The Unwritten Rules Of Social Marketing

The Unwitten Rules of Social Media Marketing

February 28th, 2008 · 13 Comments

I’m a great fan of social media marketing, but as with any type of marketing it should be done with authenticity, transparency and integrity. If you don’t understand the unwritten rules, then you would probably be best not to use any social media tactics at all. Because social media is “people powered,” if you aren’t a good citizen, or add anything of value, you will be exposed in social networks, or you’ll be ignored. Which kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?

Unwritten rules: they (people, the users) don’t want you to do self promotion, add biased information, or ask friends for vote. The users will respond by saying “stop spamming your link on all the front page stories” and call you out on it. From SEO, Meet SMM

Just like a direct selling or a networking marking business, social media really is all about building relationships. This is why they are often called social networking sites. So it’s important to make friends, start with people who post things that interest you and then make friends with anyone who is interested in the content you’ve submitted. Participate in the community, join in discussions, leave nice or relevant comments, vote for submissions or review them. In other words, you guessed it - build relationships. You can learn more about The Basics For Using Social Bookmarking And Social Media here.

Today’s consumer is wiser, they are tired of being marketed to, they don’t want to sold, what they do want is information. I know, because I feel this way too sometimes and I’m sure I’m not alone. When they want to know about the iPhone for example, rather than going to google, they will go to their favorite social bookmarking sites for information. It’s the new word of mouth advertising, and as always people trust their friends or people they have a relationship with opinion, over those of a marketer.

Social media is not a quick fix or a magical solution, rather it’s a long term strategy that takes time and effort. I expect social media is here to stay, so if you want to succeed learn the unwritten rules and do it responsibly, with authenticity and integrity. Forget the spam tactics, because eventually they will come back and bite you on the behind. Tell me what you think, am I right or wrong?

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