Social marketing is different from traditional marketing communications. The trick is to use the wide array of profile, social aggregator, influential bloggers, e-journals, and other social channels to reach a small number of influential people. If you offer them something relevant, compelling, and exceptional, they will tell their friends and associates. People exactly like them. This means effective social marketing is the creation of a strategy where a small number of influential people “clone” themselves. When their clones clone themselves, then 1+1 = 100.

5 Secrets to Social Media Success

In my practice, I have found there are five keys to success with social media. Focus on these items and you are likely to create a social marketing program that produces bottom-line profits.

1. Think Passions and Triggers

   
   Because the goal is to clone prospects, marketers need to think beyond demographics and lifestyles. Social prospects are moved to action if you appeal to their passions or when they have a trigger event in

   their life. Examine your most valuable markets to identify the characteristics of those passionate about your industry or category, and one-time or periodic events which move them to action. Those are your social marketing po

2. Know your Social EKG

   Social media monitoring and web analysis software allows you to gather key information on the “social buzz” surrounding you, your competition and the influentials you are trying to activate. Build trend reports, word clouds, heat maps and influential reports to determine the “social quotient” of your passion and trigger markets. Visit http://www.msinetwork.com to learn more.

3. Think Community Parity

   You must offer a level of “community experience” equal to your competitors. A one-time campaign ‒ even a great one ‒ will not keep your audience with you. To build a long-term relationship, you must first be the same as your competition in the eyes of the community members. For example, if you are looking to attract women planning their weddings, you can have a great webinar with some famous wedding planner, and they will flock to your site to hear them. But, unless you have other things of importance to them ‒ wedding tips, articles on how to plan your wedding ― the wedding community will go elsewhere to satisfy their needs. Your exceptional event will be a waste of money.

4. Then Be Exceptional

   If you want your passion or trigger market to clone themselves, you must do one of three things – entice, inform or engage. This means creating special events, information, community activities or other strategies that make your company exceptional in the eyes of your passion and trigger markets.

5. Think Integrated

   Many marketers think social marketing is simply placing something enticing on Facebook or Twitter and then waiting for it to go viral. Nothing is further from the truth. Social marketing involves creating a social calendar which “tickles”social profile, social aggregator, blog, e-journal and other social sites. The goal is to get to the places where your target community will see your exceptional promotion. This means multiple, coordinated marketing activities to create, nurture and expand the buzz about your company.

   Focus on these 5 secrets and you will develop a social marketing program which produces bottom-line profits for your company.