Welcome to Social Media Week =)

I’m not quite sure how it is possible to name a week after a communication platform, but nonetheless this week (7 – 11 Feb 2011) is “Social Media Week”. Hosted by New York based social media advocates Crowdcentric Media, Social Media Week is basically a bunch of simultaneous conferences in a series of global cities linked in via social network platforms. Leading marketers from all over the world will come together to try to get their heads around the purpose of social media and how they can somehow get their piece of the big digital pie.

But there’s one small problem? Most senior marketers have never (and will never) even use social media. Except for perhaps the business network “LinkedIn”, social networking sites such as “Facebook”, “YouTube” and “Twitter” aren’t even remotely interesting to some senior marketers. Perhaps they see social networking as something that interrupts their kids in the middle of dinner, or a strange pastime for young tech heads, whose internet dialogue sounds like complete gibberish…OMG… LMFAO… K… J… LOML… LMT… BFAM… LOL… LOOL… J4F… BING… A3… DLAM… CBI… DLS… DM… TOY… Q… UDK… UG… VNS… ROTG… ZUP… ZZZ… TUVM… etc.

Obviously it is impossible to deny the vast significance social networking sites like “Facebook”.  Facebook has over 500 million users globally. Almost 10 million in Australia alone. That’s almost half of the population. It’s a kind of virtual hang out, where friends can update their status regularly with a funny joke, a philosophical statement, a rave, a rant, post a video, share a song or update the world on absolutely jack-all. It’s like a never-ending conversation about nothing and an official personal statement about everything. And the irony is that if a comment or status update has traction with the network then it can gain hundreds of likes and comments in the same thread within hours. And in many ways this is perhaps the measure of personal success in social commentary.

So as “Social Media Week” gets under way, what are the challenges faced by the corporate marketer or the digital agency? How do they get into the conversation without losing credibility amongst the real users of the social network. The answer is certainly not an easy one. Unlike traditional above the line marketing or even purchased display based internet marketing, there is no blanket solution. There is no one size fits all.

Although we are still learning “What to do” in this space, here are 5 “Don’t do’s” when it comes to social media engagement.

1. Don’t blab on about your product. It’s not a corporate website.

2. Don’t leave it unattended. The amount of negative feedback and commenting could spread like wildfire.

3. Don’t discourage comments, even negative comments. Respond in a friendly manner with your point of view and open a discussion.

4. Don’t forget to analyse your pages engagement. Top social network sites like YouTube and Facebook offer great analytic information to help you offer a better experience.

5. Don’t fall behind. Social media is not going anywhere anytime soon.

To learn more about Social Media Week click here ››

For advice on plugging your company into the social media marketing space, and help on your digital marketing strategy contact us for a chat.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 at 1:12 am and is filed under SlideShow, Social Media and tagged with Crowdcentric Media, facebook, social media, social media tips, social media week. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.