There’s an old song by The Police called “Truth Hits Everybody” that would make an apt theme song for brands and their experiences with social media.  All sorts of truths will hit a brand when it starts exploring and participating in the social media conversation.  Some truths will be pleasant ones, like receiving praise from brand loyalists who pat a brand on the back for services provided.  Other truths, however, might be the equivalent of a hard punch to the stomach, criticisms that knock the wind out of a brand and leave it gasping for breath.  A brand ready for hard truths, however, will be more capable of rolling with these punches and more able to make its social media experience a fruitful one.

Social media is by nature an open forum.  Brands need to keep that in mind and be ready for a candid discussion when they dive in.  The conversation cannot be limited if a brand wants to be considered sincere in its social media efforts.  Some brands have learned the hard way that dealing with negative feedback by no longer allowing it to be part of its social media dialogue only leads to more bad buzz, but just away from where the brand could have addressed it directly.  While brands can’t control the conversation, they can react and respond to it.  Just making this type of effort can help a brand’s reputation, even if the source of the criticism is still not assuaged.

While some criticism will come from users whose extreme dislike for a brand will limit the potential for a rational exchange of opinions, the majority of criticism will come from consumers who have had some type of problem with the brand, be it quality of product or customer service received.  If specific consumer criticisms begin to appear with enough frequency to be considered an actual trend, a brand needs to understand how to process and address this feedback.  This type of consumer input is a valuable component of the social media payoff a brand can receive.  By listening and responding to critiques of itself and its performance, a brand can take steps to provide solutions to consumer complaints.  By displaying this level of interest in and valuation of consumer opinions, a brand can generate positive buzz. Then the same consumers who once had complaints about a brand can become its advocates, spreading the good word about the brand and its efforts.

To capitalize on the exposure and consumer information that engaging in the social media conversation can provide, a brand must be ready for candid and frank user appraisals.  Brands must develop thick skins and open minds as well as a willingness to take the steps needed to try and remedy customer criticisms or they will miss the chance to take advantage of all the benefits a successful venture into the social media realm can provide.

This quarter we are covering the topic of social media marketing and I wanted to take some time to discuss social search, which is the integration of search engine marketing with social media marketing.

There are a couple of necessary steps to consider before launching a social search campaign:

• Make sure you have done the research on which social media communities are relevant to your product and/or service. For social search you will want to ensure that the content on those sites are relevant to the key terms you are focusing on for your search engine optimization efforts. Sites that appeal to your target audience which do not have relevant content may be extremely beneficial from a social media marketing standpoint, but will provide limited benefit in terms of SEO. Make a prioritized list of sites that you will target. Your highest priority site will be both relevant in content and relevant to your audience.
• Create a list of topics that you want to discuss on your targeted sites. The topics you choose should be prioritized as well. The highest priority topics will be those that focus on your SEO targeted key terms and relate your brand to your audience appropriately.

Once you have determined the most appropriate sites and topics for your social search efforts you can begin working on content for your posts. To achieve the SEO benefits from your posts on social media communities, keep the following in mind:

• When using targeted key terms from your search engine optimization campaign, use them as anchor text links so you get the value of that keyword pointing to your site. In addition to getting the anchored key term, you also get a very valuable backlink to your site, a major factor in the algorithm that determines your organic rank.
• If you are unfamiliar with the rules on social media sites about followed links, do some research on your targeted social sites. If your links are not followed by the search engines, you will not get a backlink for that post.

Always remember that your brand is being represented in the community when you engage in a social media campaign, including campaigns focusing on social search. While you are engaging in efforts to increase your search rankings, you will need to ensure that your brand integrity remains intact throughout the process.

Join Amberly Stitzel and Scott Million as they discuss the ways that Social Media Marketing can enhance Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click Marketing results.

 LFI University - LeapCast 05.12.08 - Integrating Social Media Marketing with Search Engine Marketing: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We have been tackling the topic of social media this month, and I want to take it into the realm of integration for a bit…

So just how does social media fit in the grand scheme of things? Perfectly, in fact, as it compliments the majority of the interactive marketing we are already engaged in. From PPC to SEO, online contests to brand building, social media can be used in conjunction with other efforts to boost not only brand equity online but also conversions.

Several recent marketing endeavors for our clients have included social media as a component. Social media marketing has been used to further the conversation online with the ultimate goal of singling out brand advocates and planting the seeds they need to carry our brand message to their social web. From carrying on brand conversations in blogs and forums to establishing a brand’s presence in well established social networking arenas such as MySpace and Facebook, social media marketing is a natural extension of a user’s current online behavior. We have chosen to use social media in conjunction with more mainstream interactive efforts because we believe it places our message exactly where it needs to be found.

To this end, we may place display advertising on a site where conversations have been very positive and numerous in an effort to further the brand advocacy we have already enjoyed. We may divert PPC media to the same blog temporarily to bolster traffic and discussion about our brand.

Bottom line: Social media is not always a singular activity or marketing endeavor. It represents one of many arrows we keep in the proverbial quiver to help our brands truly achieve online brand dominance. While social media was not coined until recently, the platform has been around for years and choosing not to take advantage of its tremendous benefits is the equivalent of sticking your head in the sand.

Join Michael Wunsch and Scott Million as they discuss Social Media Marketing and where it fits in a complete interactive marketing strategy.

 LeapCast - LFI Tips and Trends: 04.24.08 - Where SMM Fits: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Join Katina French and Scott Million as they discuss Social Media 101 and changes to the Social Media Landscape.

 LeapCast - LFI University: 04.17.08 - The Social Media Landscape: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Join Mike and Katina as they take an honest and realistic look at why brands are hesitating and holding back on committing to digital advertising and interactive marketing, and the recent developments that might address those concerns.

 Realizing the Potential of Digital: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download