.

·          Keep in mind that people “fan” your page because it reflects something about them. If they relate to your brand enough to become a fan, they are in essence announcing their loyalty and championing your brand to the rest of their network. That’s a big deal.

·          Be engaging. Back in the day, people wrote fan mail; today, people write on your wall. Pique their interests with polls, discussions, and notes. Delivering fresh content is key in bringing them back.  Updating your status message is one way to stay on people’s radar, but avoid clogging up their news feed with too many updates—once per day is more than enough.

·          Think outside the box. Betty Crocker’s page offers recipes, a “what kind of cupcake are you?” quiz, coupons for fans, quick baking tips via its status update and an online cooking class with cooking experts.  Your job is to find ways to deliver more of your unique value in a creative and compelling way. 

-Bianca Abate

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