Social Media Strategy: Response

The way I see it, new media is the umbrella that encompasses everything from social media marketing to viral marketing to mobile marketing. Essentially, anything that does not interrupt a consumer with a great focus on consented, engaging and value providing content.

So what is social media? A few days of research, thinking and graphics work have lead me to two key strategies that can be undertaken when it comes to social media marketing. The first, which I’ll be covering here is Response and the second, which I’ll be posting tomorrow, is Broadcast.

Above the line is from marketer’s point of view. Below it, is from the consumer’s.

Monitor
Before jumping into the pool it is important to test the water. Observe your consumer and community in focus from afar. Before posting a comment on someone’s blog, you must first understand what they’re talking about. You should be scoping the scene out to see if you can firstly join the conversation and secondly add to the conversation.

Identify
There are too many blogs, social network profiles, YouTube videos and tweets for you to respond to them all. After monitoring your consumer and community it is important to identify the most influential people within this niche. Using these opinion leaders and those with loyal audiences (not necessarily large), you will be able to more effectively and efficiently target your key customers.

Engage
After monitoring and identify the influential consumers within a community, you can now engage with them. This relationship might be a short or long but either way it should be a case of providing meaningful and relevant value to consumers and their community.

UGC
You have now engaged with the consumer and started a relationship which has been built on the mutual exchange of value. Here the marketer gives up control of the message and the community takes over with the creation of user generated content. It could be something small like establishing and spreading buzz online (or offline) through social networks or something much more involved like writing a blog post or publishing a video on YouTube.

The Body Shop do this extremely well. Not only do they have a blog (see Broadcast), but actively respond to influential bloggers. As a result, I’m creating content about them right now.

This is one of two strategies I have identified that could be used when approaching social media marketing. The other is Broadcast. Please feel free to offer any thoughts or critique.

Edit: I have since updated this model here.

9 Comments
  • Peter Wagstaff
    Posted at October 14, 2008 11:07pm, 14 October Reply

    I love this post, Zac! Great to see you start to build a solid theoretical framework behind your thinking.

    I question your definitions of “new media” and “social media” – these are much broader than “new media marketing” and “social media marketing“… often the use of both of these is well outside the scope of marketing?

    Keep up the great work – looking forward to your next installment on “Broadcast”!

  • The Body Shop Activist
    Posted at October 14, 2008 11:32pm, 14 October Reply

    Where are the chicks in your Social Mediaverse diagram? It’s worst than Star Wars. 😉

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at October 15, 2008 12:04am, 15 October Reply

    @ Peter

    I think most people, myself included, use the term “social media” more often than not referring to “social media marketing”. Likewise for “new media”. But yes, I guess this becomes important when you’re talking about definitions!

    Thanks for the kind words.

    @ The Body Shop Activist

    No body does Social Media Response better than The Body Shop. ;]

  • Peter Wagstaff
    Posted at October 15, 2008 12:09am, 15 October Reply

    Hmmmm… “most people” in your world maybe, i.e. the “social media marketing blogosphere”? Don’t become myopic, dude!

  • Stan Lee
    Posted at October 15, 2008 5:05pm, 15 October Reply

    Excellent thinking Zac.

    However I have to put my CD hat on and deduct a point or two for the diagram.

    Bit too much of an Armano influence for me. Sorry.

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at October 15, 2008 7:22pm, 15 October Reply

    @ Stan

    Thanks but what’s wrong with an Armano influence? Hehe!

  • Gavin Heaton
    Posted at October 15, 2008 10:39pm, 15 October Reply

    Hey Zac … like where you are going here. I would add “measure” to the marketer’s responsibilities.

  • Kate Richardson
    Posted at October 17, 2008 10:57am, 17 October Reply

    Hi Zac,

    Great post. It would be nice to visually recognise the circular nature of this kind of exchange.

  • Rick Clarke
    Posted at October 17, 2008 12:58pm, 17 October Reply

    I did a Google Image search, and I think your diagrams are much prettier than this Armano person’s.

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