Marketing Online

As a small business, we need to do a lot of our own sales and marketing. I employ people to help with sales but only into specific markets. So I take a lot of interest in sales and marketing techniques, and in particular, social media.

Social media is a fascinating field. At first, it seems to be a technical issue; you need to pick your outlets (Facebook, Twitter, whatever), get the content out there and build your audience. All pretty straight forward.

Not quite.

I’m bumping into companies more frequently these days who tell me that they must get into social media – or worse, say they’ve tried it and it doesn’t work. When I ask about their strategy, I get a blank look or a shrug. One said “We’ve been tweeting special offers and no one bites.”

This cartoon reminded me how important it is to get someone involved who has experience.

Why do people think they naturally know some subjects but need coaching on others? How long would you thrash around in a sandpit playing golf before you decide you’re doing it wrong and need some coaching?

I have had the tremendous privilege of discovering some of the secrets about social media from one of the industries great gurus, Helen Tonetti and she has taught me a lot of valuable stuff.

One really key bit of understanding that you have to grasp is that social media is not about the media. It’s about the social. Forget the mechanics and focus on the people.

Don’t forget the basic principles of marketing when you launch yourself into social media. You need to engage your audience.

If you have had disappointing results with your social media efforts or are considering starting a campaign, get an expert on board; someone with a proven track-record, like Helen Tonetti.