The secret to social media marketing? Keep it simple

August 21st, 2009 by Amanda

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Psssst… Keep your social media strategy simple I like you guys and girls so I am going to share a secret with you about how to own your social media marketing strategy. Ready?

Keep it simple, Silly Goose

I could have said ‘keep it simple stupid’ but I didn’t. You aren’t stupid but sometimes trying to keep up with Facebook, Twitter, your blog, LinkedIn, Blip, etc. you can feel a little bogged down.

So why are you trying to keep up with ALL of it? Is it ALL working for you? Probably not, honestly. So why not trim the fat and really own the communities that work best for you?

I just read a great B2B case study blog by one of my favorite bloggers/authors David Meerman Scott but what caught my eye was one of the comments (by the guy the blog was about):

“Social media can seem so overwhelming on a corporate level so it’s great to see examples like this. You don’t have to do everything. Just do something.” – Colin Warwick

Colin took his key search terms he wanted to be found for and created a business blog. Is he on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn? I don’t know. Doesn’t really matter. The blog is what worked for them and since David Meerman Scott’s blog post about their efforts, I bet they are going to get a lot more love too.

You don’t have to do everything. Just do something

Of course I think social media marketing is important, it is my job and I am very passionate about it… but I know it isn’t for everyone and I know it can seem totally overwhelming. Take some time to research social media sites and see which ones could work for you. Ask your network, your customers, industry leaders – what are they participating in and how is it working for them? How much time does it take? How many people contribute?

One of my coworkers recently went to Goodwill and the clerk gave him a survey to fill out asking what social networks he participated in. Interesting and easy way to find out where the people who donate or shop at Goodwill are spending their time online.

Your customers are online and are having conversations about just about everything. You just need to find out where they are, then reach out and provide them with the content they want. <—- That is VERY important. Not the content you want to produce but the content your customers are already looking for online. Got that?

My boss isn’t on Facebook, Twitter and had no idea what Second Life was till I told him

Don’t tell him I said this but he is one of the smartest people I have ever met (no I am not sucking up. He is actually very smart). Tom uses LinkedIn. Everyday. He likes it. He gets it. He has great business conversations on there and has gotten some powerful leads from his network on LinkedIn. Why should he dilute his message or spend more time on countless other networks? This works for him and we get substantial traffic to our website from his activity on LinkedIn.

What is going to work for you? That is for you to figure out and it may take some trial and error to figure out. If you do find yourself overwhelmed trying to keep up with it all, perhaps try budgeting your time with social media or maybe you are spending your valuable time in the wrong places. Cut out the noise and focus on what works best for you and your business.

Posted in Blogging, Business Strategy, Social Network Marketing

http://www.seospecialties.com Jeff Loquist

Great post, Amanda.

I, myself have fallen into the trap of complication, thinking…or being told..that I have to be in 20 different places at once. Now that I am starting my own, personal efforts, “trimming the fat” is definitely high on the to do list.
http://hallme.com Amanda

Jeff,
I hear you! I get it ALL the time: “OMG you’re not on _______” (insert super crazy awesome social media site there). NO, I am not. I know which sites working for me, I can work them into my routine and I know that I am seeing results from them. Why would I want to waste time and energy on 25 sites just to avoid that question? I don’t.

For example. I do not Blip http://blip.fm/(I can hear the gasps now). I don’t. I am a HUGE music fanatic but I don’t see how blipping is going to help me with my work objectives and fit into my workload. It seems really fun but it just doesn’t look like it’ll work for me right now and I am ok with that.

Trim that fat!
http://signal-integrity-tips.com Colin Warwick

Hi Amanda,

Thanks for the shout out! I started the blog because Mike Volpe and Pete Caputa at http://www.HubSpot.com told me that that was the best way to create content that people will want to link to. I was skeptical at first, but they were right. It isn’t as much work as people fear. I now tell people that if they can reply to a question in an email, they can write a blog. A lot of my postings evolve from questions I’ve been asked. I answer them and think “maybe others have the same question?” Your Outlook “Sent Items” folder can be a great blogging resource.

Best regards,

– Colin
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http://www.hallme.com Amanda O’Brien

Thanks Colin! What a great job.
I use that tip too – if people don’t know what to write to check their sent items in there email.
Thanks again for being a pioneer here and sharing with other people just like you how they can make blogging and social media work for them!
A
http://www.suncoastinternet.com.au/internet-marketing.htm Online marketing services

Thanks Amanda,

Yes its true that Social media marketing is one of the important way to get traffic. So one should not be neglect it. And i also agree with you that first you should choose a proper social media that which will work for you.

Nice blog.. keep it..
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