How to Maximize Social Networking

Go Big Wil Schroter is a serial entrepreneur, author and CEO of Go Big Network. wilschroter.com in Columbus, Ohio.

Social networking advertising skips assumptions, gives buyer action Will Schroter

Ten years ago, launching a Web site meant pouring money into banner ads, print campaigns and broadcast spots. These days those tactics have been relegated to footnotes in a Web site launch campaign.

The good news is they've been replaced with a new arsenal of Web marketing weapons that are more effective, relatively trackable and nearly free. The bad news is they can be hard to figure out.

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Nowadays, getting the word out means exploiting social networks like MySpace and Facebook, building buzz on social blogs like Digg.com and gaming Google's search engine.

By comparison, writing a check to get your commercial aired on TV seemed much easier.

Why the switch?

In order to understand the importance of the new lineup of social networks, social news and search engines, you first need to understand why they are so much more effective than traditional advertising.

Traditional ads relied heavily on the assumption that if you spent the money that people would see your ad in the paper. You assumed those people who saw the ad would buy your product.

You assumed that the money you spent on marketing translated into a return on investment.

Without a way to tie your ad spending to a purchase, it was a pretty big gamble.

The new suite of tools bypasses assumption and moves straight to action. Key-words typed into Google translate directly into an opportunity to purchase a product. Networks of friends on MySpace rally around a particular event that everyone actually attends. Each and every one of those actions is linked directly to a Web site that can help turn interest into action.

More importantly, the stakes are enormous. Consider that a social network like MySpace has the capability to reach over 100 million users instantly. Even a halftime ad during the Superbowl doesn't have that kind of reach.

Getting in the game Most marketing professionals are aware of these tools, but very few are qualified to do something with them. Your ad agency or marketing manager probably has experience with some aspects of social marketing, but not a lot of results from effectively harnessing its power.

There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the tool set is practically new. A deep, functional understanding of these techniques would take a dedicated history over the past five years, which few marketers have.

The second is age. Most marketers are somewhat older, likely well into or beyond their 30s.

Social media has been pioneered by its user base, many of whom are in their teens and 20s.

To illustrate this gap, ask a 16 year old if she has a Blacksonville, MySpace or Facebook profile, and there's a solid chance she says "yes." Ask a 36 year old if she has a profile on Facebook, and her answer will probably be considerably different.

Getting your business in the game is making sure your team truly understands social marketing. The best way to size up prospective partners isn't to ask what they know about social media, but asking how successful have they been using it? There are many people who use social media, but very few have built a successful business around it.

It's complicated As if finding the right people to orchestrate your social marketing campaign wasn't hard enough, learning how the different components come together is even harder. Getting a top position in the Google search results or a video that is forwarded to a million people on YouTube isn't a fluke. It requires a clear understanding of how these systems work together and how to manipulate them to work for you.

The best way to get up to speed on these systems is to use them. Create a Facebook profile,and comment on some popular blogs. It's difficult to understand the importance of these platforms unless you understand why users rely on them to communicate.

It's worth it

Social media is becoming the fabric of how we communicate to share important messages, whether about products or just our feelings.

The smart marketers of the future will learn how to weave their messages into these discussions the way television advertisers learned how to weave their messages into popular shows. The stakes are high because so many people are paying attention.

Finding the right people, learning complicated systems and throwing out what you know about traditional media planning may sound like a stretch, but let me tell you - it's worth it.