Social Media Content Marketing Advantage -Yinka Olaito
As a frontline Nigerian social media advocate and blogger on issues of Branding, Public Relations and social media, whose blog has earned international recognitions including the Top 100 Branding Blogs in the world as well as Top 150 career blogs that all professionals must read worldwide among, I always think about Nigerian brands and their attitudes to social media, content marketing and management. It is clear that most brands here do not consider the “social” in front of the social media. This is what sets social media apart from other kinds of media. To excel in social media, you begin with cultivating a social media mindset. Most people still have not understood what this platform offers.
All that we are currently doing is majorly titled toward social media abuse which is based on advertising and shameless ego promotion. This affects corporate brands more though.
Most have concentrated mainly on mainstream traditional media. They have neglected or are unaware that the only way to survive in this time is a two-way communication media which embraces not only the traditional but online media platform. As we know, the current trend today is for brands to first learn about their brides-customers, get their attention through the use of social media platforms like blogging, Youtube, Xing, Facebook, Del.ici.ous, Bookmarking, RSS, Podcasting, videocasting, Wikis among many other available online media.
The evolution of these new media has opened up opportunities to seek opinion, interact, court, date and offer irresistible proposals that will hook the bride. Today, customers are no longer buying the one-mode-fits-all offer by the traditional media. Some corporate brands here seem to hinge non-participation in online community building on such excuses like ‘we are not yet online, neither are there recognized consumer fora which have major convergence of consumers online’. They also claim that online forums here have no impacts on corporate performance. Some even claim that social media is alien to us. My answer is that social media is not alien. The fact remains that many things have been part of us; only that we do not accurately label them until the westerners help us out.
The idea of social media content marketing is rooted in cultural rituals where a couple gets engaged before they could start dating. The process demands that the suitor’s intention be established through family contacts, his integrity checked and a cogent promised made that he is interested in a serous relationship and not flings. Without these background checks, no one officially allows the intending couple to start dating. If this is violated, then the bride-to-be would be disciplined.
Drawing a parallel in this ancient ritual, the customers want the brand today to show that what matters is her, not money making. The customers want to be sure that out of the array of suitor-products and services, your brand can take the initiative of starting a conversation. The customer wants to be sure your brand is not just flirting. He wants to be sure that the brand is not looking out for short flings, but a real relationship that will enhance her lifestyle. Brands through social media content and social marketing can set up a bate by loading the right words in their contents to convince, educate and entertain the bride that they are out to make her life better even before selling anything.
Customers wants to see how much of your intellectual property will be made available without charges. The customer wants to find out you are a giver. One of their love languages is gift sharing. A giver without strings attached always takes the show. Social media content marketing requires a lot of commitment. It takes time before social media and content marketing can make huge impact. Any brand that can show high level of commitment in social media will always carry the day.
Typical case studies of brands with efficient use of social media include Tony Hseih. Tony’s followers in Twitter today are over 140 million. Hseih is the Managing Director of Zappos.com. Tony, through his ‘tweets’ has course to meet with customers at a bar while many in his position will rather hide under the guise of busy schedule. Tony uses Twitter to build interaction with customers; he uses twitter to solve problems for clients. The strength of Tony Hseih and Zappos communities has been used to strengthen relationships with the Zappos brand offline. Zappos’ clients freely give their ideas on what they want. These aids lead to co-creation of the brand’s products and services.
As busy as Richard Branson of Virgin group is, he also maintains a twitter account. He has used his twitter account to answer questions from angry customers as well as Virgin potentials. The Virgin group also has an integrated website that allows news update and blogs among other things. Southwest Airlines has used social media to build strong connections that impact on the brand’s offline interaction
A good example of the use of social media to spread messages and connection was recently demonstrated by Michael Jackson’s personal doctor. As we are all aware, it was once insinuated that he killed Michael Jackson through drug overdose. About a week ago, he used Youtube video to spread his part of the case. This video spread across the internet as well as mainstream media. The popularity of the virtual community has been soaring high and more people are paying attention, with both academics and marketing communication practitioners discussing it in advanced countries. Yet Nigeria brands have assumed the ‘I do not care attitude’. Nations and brands are not considered backward just because of their location, but due to their attitudes and disposition to the use of technology that will aid progress. Building emotional connection and loyalty with brands is becoming an easy thing through social media.
Social media has become a great platform to identify with, interact and communicate brand elements.
This often starts in online forum and lead to offline beneficial relationship. Today, nearly three billion of the seven billion potentials are now connected in social media platforms. Agreed the ratio is still low here but the number is increasing daily. Through social media, brands can ignite confidence in the hearts of the bride and build thought leadership. Your brand competitors may have better products and services, but they will surely lose out to you if you can build strong connection with customers before you ask them to buy through massive advertisement.
Having established this, let us now examine proper ways of participating in social media which is now being exchanged for web 2.0. For brands to actively participate in social media, brands need to observe, listen to and find clients’ hibernating medium. In doing this, brand should first define its social media strategy through careful evaluation of brand’s resources, analysis of the target audience, and identification of objectives. Having done this, brands must carefully pick or access platforms that fit their goals. This will inform the decision to run a blog or just to participate in other forums like Twitter, Facebook, discussion board, social media bookmarking, stumbleupon among others. Be sure you know that such platforms are used by your niche audience. Identify the top influencers of your industry online through recognitions given to their opinions, comments, awards etc.
To do this effectively, a brand may consider creating the position of community or social media/knowledge management manager or hire consultant who has track records in skills like community management, online reputation management, monitoring, tracking, podcast, video cast, web links etc. These skills do not require a programmer’s knowledge and in actual sense, they are used by customer relations, brand, and Public relations experts. The only requirement is passion that is backed with proven results. The said manger or consultant must also understand forum rules and reputation software, and know how to distribute contents without creating offense as this may be counter productive. Great ability to create qualitative content for blogs, create profiles and claim such blogs in online directories is also essential.
Social media content marketing management is seen as the collection of open-sourced, interactive and user-controlled online applications used to expand the experiences, knowledge and market power of the users as participants in business and social processes, the social media landscape is basically about conversation before any marketing campaign. Brands must therefore consider Rajesh Setty’s suggestion that the brand must demonstrate that it cares and is curious to find out what is the concern of the customers. It must contribute and make sure the content is worth their attention. It must clarify issues, build conversations that will lead to strong relationships, bring in a lot of creativity, demonstrate the brand’s character and values cherished, build community, bring changes, instil courage and be highly committed to a cause it believes in.
Social media and content marketing make your clients see your brand as unique resource, trusted advisor and a brand that makes them look good. This will make them to gladly exchange their money and loyalties for your commitment to the relationship. When you have so much to give, they will not wait to tell others about your brand. There are some other factors that come into play here but let us conclude today’s piece by saying that brand has several opportunities when it harnesses the two way communication of the new media.
# Yinka Olaito is a member of Social Media Club International, California, USA and Nigeria’s chapter President. Connect with him on yinka@yinkaolaito.com or Tel: 234 07029778785.
