How to use social media effectively as a catalyst

The socialisation of the web has made it evident that brands that want to succeed online must feel and act like humans, not like desperate, distant corporations. Some social media marketers have taken on the role of teaching brands how to be human: don’t say stupid things, don’t feed the trolls, and don’t dominate the conversation – pretty fundamental stuff that somehow got lost during the incorporation process.

One of the most effective, simple ways to get people to care about what we're doing is to do something worth caring about: getting behind a cause. Brands have been benefiting from cause marketing for a long time, but the catalytic nature of social media has brought three additional benefits to the cause marketing table:

       1. Access to increased publicity
       2. The ability to be a vocal activist instead of a silent philanthropist by joining conversations
       3. The ability to bring customers into the support process

When it comes to social media, or any marketing for that matter, brands must find ways to leverage all of their assets in the same direction. Just like the offline world can easily be used for online gain, so too can traditional media be leveraged in the new media space.

Mainstream press is harder to get, but still drives significant awareness, especially among ‘everyday’ people who aren’t spending all day on the internet. And the names of old media carry significant cache, enough to drive double-digit increases in conversion rates simple because of the credibility their names lend.

The ultimate success of a social media strategy depends on the ability to recognize problems and seize opportunities to solve them. When considering the needs of campaign, whether it’s brand equity or an immediate spike in interest, traditional media as another tool in toolbox should be considered that could meet those needs. However, that part of the strategy should involve doing, saying, or making something interesting and worth talking about.

Today social media marketing has been widely practiced. There is less focus on the benefits and more on its implementation. Marketers are being challenged not on the potential benefits but rather on how to get those benefits. Hence social media is neither the end nor the beginning of any marketing effort. Social media is a catalyst that works effectively when it is finely woven into the fabric of a Brand's other activity. Hence it is a question of how social media will fit into the context of other business activities.

So social media strategy can be inherently paired with technology and without technology social media can not exist. However, its role in creating a social media strategy often goes understated. Having a plan in place for making a technological changes on the fly is an important ingredient in the fast-paced social media world. Technology is more than just a potential cost that bloats social media campaign, it is also the life that fuels them. The most important synergy to be focused by any company delving into social media is one between their technology team, internal or external and their marketing team driving the strategy.

In todays corporate world replete with scans and scandals one needs to be honest in their efforts at social media activism to gain the respect of the larger public. Dont undertake a social activity with just the PR in mind but undertaking one honestly would generate a lot of positive PR not just amongst the competition but also amongst your peers and customers alike.

This in itself would prove to be the right catalyst.