We all like lists, mnemonics, and other easy ways to categorize and think of things. As I’ve been involved in social media, varying themes, processes and truisms repeatedly surface.
While there’s always room for discussion and revision (eh?), successful social media marketing is about the three Cs: Connecting, Contributing and Communities.
Connecting: Companies naturally want to seek out customers, prospects and other key influencers in their social media marketing. They want mass, numbers, heads, hits, targets — people. Businesses and organizations need to seek out and find common ground with their marketplace. They need to find out how THEY CAN HELP THEM. Unlike other forms of marketing communication, social media involvement cannot be one-way communication. Business and organizations need to find a way to connect with their audience.
Contributing: Connecting ultimately means businesses are contributing value to their audience members’ lives — personal and/or professional, online and/or offline. They are not just hocking products or service. They are showing what value those products and services have, and making non-company-focused contributions. That means personalizing the entity. Opening yourself up. Showing personality. Being authentic, not corporate. Once, and as contributing is done on a regular basis, then a sort of community forms.
Communities: The more companies connect with their target audience, and provide valued contributions, communities will form around their social media tools and activities. It could be followers on Twitter, fans on Facebook, readers of a blog, attendees at real-world, offline events — whatever. But, communities will form. Some bonds will be tight; others will be loose (like those shoppers who buy a product just because they have a coupon). But there’ll be community bonds of some type.
AND THEN, with some level of attachment, companies and organizations will see hardcore results via inquiries, sales, customer feedback (more positive than negative if the three Cs are done right), referrals, etc.
Whether B2B or B2C, consumers don’t necessarily want to love a company; but there does need to be some level of connection. For many companies, the sales the drive the company do not occur every day. So, the key is to be top-of-mind for consumers, and to have a positive connection — which is only achieved through contributing so communities can be formed.
And, on and on and on in circle.
The three Cs of successful social media marketing: What do you think?
-Mike
Scrabble Letter C courtesy of lwr (Leo Reynolds) on Flickr.
