Twelve Quick Uses for Social Media in the Marketing Mix

I constantly meet with SMB owners who confide in me that they “don’t get twitter”. Sometimes they are outspoken about their feelings that social media has yet to find its place in business. However, in most cases they admit (with a feeling of guilt) that they just have not figured out the value. Yet, they know others have found value. In Michael Kahn’s article A Dozen Applications for Social Media from the Chief Marketer site, Michael summaries why business should care.

Here are the 12 uses he promotes:

1. Listen to Your Consumers

2. Talk to Consumers Face-to-Face

3. Brand Yourself as an Expert

4. Monitor and Respond to Customer Service Issues

5. Manage Reputations, React Quickly to Crises

6. Create Massive Conversations about Your Brand

7. Dominate the SERPs

8. Optimize Ads to Perform … Just like Search

9. Microtarget Ideal Users

10. Harvest Data With Custom Apps and Sweepstakes

11. Promote Coupons and Deals to Sell Products

12. Create More Engaging Display Ads

I’ve long advocated that small businesses should get into social media first by listening to customers; so it’s no surprise to me that “customer service” uses of social media rise to the top of Michael list. If you are not doing any of these things, it is time to take your head out of the sand. Your competitors are doing it already but if you’re lucky maybe your competitors are less focused on the customer service applications.

Here is the link to Michael’s article… http://chiefmarketer.com/disciplines/online/0922-social-media-applications/