July 16th, 2009

Marketing Through Social Networks

3 ways to extend your marketing with Facebook and Twitter

shih_facebook_era_small Social networking sites are helping people connect on a massive scale, which changes not only how people interact with each other but how they interact with your brand. And that means marketing opportunities for you.

Marketers should be using traditional advertising methods such as search and display. But they also need to be where customers are and communicate through the channels customers like—and increasingly customers are on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Here are a few ideas from real companies who are successfully engaging with audiences on social networking sites.

1. Connect and listen.
Social network profiles and Twitter handles provide an ideal medium for persona marketing. Whether it’s Frank from Comcast tweeting a mix of personal anecdotes and solutions to customer issues, Jack Box inviting poems from his 130,000 friends on MySpace, or the Travelocity Roaming Gnome on Facebook, putting a human (or made-up character) face can help corporations seem more approachable. The occasional customer complaint is a normal part of doing business – that said, it’s a lot harder for a frustrated customer to feel hatred for a person or persona than for a faceless company.

Where there is customer frustration, companies like Comcast and Jack in the Box are discovering that other customers are stepping up to defend the brand and products – which is far more credible than if the company were to respond in its own defense. Connecting with customers on public forums like Twitter and Facebook can help companies tap into a community of experts for free customer support, product ideas, and testimonials while building loyalty.

2. Reach and empower
Companies like Dell and Zappos are expanding their traditional audience base with Twitter and Facebook business profiles, which they update daily with product news, special offers, and responses to comments from the community. The ability to easily create separate Twitter handles or Facebook profile pages allows these companies to create targeted experiences for their different product lines and audience segments.

By following the companies on Twitter or becoming a fan on Facebook, individuals are able to choose the products for which they are interested in receiving information and offers. When that interest wears off (say, they are no longer in the market for a Dell laptop because they purchased one), they can just as easily “unfan” or “unfollow.” By giving customers greater control over communications from the company, the company’s messages are more likely to actually be heard and appreciated, building customer loyalty and trust.

3. Promote and get them talking!
Almost by design, social networking sites facilitate word of mouth. Of course, connecting with customers and reaching new audiences won’t matter unless you have something interesting and valuable to say. Ultimately, you’ll want to convince them to buy your product and tell their friends.

Entertaining content, such as a funny video or quirky persona (check out the Nesquik bunny’s musings on happiness), is one way. The other way is special offers. Starbucks recently launched a Facebook application which allows users to claim free coupons for the new Starbucks Ice Cream for themselves or for friends. When you offer a good deal, it’s a good bet that people will tell their friends, especially if it’s easy to tweet out or share on Facebook – which gives marketers more bang for their buck.

Facebook and Twitter can be a powerful complement to traditional online marketing such as search and display. More than anything, be prepared to be surprised, learn, and iterate. It’s like the early days of the Internet. No one has the new possibilities around social media completely figured out quite yet, and there is no “one size fits all” approach. Which means if you can figure it out, you’ll have an edge in reaching your customers.

—Clara Shih, author of The Facebook Era

Clara Shih kicked off the social CRM movement in 2007 with her Faceconnector application, which integrates Facebook and Salesforce CRM. Clara is CEO of Hearsay Labs and author of The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff. To learn more about extending your marketing with social networking sites, read Clara’s book or sign up for her free upcoming webinar on Tuesday, August 4 at 10 am. Clara is clarashih on Facebook and Twitter, and blogs at http://thefacebookera.com.

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[ Categories: How To's, Tips, Uncategorized ]

29 Comments Add your own

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25. unlimited | October 19th, 2009 at 7:56 am

Very good post about social networks. Social networks marketing is starting to be a very powerful tool when it comes to advertise your business, but some guidelines must be followed in order to make the most of them. There are significant differences between marketing at social networks than traditional online advertising. As it is known in advertising, you must be present where your customers are… and nowadays customers are on social networks.
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decent post but fails to address the real implications
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29. Deborah | January 29th, 2010 at 1:16 pm

Very true. I work for a small firm and I have recently started researching different ways to get my company’s name out there. I created a facebook page for them, and we started to get fans (always exciting!). And I update our Linkedin page so whatever we are working on is known. Social Networking is a huge step for any company, big or small, to reach their customers. I started writing articles on my findings about how to promote your brand using digital formats, so if you want to read on what I’ve found check out http://www.psycray.com/promote-your-brand-by-social-network-marketing.html.

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