---

Guest post by: jon leuty Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

If advertising is a firework, social media is a bonfire; slow to start, collaborative to build, then gets bigger and brighter..."

The traditional advertising approach to campaigning is like setting off fireworks.

Great fireworks are attention-grabbing beacons on steroids; they make crowds gasp in delight, and draw an audience from many miles around.

Yet while advertising burns very brightly, it dies very quickly. Fireworks are an expensive way to keep a crowd happy all night. Social media isn't like setting off a firework; it's like building a bonfire.

It takes time to start. There's careful initial construction, a gentle blow here and there, and the gradual addition of more wood. Then a couple of other folk gather around. Some of them will even help you build the fire; break some wood up, throw more on, poke around in the embers to make sure the fire doesn't go out. As more people gather, and help the fire grow bigger, the more it will attract yet more people... with attention and dedication, as everyone fuels the bonfire it will only ever burn brighter.

A social bonfire isn't something you can 'campaign'. It doesn't fit snugly in four-week bursts, it doesn't come with a guaranteed reach & frequency, and it's hard to know exactly what it's going to cost from the outset.

If you want to start a social bonfire, or want to help other people make their bonfires bigger, you're going to have to commit some time, effort, ingenuity and resource. Because it's not just about the bonfire; it's about building it together.

"If you are going to engage, you have to have a plan and make sure that resources are available. Because you can't gracefully exit - once you're in, you're in. The days of walking away from a campaign are over - once we engage, we have to commit to it." Denise Morrissey, Online Community Manager, Toyota

Related Articles

  Is Social Media Killing Your Business?
  “Should I or shouldn’t I”
  Using Social Media Effectively As A Business Professional And Author
  Resourcing B2B social media
  Social Media is NOT about Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin
  Social Media Marketing for Accelerating Your Business
  Evolving to adopt Social Media…
  Legal Marketing: Social Media and Law Firms
  Social Media Gains Momentum for B2B Marketers
  Social Media Marketing Has Revolutionized The Concept of Online Business
  Strategies For Utilizing Social Media Outlets
  Social media : why should my business use this resource?
  The Remarkable Growth of Social Media - an Infographic
  SOCIAL MEDIA: THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF COMMUNICATING!
  Legal Marketing: Blog opportunities
  How to Make your Social Media Campaign Enjoyable
  Using Social Networking Sites to Build Your List of Followers in Three Simple Steps
  Social Media Marketing When You're Just Too Busy
  Using Social Media to Help Business – Enhanced Online Marketing
  Reasons why social media is good for business

Referred by: http://carboncopypro.com/

Related Forum Posts

Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas!
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts
Re: Social Media Marketing Ignorance

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Selling Scripts That Work

How To Give Effective Feedback

Integrating Your Multi-Channel Marketing Approach

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.