Robert Stanke.com

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from business owners and decision makers in regards to social marketing is "how do I get it to work for me?"  Obviously they hear a lot of their peers talking about social media, social networking, Facebook, and Twitter... but it seems that no one within those groups can describe it, let alone effective pull it off.  My usual response is that getting social marketing to work is different for each company, but that the common component is to have a strategy.  Here are five quick points every business could consider as part of their social marketing initiative.

1. Have a specific goal.  It is tempting to want to jump right in when it comes to social media marketing.  Because the media has us so hyped up on Twitter and Facebook, some companies just want to jump right in and start posting pictures, videos, blogs, and status updates.  That can actually be your biggest mistake.  It is important to act right now though, because speed-to-market over your competitors is very important when it comes to having a social presence.  Therefore, get some of the right people within your organization into a room and start a discussion on where to begin.  Think about your SWOT analysis and your target market.  What are you out to achieve?  Do you want to sell more products and services?  Do you want to build your prospect list/e-newsletter subscribers?  For now, just pick one goal.
2. Build a community around your goal (and don't be afraid of the conversations!).  After you have a goal defined, you need to think about your audience.  This is where a lot of businesses fail!  As I have stated in some of my podcasts, social marketing is not a "build it and they will come" type of situation.  You need to explore where your customers are based on their demographics and social habits.  By doing this, you can start to make your presence know and attract attention to your goal.  This is very well done by several companies I buy from on Facebook.  For example, I am a big fan of Jimmy Johns.  Because I was on Facebook, their banner ads within Facebook were visible to me, and when I clicked on the ad, it took me to their "Fan Page".  They were not necessarily selling me anything directly, but merely getting me to become a "fan" gave them greater brand extension among my network.  Now they have thousands of fans on Facebook and often do great promotions to get me to their store.  That is a great example of building a community.
3. To achieve success, make sure your goal is obtainable.  After you have determined your goal and examined your audience's presence in hopes of building a community, now it is time to step back again and evaluate your goal one more time.  Just make sure that your goal aligns with your community so that you stay on track.
4. Have good content, and mix it up a bit.  Building a community and conducting social marketing tactics is only half of the game.  Now you have to keep your audience engaged.  So no matter what platforms you choose to build your community around (blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc.), always keep your content fresh and creative.  For example, I try and blog at least three times a week, but on the days in between, I try and drop a podcast, or keep a discussion topic going in my forums.  No matter what I do, I try to always keep my audience looking at something new.
5. Stick to your goal.  It always comes back to the goal!  You had a starting point, you built your community, and you are producing content... now what?  Sticking to your goal is very important.  Social marketing can take some time to produce results, so just continue doing the same steps and start to monitor your progress.  And goals can be altered as well.  If you see a new trend occurring, make slight changes and see what happens.  That is the great thing about online social marketing - it is relatively inexpensive and easy to change when needed! 

Your business can succeed in social marketing.  Just stick to these steps and build upon them.  Another thing you can do is subscribe to my "All Things Social" email newsletter.  It will provide tips and tricks for enterprise social networking, get you discounts on products and services, and connect you with industry professionals who can help you succeed in internet marketing.  Click here to sign up!