Yesterday, I presented to the local International Association of Business Communicators chapter. The audience dynamics were mixed between small and large companies. The attendees were business people who spanned social media – from newby to experienced social marketers.
Going Social
Each time I prepare a presentation, I go back through the history of presentations I’ve done in the past… dropping slides and information that are no longer timely and adding new slides for topics of late. While we’re always on the edge of what’s occurring in social media, the narrative has changed dramatically. One key is your business relationships with prospects and customers are now an expectation.
Advertising used to raise the ire of virtually every visitor. Today, while not always welcomed, very few folks complain about advertisements and promotions found throughout a company’s social presence. In fact – some of the statistics we provided show that there’s an expectation of discounts and offers from many people. They want companies to sell!
Another strategy that would have been blasphemous is paid content. While most people don’t even realize when content is paid for, the idea of paid content has drawn extreme criticism for a long time. I’ve been a proponent all along. The fact is that many writers do a much better job illustrating the efforts of a business – more so than the companies themselves. Producing content is difficult – unless it’s your job. The research and content writers we’ve built relationships with do a fantastic job.
What hasn’t changed is that it still provides an opportunity for a company with little brand recognition and little marketing budget to build and grow its business. (Present company included!) Something else that has not only not changed but has gotten more complex is building and promoting your content and social media strategies. Why? Because your competition and big business has finally caught on.
Setting expectations for search or social is becoming more difficult nowadays because the technology, the platforms, and the competition are all in motion. In the past, gaining authority and building a social business was easy. Those days are long gone, though—no more shortcuts. The competition is stiff; you must dedicate the best resources to build your programs. The benefits of significant savings still come with a remarkable strategy… it’s just more difficult now to attain.
