Experts exist for a reason. For example, there are many tasks the average car owner can perform on their own with a little practice; they maybe can change the oil, replace brake pads, tune a few elements. But in many cases it’s far more efficient and effective to let an expert dig into the heart of the machine to make it really purr.
Marketing has its own experts, for every conceivable aspect. Entire businesses are founded on the effort to market a product to a client, and there are people who are very, very good at what they do. Almost as soon as there was radio, there were commercials. Television followed suit, and advertising on the Web has begun to follow the same trend.
Fairly new to the field of brand marketing, but establishing a firm foothold all the same, is the social media marketing agency. In many ways similar to the traditional marketing agency, they still stand apart as experts in a particular field, one that is coming to dominate the way net surfers communicate. They offer specific advantages in their expertise that a more general agency might not fully grasp, and are worth a look for anyone serious about developing their brand into an online powerhouse.
A Specific Focus
There are two broad types of marketing agencies, generalists and specialists. General agencies frequently have several departments covering various angles, and definitely have a place in a modern advertising campaign. However, they lack the purity of focus that can come from a specialized approach, and may not be as committed to the realm of ideas the latter can provide.
A social media-specific advertising agency doesn’t have the clutter of distraction a more generalized body would. They train specifically in the tasks that gain ground for a brand through social media, including SEO, visual presentation, and linkback techniques. Since they focus on one specific element, there isn’t a temptation for them to ‘suggest’ broadening the horizon by including a television campaign in a social-media effort.
Engage, Engage
The modern brand relationship is no longer the example of the producer making proclamations and staging showings. Instead it is a conversation, an exchange back and forth between the audience and the speaker. Comments can be left, videos and podcasts can go viral and spread word lightning fast, and genuine up-to-date feedback can pour in as fast as an article goes up.
A social media marketing agency will understand these needs, and have the tools to facilitate the conversation. They know how to pick out the groups that are likely to be interested in a product, or the kind of article that will see more attention on Digg. They are practiced in developing the conversations between you and your client, and their services in this field are easy to appreciate.
Making it Stick
The net offers a new power to people looking to make their brand stick in people’s minds that has never been consistently available before – the power of persistence.
Previously, a commercial would come up when it came up. The advertiser had limited control over when a commercial might air, and the viewer had no serious way of knowing what commercials would show when. The Internet has changed this significantly. Websites catering to a user’s interests are only seconds away at any given time, and can be visited any time the user has a computer and a connection.
This creates the persistence that drives a good brand. When someone is coming to your blog day after day, week after week, your brand becomes part of their life Social media is a great way to make this happen, as it is easier than ever to integrate a blog, Twitter, and Facebook into a sort of press service for your product, be it physical or philosophical. A good social media agency can show you how to bring these ideas together, how to make them work in concert so that thoughts of your brand become as automatic as reading the paper to your audience.
A Clean Fit
There is a lot of talk on the Web about ‘organic’ results. This doesn’t have anything to do with ethically sourced food, but rather with making things fit together seamlessly. An organic effort ‘works’ together, and doesn’t seem forced or choppy. Instead of statements that cram in the same keyword phrase regardless of grammar, it focuses on content that fits into existing topics, that looks genuine because it is genuine.
For example, organic promotion can include work that doesn’t mention your brand directly at all. In some cases you might register a forum account on a discussion board that includes topics related to your blog, and provide content of your own to the discussions at hand. You never once mention your website, but instead focus on joining the discussions and making friends, and the entire time your site is linked in your signature. Eventually someone will click it, and start talking about it.
Getting people talking is part of organic promotion as well. When others are sending your link forward and sharing it with people of common interest, you’ll see the value of having relied on social media. That’s the real power behind it, the power to send out the ripples that get people to notice you. It starts slowly, but builds up irrevocably. So consider looking into an agency that specializes in maximizing social media, as there may be a lesson they can share that gets you the edge you need.
Author’s Note: This article previously published here.
