Dosovo | Marketing and Web Strategy

People are bombarded by messages every day. Social networks are a dime a dozen. Power users in the social media space may use many different platforms to interact with their network, but results from a Universal McCann study (source: eMarketer, 08/16/09) say that internet users are “starting to focus their digital life” around specific networks in particular, rather than using various specialized tools with unique features of their own.

More people are engaged in social media

More people are definitely using social networks – figures show 59% of active web users (those with access at least every other day) in 2009 have a social network profile, up 16% from 2008.

It’s not necessarily important that people are creating profiles, as this has been on the rise for some time, but rather where they are creating those profiles. People that have been in the “scene” for several years are accustomed to managing and maintaining multiple profiles, but Universal McCann says the new mainstream users are just focusing on one.

Remember who your target market is? Follow them

Several posts ago we discussed finding your target market and said that their location should influence your decisions for marketing. That rule still applies, and probably even moreso now. If your customers are spending most of their time on one social platform, that had better be the cornerstone of your web strategy. If they aren’t using the latest and greatest social tool, you probably shouldn’t be using it either.

Incorporate more options into what you do

Another interesting statement from the Universal McCann report says they are seeing a “decline or stasis” in the use of separate sites for individual activities. Instead, users are looking for a single social network that consolidates various tools and features into one place.

Keep this in mind when you are designing and developing your own initiatives. What can the user do on your site? Would they be more active if you could incorporate more functionality? Should you be integrating with their top social network instead of building something of your own?

Also important to note is that despite users’ tendencies to consolidate their social media activities, you should still give them options for how and when to engage with your brand. If your market does use several networks, give them those same options when interacting with you. Consolidation may seem easier for you, but it isn’t about you. It’s all about your customers.

Which platforms have you found to work best for your audience? Where do they congregate?

Since the beginning of time men and women have gathered together to tell stories, share information, debate and communicate, but the forms of communication have changed over the years. Long ago we could gather around a fire and tell stories. Today, that’s called going on vacation or camping. Of course we still love to sit around a fire and tell stories and roast marshmallows, but now we don’t need a fire or even need to be in the same state.

Back in the day sending a letter could take more than a couple days. In the mid 1800s they used what they called Pony Express. As the fastest mode of travel for information at the time, people could send letters from East to West and back again. With the introduction of letters in the modern-day mail system and the telephone, communication got even faster. As technology continued to advance we were presented with email, cell phones and text messaging. Now many cell phones have the ability to connect to the internet and offer access almost anywhere in the world.

The new age

We are in an age of information. Anything you could ever hope to learn is at your fingertips and sharing that information is just as easy. With the many different social media channels available to us, finding and searching for news, information and stories…just happens. Many times you don’t need to search at all. Many people who participate in social media are passing on what they hear about or find interesting. We have the ability to hear about news first. You don’t have to wait for 5 o’clock or the prime-time news anymore. You can boot up your computer, pull up the internet and log in. Like the speed of light and the speed of sound, news and information seems to move almost as fast.

It’s not all about news, it’s about relevancy

Not everyone wants to learn about news and information, some want to learn about the latest music or movies that are coming out. The great thing about the internet and social media or social networking is that you are not alone. You can find others who have the same interests you do and get involved. You can have your opinion and share it. Others can comment on your thoughts and ideas. You can engage in discussions in forums, chat rooms and websites.

People are still coming together to tell stories, share information, debate and communicate. For some people the conversation may not have changed at all. What has changed is the time and place for where these interactions take place.

We all have time, you just have to decide if you want to participate in the conversation. The only other thing that’s different is now we have a vehicle that can take us anywhere.

What interests do you have?

What do you like to learn, teach or talk about? Are you involved in any social media sites already? If you are, but have not taken to time to try out your new wheels, what are you waiting for?

Here are the keys. You have the vehicle. The roadmap is direction. You just have to decide where you want to go. Take it for a spin and see what you think.

With technology and the internet we have an abundance of choices. The great thing about this is that businesses can now do the things they wanted to do ten years ago. The bad thing is that sometimes we get too excited. Sometimes we have great ideas and learn about new things that get us so excited we try to run before we can crawl. It’s important that with these advances in technologies and communication channels that we create a plan that is specific, attainable and measurable. We need to have a focus on objectives and goals.

Take time to start with a plan

If you don’t know where you want to go you could walk in circles for months. Take the time to identify what your objectives are and then create a plan around them.

As you move forward you will find it’s easier to be measure your actions once you know where you want to go and why you are doing it. By having specific outlined objectives and goals it will allow you to listen more effectively and engage with others more purposefully.

Without your objectives and goals clearly defined, you may confuse those you are connecting with and mistakenly send them less-than-accurate messages. You want to be crystal clear and as transparent as possible. Don’t leave it to chance. People will interpret things differently than you may have intended.

Objectives and goals make everyone more comfortable

If you are an employee or a consultant working with a business who is wary about social media, having objectives and goals become more like checkpoints. It is both a way to mark your progress for yourself, but also for your customers/clients. Take note of what is happening and track this information, as you’ll want to reference it often and present to others.

If you find yourself tasked with outlining your objectives and goals, do some research. Try to find other businesses that are utilizing social media. What are some of their goals? What are they trying to do with social media to benefit and add value to their business?

