Strategic social media marketing

The introductions to each chapter ...

Chpt 2 Who uses what?
In chapter one, the how and why of users' participation in and with social media was addressed, but the introduction to this section of the book spends a while considering which social media platforms are the most popular. However, such is the nature of both social media and that the titular subject of this book is constantly changing - and this chapter is the one that is most likely to see change in the lifetime of the book.

Chpt 3 Social media and the digital transformation
Sometime between the 'birth' of the Internet as a commercial entity (around the mid-1990s) and the turn of the new century business - indeed, the world - passed through what has been called the digital revolution. In my book of that title (Charlesworth, 2009) I say in its introduction;
'The digital revolution has changed - and will continue to change - the way in which customers expect organizations and brands to communicate with them. Bombarding passive customers with one-way marketing is no longer acceptable. Customers want to be in a conversation. They want to be part of the brand. They want a voice - and the Internet has given it to them.'
Naturally, I endorse that statement. However, five years later we have moved on from the digital revolution to what many people see as the digital revolution. This is, in effect, the result of the digital revolution. However, I would suggest that my comments on the digital revolution are equally valid when applied to the digital transformation - with one small change. I would change 'the Internet' to 'social media'. Okay, so I am being a little pedantic given that digital social media exists on the Internet - but although the Internet did give everyday folks a platform on which to make their opinions known, it was social media which really brought people together and allowed each and every one of those people to be in a conversation with brands; to be part of the brand; to have a voice in the marketplace. And that is why I feel the subject qualifies for a chapter in a book on social media marketing - for it is the digital transformation that has made social media marketing viable.

Chpt 4 Ownership and measurement
Such is the nature of social media marketing, and so quick has been its introduction and development that there is not yet a definitive answer to the question of to which department has 'ownership' - and so, management - of its operation. As with any corporate initiative, without a single point of ownership, those initiatives are extremely difficult to control and manage - and so be unlikely to succeed in their objectives.
Although it may seem to be a statement of the obvious, but it is worth emphasising that the choice of what is the right measurement for any social media marketing is determined by the objectives of that social media marketing strategy. It never ceases to amaze me just how many organizations set out on any form of digital marketing without have distinct objectives - and social media marketing is perhaps the most guilty of all. Having determined objectives, there are a number of ways to measure their success - or otherwise.

Chpt 5 Social service and support
The point is made in the preface of this book that many - if not all - of the various subjects covered in this book are inextricably linked, and those addressed in this chapter are no exception. However, there is first an issue of what is it called to be addressed.
This book is called Social Media Marketing - and yet in this section of the book I am going to ask the question of what is marketing? The reason it must be addressed is that marketing is normally seen as attracting customers, and once they become customers a different department of the organization takes over. For example, advertising might attract people into a Tesco store - but would that organization's marketing department be responsible for the store layout, its cleanliness and staff? Similarly, a marketer in a B2B engineering company might be responsible for making a sale to a customer, but after that they play little or no part in the design, manufacture and delivery of the finished product.
So why should customer service be one of my stated objectives for any social media marketing strategy? A marketer might put forward the argument that this is the case because the service offered by a supermarket is actually the product that the customer has bought, therefore the delivery of the product - in this case a service - falls under the remit of the marketing department. Naturally, in a smaller business the demarcation lines are less obvious, with staff and departments working much closer together.
However, digital technology in general and social media in particular have changed the relationship between the organization and the customer - and it is the organization that accepts that every employee has a role to play in its marketing (the concept of market orientation) which has gained most from the digital revolution. And if we accept that this is the way that businesses must now operate if they are to be successful - then service and support is most certainly part of marketing. Think of it, perhaps, as post-sales engagement.

Chpt 6 Social customer relationship management
This is another subject where the understanding, interpretation and practice of what the actual subject is vary. In the previous chapter the role of the marketer is questioned once the potential customer has converted to being a customer - by its very name, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) implies that the concept applies to existing customers. However, in this case, the marketer's role is to encourage the existing customer to spend still more money with the organization.
I have been a strong proponent of the argument that although contemporary CRM systems, when installed and implement correctly, can be extremely effective - and when badly considered and implemented poorly, they can alienate the very customers they seek to manage.
The philosophy of social CRM is that of an emphasis on engagement with and empowerment to customers - and not management of them.

Chpt 7 Social media monitoring for market intelligence
Although the title of this chapter is specific in describing its content, it is worth starting with a reminder that social media can be used as a medium for distributing and collecting market research. However, I consider that to be predominantly content for a book on market research and not social media marketing. That said, it is worth noting that market researchers have been quick to recognise the value of social media in generic market research.
The characteristics of good practice for all research apply equally to social media research. The collection of pertinent data has always been determined by the three Vs - volume, velocity, variety. It is too often the case that digital technology enables the - relatively easy - collection of high volumes of data. And volume is the least important of the three. Before employing software to collect copious amounts of data, marketers need to be sure that they not only possess the skills and time to analyse the data, but that the data can be translated into information which in turn can be used to improve the organization's marketing.