Last week, I presented the “Art of Social Media” during the San Diego American Marketing Association’s “Art of Marketing” conference. Alongside marketing experts such as Rand Fishkin of Moz, the event reflected on popular marketing practices as well as forward thinking approaches.
Before we dive into findings from the conference, below are my final two points from last week’s blog post, Michelangelo and The Art of Social Media: Part 1.
Social media requires a lot of attention
In the five centuries since its completion, the Sistine Chapel’s detailed frescos held up during inclement weather, war times, and art’s biggest enemy: tourists. Your social media strategy should have the same type of resilience. This kind of longevity requires two special resources: time and money. Take a look at your current resources and evaluate if social media is right for your business right now.
Find the human connection
When investing time and budget dollars into a plan, don’t just value the number of followers as a success metric. Be strategic about the people you connect with. Utilize LinkedIn as a living database and use it as a prospecting and referral tool. Tools like InMail can help you connect with people who fit your ideal client profile.
Now that we’ve covered the “Art of Social Media,” we were fortunate to share the conference with Rand Fishkin of Moz. Rand shared his “6 Values of Great Marketing” that we tweeted during the event. Ultimately, we couldn’t agree more with all six of points by Rand, but the following resonated most with us as we work with our B2B businesses.
Transparency
Rand showed great examples of companies who are transparent with their sales process – a critical element of the customer decision-making process. It’s a practice we implement at Bop Design and encourage our clients to be upfront on pricing, privacy statements, business practices, and more.
Generous
Like I said during my presentation, a business needs to give away at least 25% of its expertise for free. It achieves credibility, customer trust, and appreciation. Whether it’s through helpful discounts, thought leadership, or selfless referrals, giving a little can yield a lot.
Fun
I really appreciated this point from Rand. As a marketing firm that works primarily with B2B businesses, it’s hard at times to break through the professionalism. Yet, showing that your company can have fun – like a clever holiday greeting or a “tongue-in-cheek” blog post – can break the ice with prospective and current clients.
Thanks again to the American Marketing Association San Diego chapter for a successful event! Looking forward to participating next year!
