Whether you prefer a pen and paper to a keyboard, or a personal conversation over email, it’s hard to ignore the opportunities technology has created for bankers and marketers today.
In a friendlier economy, promoting a product or service could be high-end, multi-targeted and multi-channeled. Meaning, lots of media, lots of buzz, and bigger dollars, but let’s face it, right now belt-tightening is our buzzword, and technology is the solution. Why? Because if done correctly, it’s the fastest, most cost-efficient way to spread your word – and it does most of the work for you.
Going Viral:
What does it mean? In short, it’s creating something interesting enough for people to pass on to their friends, families and co-workers — and here’s the key — without being asked to do it.
Social networking sites such as YouTube, AOL Video, MySpace.com, Facebook.com, Twitter and the oodles of professional networking sites that exist, as well as tools like e-books and blogging are just a few of the options available to those wanting to share a message online. Your first question is, what do you hope to get out of social media marketing, then, what channels do you use to achieve it?
In short, identify your target(s) and then choose your channel accordingly. For example, Facebook users are primarily Caucasian men and women between the ages of 12-34, and have a household income between $30,000 and $100,000 a year. Over half have a college education or higher, and children ages 6-17 living at home. Overall, there are more than 200 million active users, with more than 100 million users logging on each day. Interestingly, the fastest-growing segment is the 35+ age group.
Does this profile fit your target? If so, then Facebook could be an effective option for you.
Once you’ve identified your channel, here are a few important things to remember:
- Don’t be obsessed with staying “on message.” People want honest, interesting and most of all — original — content.
- Use humor, it works.
- Make your content easy for people to share using direct links and well-trafficked sites.
- Don’t sell … instead share, stimulate, and engage.
- Share your message with a few of your most loyal “fans” first; if they like it, they’ll share. If they don’t like it, they’ll tell you.
- Be open, and be creative.
- Nothing is guaranteed to go viral, so do what you can (including the ideas listed above) to boost your odds. And remember, social media is only one component of your total marketing plan. To be successful, it needs to be combined with other traditional and non-traditional marketing.
If you’d like to learn more about viral marketing, social networking or other online communications tactics, contact Sarah Bacehowski at sarahb@millsmarketing.com – or learn more online at http://www.youtube.com/millsmarketing.
