5 Must-Do's in Social Marketing

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The deeper I get into social media the more I love it. Sure, 90% of all new visitors are finicky. They would rather stumble on to the next page than read what you have to say. That's OK.

I get the same way sometimes. It's that rush. You get that shot of adrenaline right before you see what Stumbleupon picks for you next! And if you experience what I just described - there are doctors out there. Good ones.:0)

Unfortunately, a lot of marketers treat social media as a dumping ground much the same way they treat television advertising and radio ads. They produce something, get it out to the masses, and forget about it. Their job is done. Why stick around?

In social media - persistence is everything. I'm not talking about hitting a girl you like over the head so that she comes home with you. I'm talking about joining the conversation.

5 (plus some) Must-Dos In Social Marketing

You Must Give To Get. If you ever want to see any sort of return from social media, you HAVE to give some to get some. That means trolling Twitter and replying to conversations you like. That also means digging a few stories a day that you particularly enjoyed.

If you want traffic from these sources, start by participating in the community...

Commit A Block Of Time. Time is valuable. Both to you and the people who follow you. Set aside an hour a day to build friendships through social marketing. Help promote someone else's work. Leave a comment on a blog post. Buy an ebook that someone is promoting.

Don't be afraid to leave a trail.

Be Transparent. Be truthful and honest. People are smarter than you think. When you incessantly promote your own work, people will unsubscribe and unfollow pretty quick. Remember, if something is valuable to you, chances are someone else might appreciate it.

Understand that the Internet is different. The web is a living, breathing thing. It isn't newspaper advertising; nor, is it a TV commercial. You can't control what your message is going to get morphed into. It's that simple. So be prepared for foul language and someone saying they don't like your product or anyone associated with it. It happens.

It sucks, but it happens.

Social Marketing isn't an analytics darling. Contrary to what a lot of marketers will tell you, the true benefits of social media don't lie in analytics. They lie in branding and promotion.If you land on the front page of Digg, your site will get 50,000 visitors in an afternoon. How many of those people stick around for more than 2 days? Maybe 200.

Instead, think of it as exposure. 50,000 were exposed to your message. The second time they come across it, they might stay. They might buy.When you walk into Macy's and see a $350 Ralph Lauren jacket, do you immediately buy it? No, you think about it. You visit it again. You check your bank account. You ask your friends. Then you make the purchase two weeks later.

Be Relevant Because if you're not, you're spam and we hate spam.

Stay consistent Building your business is all about brand recognition and for that to happen you must stay focused on your message an1d your audience.There are millions of blogs out there and it is tempting to sign up for hundreds, but it is better just to stay grounded and actively participate in only a few that way you can build a following easier because you're focusing your efforts instead of spreading yourself out too thin.

Another good idea by Seth Godin is to take into consideration the picture you use on your social media sites and what it says about you both personal and professionally.

Learn, Unlearn, Re- learn Learn - Spend some time up front to understand the basics. Know the technologies, the principles of communication, and the history of social media. Understand what your customers are using to solve their problems today and how your competitors are using social media to solve their problems.

Un-Learn - Whenever social media makes you uncomfortable, write down what it is you "know" is making you nervous. Based on what you "learned", consider "un-learning" or releasing this orthodoxy. You are going to have to change some of your long-held beliefs to be successful.

Re-Learn - Now that you've identified what's holding you back and created some holes of knowledge to fill, go out and re-learn what you're missing. You're obviously approaching advertising differently now, so now go do some research to see what tools and frameworks you need to apply going forward.

Social marketing will get better. It's still too new. As more time goes by, there will be more tools that help you slice up the metrics and more services that will be launched. The fact remains, you need to interact.