7 Truths of Social Networks

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While mainstream use of Social Networks is only a few years old, it is well known how consumers use them. Besides, a few years is a generation in Internet parlance anyway.

Here are 7 truths of Social Networks that you can / must rely upon to help guide your thinking regardless of what you do with Social Media.

1. Social Networks is the preferred way for people in younger demographics to communicate with each other. Nothing else comes close!

2. It is based on the concept of friends, but that term today is very loosely applied. Similarly, profiles are loosely defined & can be used in a variety of ways by people, companies, brands, & so on.

3. The more active a consumer is on the internet, the more likely they will participate in multiple Social Networks. Often times, these people are influencers within a circle of friends & have a tremendous impact on the opinions of others.

4. Once information is shared on a Social Network, it is out there & can’t easily be contained. Everything is out in the open & largely visible for other people to see.

5. Social Media is best applied in addition to existing internet marketing programs & alongside other web assets. When building a strategy, you must think comprehensively.

6. The rules are still being made. Social network “etiquette” is still relatively immature. Tread carefully.

7. The seventh & final truth involves the factors that contribute to usage. Everyone is motivated by a combination of one or more of the following human needs:

Love: Finding love, keeping up with loved ones, & so forth.

Self expression / Emotion: Sharing life’s’ details with friends.

Sharing opinion / Influencing friends: Using these Networks as a platform for influencing opinions, usually about politics, religion, or other things we don’t typically debate in person.

Showing off: Sharing life’s success & / or achievements with others.

Fun / Escapism / Humor: Using social media to get a good laugh.

Memories & Nostalgia: Catching up with old friends & sharing old friends.

Making Money: Using social media primarily to support professional pursuits.

From the above, one can infer that the motivation for using Facebook varies significantly depending on your customer. No Social Media can match Facebook’s current momentum or broad international customer adoption. It hosts a range of Social applications and has been the market leader in Social Media since April 2008.

Facebook Marketing is integral to online social marketing – in that, a very key component of Internet Marketing!

Social Media Musts: Your Guide to Helping Consumers Do the Marketing for You

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Your customers are talking about everything from sex, politics and religion, to the latest shade of eye shadow. Every responsible social media interaction from your company carries with it a set of “musts,” those things you have to do in order to remain ethical, above-board, believable, interesting and relevant. Your media marketing strategy needs to include a set of guidelines by which anyone who writes for your company operates, a code of ethics that will leave your reputation intact at all times, and make you invulnerable to unwarranted criticism or attack. Even small business marketing strategies need to include maintenance of a viable “corporate” image. With the right strategies even the smallest Atlanta based companies can be active on the world stage.

Your media and public relations policies should include the following:

Authenticity
Be original in thought, deed and word, at all times. If you are ever found out to be a mimic, a plagiarizer, or an overt over-the-top pusher of your brand, you will not only lose customers, but you will incur the wrath of the Internet in the form of unflattering reviews and comments from which you will find it difficult to recover.

Transparency
Being open with your public should become second nature, to a certain extent. While transparency means admitting mistakes publicly and responding to critics or negativity, it does not mean revealing trade secrets or divulging personnel matters, ever. Legally speaking, if you are going to quote someone, always obtain permission and attribute the source; treat every quote you make as if it were copyrighted information. And, with every entry on a social media site, include digital marketing information including your name, email address and web address.

Play to your audience
Remember who is reading you: Past clients, current customers, potential buyers, and even past, current and future employees. Before you publish anything, read your content with all of those people in mind, and edit accordingly. This is your public face; don’t embarrass yourself.

Common sense
Exercise good judgment about language, unflattering commentary, inflammatory remarks, or any other interactions that might be slanderous or hurtful. Businesses based in Atlanta for instance, have long used their social media strategy to build product support and moderate negative comments in their social marketing network. Your company image and media marketing strategy can have no room in it for below-the-belt social networking interactions. Let your employees know that your policies mandate that any and all interactions undertaken by them in the course of business, or even after hours, if they use your name, will be monitored. Stress the need for an ethical approach to social networking that keeps your code of conduct in media public relations intact.

Be value-added
Bring something to the table that is not only interesting and relevant to your company or product, but make it so people want to engage and learn more. It’s a balancing act, but you want to promote your company and ideas without seeming to do so. No one wants to waste time reading blatant advertising when they are casually surfing, or feel duped into buying something when they are browsing the web.