Don’t be a party pooper. Be social…using social media strategies to generate sales.

Whenever technology throws us a new curve, the temptation for many business owners is to opt out—ignore it and hope it will fade away instead of becoming the next new thing that’s going to require updates to the corporate techno-skills set, software and maybe even hardware. It’s a problem: just when you think you’ve got a handle on the latest, a new trend arrives that’s going to cost you money and time. Remember in the “olden days” when the Internet was a trend that might either grow or die? What happened to the companies that decided to let that trend pass on by?

For people who didn’t grow up blogging or texting their friends, the shift to social media marketing may seem like a superfluous endeavor. After all, once your website’s ranked in Google and your shopping cart’s working, what’s the point, right? But here’s the point: millions of people, individual consumers and business owners alike, considering the purchase of goods or services, are skipping the general search and are heading right for their favorite network— Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Loop’d , Twitter and Tribe are a few that spring to mind. In social networks, people not only connect with old pals and engage in new love affairs; they exchange opinions on politics, philosophy—and products. In effect, the social network craze is providing all those people with the chance to say what they think, and to instantly engage the awareness of thousands of other people. Even a lukewarm business approach to online marketing must take social networks into account, because to ignore them will cost you money.

How the Hawk “tweeted”

Let’s take for example skateboard god Tony Hawk. On May 1, the 41-year-old entrepreneur tweeted: “There is a skateboard hidden in lifeguard tower #1550 next to Santa Monica pier. Go now!” It was one of the approximately 60 decks Hawk had hidden in cities around the world.  It attracted and mobilized 677,000 people to follow Hawk on Twitter.  Although Hawk insists that he didn’t mean this as a marketing ploy for his new skateboard line – Birdhouse and that he ran this contest from home, the effect was phenomenal. CNN and dozens of blogs picked the story up and soon photos of happy hunters appeared online. The simple effect of using Twitter got him millions of dollars of free advertising.

One of the best uses of the social media space by a B2B company is Sun Microsystems where they have created a community page revolving around Open source software and its applications. They connect with students, IT Managers and even executives. They’ve effectively used each social media platform and revolved it around topic categories from customer service issues to employee recruitment.

Wonder what your customers would really like? And what they’re willing to pay for it? In social networking, you can find out, just by reading. You can also post questionnaires, ask for input and see what people are saying about the competition. You can get new ideas, check out their potential popularity and then market them to the people who suggested them.

Retooling the online strategies you’re using now isn’t going to require a steep learning curve, which makes your time investment a worthwhile endeavor. So, what are the best ways to maximize your marketing strategies by tailoring them to the social networks? Here are ten to get you started.

1. Troubleshooting & Customer Service

Make it easy for existing customers to get what they want online. If you’re a B2B company, provide product information, diagrams and flow charts, replacement part sales, helpful information that solves product issues. As a B2C company, answering product questions and responding to problems immediately helps build strong relationships.

Take the example of Bank of America, they are using Twitter to solve their customer issues and  providing quick help concerning fees, or website issues. This has generated some great reviews.  Some people don’t want to call a company anymore: give them everything you would by phone, only do it online. Then, give them the chance to post their comments about your terrific customer service where potential customers will read them.

2. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a good way to reach out to those who don’t browse a lot. Add some social bookmarking applications in your emails to allow people to register to your content easily from your email newsletter.

3. Forums

Forums are a basic form of social marketing, before facebook was invented. They are still popular place for people to hang out, especially if you’re in B2B. Many of the techies still hang out in forums to discuss problems and issues they are having. There are a few lifestyle forums – here is one of the larger skater forums, Skaters Cafe with about 22,000 members.

If you’re scared about what people will say about your product or service in a forum, it’s a sign that you’re avoiding other problems. On the other hand, providing customers with a place to discuss things they find important is a service to them and a brilliant and free source of research for you.

4. Advice

This is suitable for B2B companies. Giving away expertise in a relevant area (even a tangential one) builds your credibility, promotes the idea of a caring corporate culture and involves your customer community. There is a saying – give more than you take. This definitely helps build strong relationships with your clients.

5. Blogging

The granddaddy of branding. This has to be one of the best tools to get your name out there and connect with potential clients/customers. A well-written blog can do wonders for opening up relationships and communicating your message, especially if you promote the blog properly. Include news on recent trade shows, marketing endeavors, and any research findings you don’t mind divulging. A major upside of the blog is that people don’t expect to read reams of information every day: tidbits, preferably enthusiastic and entertaining, will do. Some examples of best use of blogs by brands are: Crossfit.com a gym that became a way of life and spread it’s ideas around the world through its blog.

6. Measuring your reach.

With the advent of social media comes the biggest challenge for marketers. How can you measure its effectiveness? And how can it be done so it shows a clear path to profitability? Measure the interaction between people. Understand what is defined by user engagement, user participation, user conversation rate and blog feed subscribers. What is important to note that qualitative responses are more important – not page views or downloads.

Teeg from Social Media Mom posted a good article concerning social media measurement on how to measure audience  reach.

7. Micro-site/Mini-sites

Developing small relevant websites that revolve around your products, your company and your keywords is a great way to drive links, push out content and otherwise add to the search results for your product or company. These mini-sites can be text  or even video heavy. But how is this related to social media? Well you can create these mini-content sites using social media tools such as Facebook fan pages, create your own social media platform using Ning, or use Youtube and Vimeo to create video pages. Creating mini-content  sites using social media platforms is a way to not only support your main site, but also as a way to extend your brand.

The added bonus is content that you receive without having to spend a dime.  Some people will write about your product (as in free product reviews) for the sheer pleasure of seeing their writing online; others, because they want to share their impressions with others. In social media, the right writing at the right time can create a tidal wave of interest.

Word of mouth is faster than…

Social media networks generate a powerful buzz. Recently, United Airlines damaged a musician’s guitar, and after trying unsuccessfully to get the airline to admit responsibility, he wrote a song about it, and posted it on YouTube. He got millions of hits, and even the news agencies picked it up. The airline paid up, and then some. The guy got famous. Everybody else enjoyed it tremendously, especially those of us who’d suffered at the hands of United before. This is an example of a buzz, albeit a negative one. You can make little movies, place outright ads, feature happy customers singing songs about how great you are, shamelessly promote yourself—and get the ads to the people who want to see them.

Of course, the end product of all this work rests on your bottom line. When 80% of people in North America are getting their kicks online, online is the place for sales. The top social media sites experienced gains of 44% to over 115% between November of 2007 and 2008, and that buzz isn’t diminishing. Your path is clear: create your own buzz, then harvest the honey.

Alok Chowdhury

Follow us at