Social Media Strategies and Technologies

The conversationagent has released a report on “Marketing in 2009″,which has very useful insights from 12 experienced marketers.This report includes advice from seasoned marketers on social media marketing, social media measurement metrics, social media directions, developing internal brand, social media execution and predictions for 2009. While there are heated debates among ‘Social Media Experts’ on using measurement metrics and calculating  ROI!, because how one can effectively measure the outcome value from an engagement with people? and how can you put a price tag on the value of a conversation?, however in this report you will find how certain metrics can be used to measure the effectiveness of  your social media marketing.

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Summary of the report:

• Start your social media efforts with specific objectives and goals in mind, first listen to create a customer engagement.
• The key to measuring effectiveness of engagement from social media efforts is to have measurement metrics in place.
• Social media tools are only facilitators of message, you first need to understand the new medium to effectively use it.
• Social media marketing has low entry barrier in terms of cost but requires high caliber of knowledge to define, execute and refine the consumer engagement model.
• Social media does not replace marketing—it enhances marketing efforts as an additional indirect communication channel.
• The major entry barriers for organizations to use social media are internal legal policies, very minimal understanding of tools among leaders, lack of internal knowledge and co-ordination.

Insights from marketers:

• “Any successful social media strategy can create customer engagement.In order for engagement to be truly measurable in terms of effectiveness, we need to have metrics in place to measure the impact of such engagement on sales.” -  Olivier Blanchard

• “There are three imperatives for executing programs in 2009 - start with measurement, create content for the open Web and for mobility.” - Matt Dickman

• “The foundation and core of what social media is, consists of Five C’s. Conversation, community, commenting, collaboration and contribution.” - Mike Fruchter

• “With social media as a platform for participation, people can behave the way they were hardwired to behave in the first place – humanly, tribally.” - Francois Gossieaux
• “Social media enhances marketing efforts as an additional indirect communication channel.” - Beth Harte

• “Companies with greater social intelligence have stronger bonds with employees and customers, and that translates into revenue.” - Lois Kelly

• “Change ensures our own livelihoods - new opportunities and trends to capitalize upon, unique products and profit centers that merit development, robust innovation to leverage.” - Christina Kerley
• “Social media interaction allows us to have…well, interaction with our customers. It lets us see them as people instead of statistics and it lets us hear their voices.” - Jennifer Laycock

• “Social Media goals absolutely must be based on business objectives” - Amber Naslund

• “A proper social media education is more than just learning new tools. The most important lesson we can impart is the necessity to think ‘humans’.” - Connie Reece

• “Social media isn’t causing problems, but it is revealing them. And the problems aren’t new; they’ve been around for a while.” - Mike Wagner

• “The secret of success in social media is a product or service that people actually like and use.” - Alan Wolk

I highly recommended reading this report for all social media enthusiasts and marketers as it includes many actionable advice which is very rare to find else where.

Snap shot of this report is embedded below:

Social Media Marketing in 2009 -

What is your say?.