[creative_master]

When it comes to social media marketing, what isn't hot these days...Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace...the list keeps going. And when considering using these social branding channels, these aren't just another set of marketing toys to play with, remember, these are your brand's identity. And with hundreds of millions of people scouring these sites for information daily, your connection with a potential customer needs to be seamless.

One aspect of any social media campaign that should be approached is to connect the dots within your marketing channel. There are a number of brands that dive into social media with a lack of experience in launching within the space.

So, let's put on a little scenario. Brand A has product X and creates a Facebook, Twitter and YouTube page. They take the time to pamper the process and create lasting value behind these pages, through effective videos, messaging, images, and interactive content that brings value to the brand. Excellent!

Now, next question: How are you sharing this content with your users?

* Send out email blasts
* Integrate the link within your email signatures
* Run an online media campaign around it
* Develop a PPC strategy for it
* Link the channels to your blog
* Integrate with direct mail, pamphlets, & brochures


But, what haven't you done yet?

Connect the Dots.

When building a social media strategy, it is crucial to connect a brand website with external social media properties. There are simple and advanced ways to do this:

1. Place simple calls-to-action on the homepage


This allows users to have a stronger connection to any social properties. A user's relationship with your product hinges on these particular moments. We are opening a door here by allowing users to quickly share and disseminate content across their own personal networks.

Allowing this opportunity for a user sets a clear goal for them. First, they are not confused by the 'impostors' that may be lurking on the web. These are the unofficial channels of a product, many of which exist. These channels have unclear and more than often, incorrect information listed - which hurts the brand's reputation in the end.

2. Build an Online Community Channel Within a Channel


This is a bit more work, as it requires building a channel on your website that captures the true meaning of all your social networks. This could include a live twitter feed, a Flickr gallery, calls-to-action that connect your Facebook, MySpace, Blog, etc. This builds a user's confidence about the brand, and removes any falsehoods that might exist in the social space otherwise.

By building in this access to the social properties for users, we build the relationship from a more personal connection. We've eliminated the falsehoods that might live within a user's mind, and connect users with accurate and efficient channel sharing capabilities.

This stems from an idea called relationship management. Companies often think of how to effectively build awareness to their social channels, grow their fans, followers, friends, etc. This is often part of what is coined a Phase I build-out for any social media program. Included in a Phase I build-out is an integration strategy, and connecting the dots between social properties and a brand website, often done during this phase - is a must-do.

I've seen the mistake more than often where brands build-out social channels, but fail to harness the conversation where they already receive the most traffic - their very own website.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about social media or just online marketing general.