People often assume social media is just merely setting up a Twitter or Facebook account and posting updates periodically. In the book "Socialnomics", Qualman explained the importance of implementing a social media campaign, and the components that make for a successful campaign.
Having worked for a large corporation, it is a common sight for me to see large corporations and brands embracing the social media trend to perfect every detail and to make every aspect of the campaign "perfect" or "professional". However, one of the functions of social media is for brands and companies to connect to their consumers and to build a community of followers. Qualman explained that sometimes, keeping your message simple will allow you to connect to your followers at a more personal and organic level. Additionally, the lack of top-level editing can decrease the lag time to get the information to consumers. Qualman cited several examples such as the Obama campaign filming "behind-the-scenes" footages using amateur filmmaking techniques to make the video more personal.
As more people become involved in providing information over social media, the "transparency and speed of information flow via social media mitigates casual schizophrenic behavior" (Qualman, 126). Often times, we see celebrities subconsciously misbehaving within the social media realm and posting less than desirable status and media content; and we have seen the effects of their actions negatively affecting their 'personal brand' and careers. Likewise, it is important for corporations to stay consistent in what they are good at and focus on a particular niche. Focusing on a particular niche allows your brand to stand out from the competition, as opposed to being well-rounded.
As marketers, one of the most important lesson to creating a successful social media and marketing campaign is to be creative. With the advancement of innovative technologies such as Hulu and TiVo, media consumers today are technologically-savvy enough to tune out traditional advertisements commonly found TV programs. Hence, it is important for us to be creative in order to be able to reach our targeted audience. For example, by integrating our marketing messages into regular programming, such as the Charles Schwab campaign in the Fantasy Football podcast. Another good example listed by Qualman is the "Tom Sawyer" approach used by ESPN to identify a Superfan to do free reporting for them. Not only is this a cost-cutting measure, but it also creates a community of fans and followers for the brand. In order to successfully develop such campaigns, it is imperative for marketers to not only be creative when utilizing the different social media platforms, but also to listen and engage in conversations with their followers and fans.
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