For example, if you are thinking about using Twitter, try to find another business already doing it well. Look at some of your competitors. Take some time to read about the information they post. How are they interacting with their customers/clients? Does that fit with your business’ culture and/or philosophy? This is also a great time to remind you that social media is about the relationships, not the technologies used to form them. Is your target market using Twitter, or are they using something else?

Start with small, actionable steps

I hope that after reading about setting objectives and goals you are not feeling anxious. You don’t have to take on the biggest and most difficult goals right away. Start small and take actionable steps. Continue to build off those small actionable steps into doing more of them more often. Once you feel comfortable and confident, you can begin to raise the bar. Make some short term goals and make notes on how you will accomplish them. Give yourself a deadline so you don’t slack off. Once you have made some short term goals, move on to larger long term goals. As always, make notes about how you plan to achieve them and document your progress along the way.

When you take the time to develop a great plan of attack with objectives and goals that make sense for your business, social media will be much easier to handle. Finally, remember that things don’t happen overnight. It takes time, just like building a business.

What problems have you encountered while trying to set actionable goals in your plan? How can we help you get past those hurdles?

Whether you are starting a new company or have been in business for years, you probably already know that the name of your venture will have a LARGE impact on your marketability. If you are too generic you’ll get lost in the marketplace, but if you are too wild you may not be taken seriously.

Your brand name is usually the first impression you have on a potential customer, so don’t you want it to be positive? The fate of the sale between your business and that consumer hangs in the balance during those few tense moments. Will you survive? Will they remember you?

How a good name can help

A good brand name does three things for your business:

• Identifies who you are
• Illustrates what you do
• Makes you memorable

This stuff is marketing 101. While there are highly successful companies and brand names that don’t do some of these things, you’ll be better off if you can build those qualities into your brand.

Do research online (or is that the first step?)

Aside from checking through all the legal channels around selecting your brand name, you also need to do some searching online.

If you’ve got the perfect name but it is a highly tarnished brand online, you probably don’t want to move down that route. At the same time, if you can’t get a good domain name that relates to your brand, you’ll be better off going back to the drawing board.

Get it right the first time

As you develop your marketing and web strategy, the internet (and your domain name) will be a key factor in everything you do. Starting things off with an unremarkable domain name (or with a variation of your name using .biz or .net) is going to be a big headache in promoting what you do, so you’ll want to get it right the first time.

Due to the remaining availability of good domain names, many entrepreneurs will make selecting a good domain name the first part of their branding process. It is always possible to switch to another domain name later in the process, but it can be a painful experience for you and your customers as you switch the technology over, change your branding, marketing materials, etc.

You have to be online

Phonebooks are landing in recycling bins just as fast as they can be distributed, while search engines and social media continue to rise in use as people look for the companies and brands they want to interact with.

Will your brand be there if someone is looking?

Remember: if they can’t find you online, you don’t exist.

With the advances in technology in the past several years, it has opened countless doors for anyone willing to take action. Businesses are able to get more done by doing less. We are living in a world where everything is at our fingertips. The only problems we run into are choices in direction. You can be anywhere and do just about anything using the internet.

The big question many businesses face and need to know is what direction to go. What will surprise you is that you can answer the big question with another question: Where is your target market?

Until you know your target market, you know nothing

There are plenty of books, blog posts and articles asking tough questions about marketing and social media, but knowing where your target market is and what they are like is the question to rule all the rest. Knowing that target market will drive which channels you use and how you will use them.

Try thinking about these questions as a way to jumpstart your answers:

• Who do you want to target?
• What do you want to say to your target market?
• What do you want your target market to do?

Step into the role of your customer

When you think about your target market or your business’ ideal customer, you have to think about things from their perspective. In the end it doesn’t matter what you want, because they are the one who is going to make the decision or take the action.

Identify the channel(s) important to your market

There are several social media channels that are very well known and there are others you may not know about yet (plus new ones being created every day). However, knowing who your customers are, what they need/want and what is important to them will guide you into the right channels for the job.

Depending on your business and target market, you may need to take advantage of several different channels, or you may be able to focus on one. What is important is that you talk with customers on their level. If they are in chat rooms talking about things similar to your product/service, being a fly on the wall may not hurt. By listening, you may learn great things from your own customers.

Listen, engage, rinse, repeat

We have heard many times, from many people, that social media needs to be focused on the relationships, not the technologies. By listening and engaging with your target market it allows you to be more transparent with your intentions and to create the products that they really want. Be real and honest with those you engage and take the time to learn.

By utilizing social media and it’s available technology channels, you may even discover a market you didn’t know existed. There may be other demographics that have a need for your product or service. And may find people who are just excited about your company and that you operate where they do.

Reflect on your customers, think about what they want

Pretend you’re a customer for your company:

• What would you want to see?
• How does that make you feel?
• What direction do you want to go from there?
• Does having the opportunity to talk with a business as a customer appeal to you?

At times social media can feel like a game of hide and seek, but by doing research and asking yourself some basic questions, the game becomes much more fun.

So, do you want to hide, or seek?

Welcome to the Dosovo blog. This resource is being provided by our staff to help educate those interested in marketing and web strategy.

The intention of the blog is to post resourceful articles about how to develop marketing and web strategies, to discuss current trends, to assist others with their needs and to keep track of what our company is doing.

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