Campaign versus Community – Successful social media marketing takes both …but not in that order.

Campaign

Community

One of the challenges that can limit your success with social media marketing is that you’re thinking in terms of a social media campaign, and not about creating an online community. A social media campaign can be a critical component of your marketing strategy but it’s the strength and loyalty of your online community, in large part, that will make your social media campaigns a success (or not).

The reason social media has become such an incredibly popular marketing vehicle ISN’T because a company can send their message out to so many people, so easily, so cheaply; it’s because a company’s message can be RECEIVED by so many people, so easily, so cheaply. See the difference?

One reason someone might read – e.g. receive – and then act on a Tweet, a FourSquare post or a Facebook update may be because they happen to be “ready” for the message. More likely, is that person has “a relationship” with or is a member of a common community and cares about what the sender  has to say. Building an online community is building online relationships. Your Tweets, FourSquare posts and Facebook updates are more often #1) received and then #2) acted on by people who care about what you have to say, e.g. people with whom you have a relationship and/or share a community.

I’m using the term “online community” in the general sense. I don’t mean a specific website or custom social network. Your online community might be your Twitter followers, your Facebook friends and/or fans, subscribers to your email newsletter and/or blog, etc. Your community is made up of the individuals who are following what you do and say online – wherever that might be.

How do you build – and then nurture an online community? I know I sound like a broken record, but the first thing to do is to be very clear about:

• Why do you want to be onine?  Is it to increase your brand awareness/perception? To reduce costs? To get closer to your clients/prospective clients?
• Who are the potential members of your community?
• Where do these potential members “hang out” online, and why?

(A previous post, Getting Started, might be of help.)

Now that you’re clear about all that, just go to “Where” (Twitter, Facebook, their blog, LinkedIn group) the “Who” (your potential community members) are.  If you have Twitter followers or Facebook fans you’ve already started.

Make contact. Don’t spam them or try to sell them, but “listen and converse”. If they have a blog, read it and leave thoughtful comments; ask insightful questions. If they’re on Twitter, follow them and comment on a tweet or two, or ask a question or two – get involved in or start a conversation. You’ve heard this a million times. It’s no different than networking IRL. You just have to DO IT.

Don’t worry about how many Twitter followers or Facebook fans you have, especially in the beginning. This isn’t something that only “works” if you have over 100, 1000 or 10,000 followers. Fewer engaged and loyal individuals in your community is better than a slew of uninvolved members any day. And don’t forget – “Followers” are people. These people are the key to your online community success. Make sure you treat them that way. Stay engaged with them, continue to respond to their comments and questions regularly.

Done well, your online community will support and “share” your social media campaigns with their friends and other online communities – and so on, and so on, and so on… Thus is the power of a successful online community.