Many are still afraid of social media. There are a lot of terms and ideas floating around that confuse people and can even make them panic. I want to start the new year off right by proposing an idea that sounds pretty simple:
The goal of social media marketing is the same as traditional media marketing - to spread ideas through word of mouth.
When working in the social media world (obviously not all social media should be used for marketing), the aim is to get people to talk about your product or brand. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media platforms allow people to share ideas quickly. People talk about their interests and hobbies, which often include brands and products. Using social media for marketing aims to tap into the rich veins of discussion that will produce buzz and excitement around a brand.
The tools may be different, but most of the goals are very much the same:
- Make a great (good is not good) product that can stand on its own without spin that satisfies a consumer need.
- Customers will get excited and tell their friends about the product.
- Marketing can help, but real success comes through viral word of mouth a.k.a. the best and most desired form of marketing.