I see people all the time jumping headfirst into social marketing, whether it is marketing on social networks on blogs, micro-blogs and numerous other online channels. The problem is many times their shared communications seem canned, the tone is a bit off, the message is not cohesive and the approach, at times, can be rather aggressive.

“Why are you just barging into my universe?” “Stop selling to me!” “Spammer!” I hate to tell you, but people think this all the time. Even worse...in the online world, they shout it so everyone can hear.

First thing first: the wonderful world of online marketing is different than the wonderful world of traditional marketing, such as viral marketing, email marketing or social marketing. Although they have many things in common (target markets, communicate messages, distribution collateral, market research) the approach is vastly different.

The difference is social networks and online marketing are not just pushing the message through the channel...they are about building relationships and having conversations.

If you have been entrenched in social media marketing for quite some time, then these tips will keep you fresh. Brand new and desperate to see what everyone is talking about? So, many marketers try to jump on social networks for what they expect will be immediate returns. But every marketing initiative must have a strong foundation to be successful. We must understand and accept the philosophy of social marketing before we push the tactics.

Learning the philosophy of the social media channel and then finding dynamic ways of integrating it into your overall social marketing strategy. Unfortunately, most marketers have seen the value of being in the social network space without taking the time to learn how it differs from their traditional approaches. The problem is that the "conceptual" aspect of social marketing- ie, being a two way communication has to be executed. The fact is, most of what passes as social media fails this test- and badly.

Social media is about networking and authenticity. Too many companies think it is just another platform to monitor their brand, and expand its reach & frequency. We are seeing all the time that compared with social marketing, the traditional marketing methods don't work as well in this space. No one likes the person who forces their way into a conversation and blatantly sells their wares.

Instead this medium calls for a conversation - some back & forth - as it is truly the new form of word of mouth marketing or viral marketing. A referral is always better than a lead, and only when you truly understand, accept and take the time to nurture a relationship with the many individuals you can meet through Social Media will you actually begin to see results from it.

Diep Pham
(From internet)