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Companies that understand the importance of monitoring the conversations and engaging their customers are the ones reaping the rewards of social media.
It's impossible to ignore the buzz about social media ... it's "the next big thing ..." "a technology revolution "forever changing the way people communicate." They said the same thing at the forefront of the dot com explosion. Has social media lived up to the hype? Can social media work for any company? Ask 10 different people and there's likely to be 10 different opinions.
While the answer depends on what one's goals are regarding social media, die impact of social media as it relates to a brand certainly cannot be ignored. Prior to delving into this topic, a word of caution: there appear to be as many so-called social media "experts" as there are Facebook accounts. Go to any conference or pick up any magazine and there will be at least one presentation or article related to the topic of social media. There are many new books on the subject and Web sites dedicated to helping newbies understand what all of the hype is about. In their attempt to help others make sense of these new mediums, most experts do more to confuse business professionals than to help them grow their business. This article will offer a renewed perspective about how to leverage social media for any business.
Three Levels of Communications
There are basically three different levels, or paths of communication, related to a brand. The first one is where the company controls the message. In this instance, communications are sent out to prospects and customers through a corporate Web site and other marketing methods. For years, this was the traditional method for improving brand awareness, promotions and publicity. The Web site is the first level because owners control the content. This has also been referred to as Web 1.0. This encompassed publishing a Web site and driving traffic to it to provide education, promotion, sales, and customer service. At this stage, a company's Web site was simply a communication tool to help them grow their business.
The first thing to consider prior ro implementing a social media marketing plan is to ensure that the company's Web site delivers the...