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Use social media to build trust and develop relationships.
In social media, the vehicles are pretty apparent to everyone. We have Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, blogs, etc. How hard can it be?
They are all free and are all tempting you to use them to reach out to customers.
If you are responsible for the marketing of your organization, the subject has been broached by now, “What is your social media strategy?”
If your answer starts and ends with any of the properties listed above, then you don’t have a strategy.
I think about the book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” which outlines strategies for quickly developing deep relationships with others. Clearly people have, for years, made friends and have influenced others without a “strategy” for doing so.
However, there are some people for whom this comes naturally and others for whom they need a little help.
The same goes for social media which is unfamiliar ground for most marketers with little experience in social networking communities. One can certainly take the risk and just start chatting people up, however it would be nice to have a methodology.
Just because a person has a Microsoft Word template for a press release does not make them a public relations professional.
It is often quite apparent who is a pro and who is not both in PR as well as in social media (which go so closely hand-in-hand).
In PR, one must know the protocol for how to write, communicate with journalists; prioritize valuable activities; and develop a long-term strategy.
In social media the same is true though with its own unique twist. It is a careful process to gain the trust and confidence of your friends, followers and loyal customers. And, remember that, just as in the real world, you never have a second chance to make a first impression.
Find a pro who can help you with how to craft the impression you wish to leave.
Reid Carr is the president of Red Door Interactive, a social media management company. You can follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter @icowboy.
Tags: Facebook, linkedin, myspace, red door interactive, reid carr, SDNN, social media, Twitter, Uncategorized, win friends and influence people
