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Social Media Principle 5 – WITH People, Not TO People

Guest post by: jon leuty

Article Overview: Marketing is something you do WITH, not TO, people. Successful brands realise that being social isn’t about where, it’s about how for the last 30 yrs or so, brilliantly controlled brand management was the perfect approach for persuading a mass market of credulous consumers who eagerly put their faith in brands.

Social Media Principle 5 – WITH People, Not TO People

Marketing is something you do with, not to, people. Successful brands realise that being social isn't about where, it's about how for the last 30 yrs or so, brilliantly controlled brand management was the perfect approach for persuading a mass market of credulous consumers who eagerly put their faith in brands.

But things have changed. The brands who will thrive most successfully in the new age of communications realise that marketing is no longer something that you do TO people, it's something that you do WITH people.

People aren't receptacles waiting eagerly for your advertising message. They're savvy and value their time. Why should they allow a brand into their world unless they feel the brand values them? From involving people in an entertaining brand experience, to inviting participation in creating what the brand does & the products and services it offers, to simply listening to people when they have something to say - being interested is as important as being interesting.

And this can take numerous forms - there's no one size fits all. Orange's Playballoonacy rewarded participation on numerous levels - for some it was the chance to win the grand prize, for others the reward was simply the fun of playing an entertaining game, whilst for others it was getting enough points to beat their mates, or the opportunity to drive additional traffic to their blogs.

Walkers ‘Do Us a Flavour' campaign demonstrated how interactive and involving communication can live and breathe even within the most seemingly traditional campaigns. Whilst Dell Ideastorm and MyStarbucksIdea both put listening to people at the very heart of their communication - they flip the funnel, putting the user at the centre, rather than the brand.

Ultimately, social marketing extends beyond campaigns. It can and should be a core part of how brands behave. It's every interaction people have with your brand - and involving people should be something you do all year round.

Because, after all, we need to remember that the most powerful marketing of all is what people say about your brand to others. If you can create opportunities to involve people in your brand communication, and deliver an enriching and rewarding brand interaction, people might just talk about it positively to their friends. It's not just that marketing is something you do with people - if you do it right, people become your marketing

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Article Tags: Advertising, Facebook, Marketing, Orange, Social Media, Starbucks, Twitter, Walkers, YouTube
Referred by: http://carboncopypro.com/



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Re: Social Media Marketing Ignorance - [quote="vbn411":7qciluxl]Social Media is space that you have to be in to succeed in our current climate. People are going to be discussing your brand / product whether you like it or not, so you might as well join the conversation and add value. [/quote:7qciluxl] I think that's probably one of the most realistic way to think about it. There's no real textbook way of understanding Social Media, it's the networks of people and their interactions that will exist with or without your input. As for Jennifer, You can always have 2 Facebook pages. Many people do. There is also LinkedIn, which is like a professional networking version of Facebook. The only way to know is to try it.
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":gvtxsu7g]Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff[/quote:gvtxsu7g] Hi Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. Why don't you start a new post (with a poll) to see if there's enough interest in your idea for a social media section?
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts - Hi Shri, Thanks for posting this. I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.


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