…
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the “voice” of our client’s brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more articles written by Enzo F. Cesario
Related posts:
- Social Media Marketing: How It Can Work for You
With so many things to consider when starting out online in the business world, SMM or Social Media Marketing can be one of the most important. This is a term that is used to describe how participating in differing online social groups can help a business generate traffic to their... - Social Media Marketing – Don
The Cluetrain Manifesto asserts that “Markets are Conversations.” The Manifesto is a document published in 1999 and 10 years later is still considered to be an outstanding treatise on the Internet phenomenon – in regards to the impact and opportunities of Internet and web technology on the modern businessman. Nowhere... - Online Brand Marketing – 4 Ways to Use Social Media in Promotions
Social media marketing has earned its place as one of the fastest-growing, most competitive marketing fields in the history of advertising. People are gathering online in record numbers, finding and socializing in groups that cater to their interests; often, these interests neatly intersect with marketing and branding opportunities. The best... - Etiquette for Social Media Sites and Blogs
Social media is social. Social, an adjective that one definition gives as pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations: a social club. That’s what social network sites are – social clubs. Where people with the same interests get together and learn, teach, grow, and bond. Hopefully... - Social Media Management – Setting Your Sights on the Right Sites
One of the most amazing features about the Web is that it allows many people to take advantage of features they did not originate. Livejournal, Twitter, Digg, Reddit and each of the many other Social Media sites were proposed and implemented with a relatively small cadre of people, yet thousands... - Social Media Management – Watching the Chick-fil-A Cows
What can you do as a small- or medium-sized business owner to increase your reach with your customers? One smart idea is to look at what the big guys are doing. One company that is maximizing its marketing efforts online and offline is Chick-fil-A, the second largest chicken-based fast-food restaurant... - Online Brand Building – Do You Need a Social Media Newsroom?
Curriculum vitae, work experience, references, skills inventory, resume: all describe a source of information where people can condense the vital information about themselves into a single document for interested parties to examine. The idea is giving people an overview they can sort through in order to weigh your merits and... - Social Media and SEO Myths
I was reading this book the other day about the death of advertising. It was a book written by a web 2.0 search engine fan and he was saying there was going to be a death of advertising and everything would be done via search engines, social media, etc. going... - How To Out-Socialize The Gurus On Twitter And Other Social Media
Social media has long been touted as the latest and greatest Internet marketing tool that will bring new people to any online business seeking new customers… For most online marketers, the social media environment appears over-hyped and ineffective… Between Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Stumble Upon, and Delicious, online marketers waste plenty... - Does The Cutting Edge Of Social Media Really Pay?
So someone asks you: “What’s your Twitter name?” And you look at them like they are a loony. Twitter? Huh? And then the next person asks you, “You blog, right? What’s the URL?” Hold it. What happened? In the seeming blink of an eye, suddenly there’s all this new so-called... - Social Marketing: Not Nearly As Awful As I Feared
I have to admit I’ve been slow to jump on board with the whole social marketing trend. After so many years spent in marketing and frequently hearing about the “next big thing”, I’ve come to the decision that all these technologies are simply communication tools for building trusting relationships with... - Advertisers and Online Advertising Agencies
Ten years ago I founded NetMediaReps, Inc., an advertising agency for online companies, specifically online newsletter publishers trying to find advertisers for their publications. My decision to found my own company grew out of my frustration in trying to obtain agency representation for my husband’s company. After calling more than... - Almost There – YouTube and Social Networking
Innovation doesn’t wait for anybody. It’s a constant, vital force, thriving on new ideas, new interpretations of old ideas, and a deep desire to understand the next important step. This generation has been defined by its technological advances, and the creation of a global society on the Web. This society... - Women and Social Entrepreneurship — A Growing Trend
Women business owners have long been the fastest growing sector of entrepreneurs, and it is very common for this group to lead the charge of social entrepreneurism. Social entrepreneurs use their business acumen to both create a profitable business and contribute to the greater good. Wanting to use your talents... - How To Get Paid For Social Networking
It’s no secret that the fastest growing web properties are the social networking sites. Sites like Twitter, FaceBook, and Sokule are all the rave. Part of the reason that these sites are so popular is that the Internet can be such a lonely place. People who run online businesses from...