Infinite Path

Social media is probably what 2009 will be most remembered for in terms of online marketing. Obviously many were “getting into social” long before this time, but 2009 has probably been the year when many companies decided that they had to do something on this before they lost touch completely.

The problem, of course, is that deliberately trying to get into social media marketing is much harder than just being in it. Like anything, if you have an interest in something, you will make a conscious effort to be involved in related activities. By accident, almost, you find yourself writing about it, getting involved in communities and interacting with others who have a similar interest. Forcing yourself to do something that doesn’t interest you is never easy. The same can be said for forcing yourself, or your company, to get into social media.

You know what you are supposed to do and you know what everyone else is doing so, naturally, you start trying to replicate it and ‘get involved’. However, this doesn’t work. If you don’t have an interest and you don’t understand what you’re getting into, it is quite possible that many of your efforts will be in vain.

The people – and companies – who are really good at social media are good not just because they are excellent marketers, but because they understand the landscape and are interested in the methods which need to be employed. They want to be part of the communities and enjoy interacting with other people within those communities. They don’t just participate out of a misguided necessity; they participate because they want to. Their success in social media effectiveness is merely a by-product of their visible enjoyment and understanding of how everything works.

When companies decide to get social, it is important to use the right people/faces (not a face in the conventional sense, more a face for the company in question) for the task. Of course, they may not be as committed to the company as an owner or senior marketing executive, but as long as they understand what the company offers, what its values are and they enjoy what they do as much as possible, they will able to engage with online communities.

Effective social media marketing is not something that can just be switched on. It takes time to create a successful campaign and the people working on it must understand how it works and be ready to adapt to new methods.