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Social Media Marketing Works

I’Social media marketing ve been looking for an event photographer for a social function and I admit my standards are high.

Yesterday, I noticed a fabulous new photo that one of my daughter’s friends had uploaded to Facebook. The photographer’s name and telephone number were embedded on the photo.

A quick Google search resulted in a link to his company listing and from there – I was directed to his portfolio on Flickr. There, I found some wonderfully creative photos. Great I thought – and promptly called him. After a brief conversation I decided he was the one! What more could I ask? He lives in the vicinity, is prepared to photograph the event and preparations, the price seemed fair – and all was set (except for the minor fact that he’s busy on the date I need him).

Everyone knows that the best recommendations are by word of mouth. Will social media come to replace a few phone calls to friends? Maybe not, but the media’s power as a marketing and informative tool cannot and should not be ignored.

However good our gut feeling is about SMM, we shouldn’t forget that measuring social marketing campaigns is important. In a recent post on Marketing Sherpa’s blog, Adam T. Sutton was surprised to find that only 35% of respondents said they were tracking sales conversion and other ROI metrics related to social media.

So for now, I have yet more proof, if I really needed it, that social media marketing works!

On the other hand, I still haven’t got a photographer…
 
Word of mouth marketing
September is here and I admit I am enjoying the fact that the number of summer distractions is greatly reduced. These include overpowering heat and humidity, kids at home and a general “summer atmosphere”.

So – now it’s back to work.

We all know the importance of social media and the power of the people. We know that word of mouth can make or break a brand or product. However, this summer made me realize just how many of us actually trust total strangers’ opinions, when it comes to making purchasing decisions, as opposed to, or should I say in addition to multi-Dollar or Euro advertising campaigns.

 

Once of the most recent examples was that we decided to take a last-minute short family holiday. There were a number of criteria including – not too long a flight and 3-4 nights. The kids spent some time looking at a variety of offers and my 11 year old daughter painstakingly researched the hotels by “touring” their websites. When she came and told me she had decided which hotel we should stay at– and offered me the video tour of the hotel – I found myself saying “yes – well – they are the photos the hotel shows – that’s marketing – but let’s check what people who stayed there think…” Thus – open another browser tab and TripAdvisor here we come. Oh! What awful reviews the hotel had…

 

We finally booked a hotel with better reviews although I admit the agent was rather surprised. “I have better (more expensive) hotels” he pushed. I politely refused and hoped that the dear people who had taken time to write a review were in fact objective!

 

We arrived at the hotel to find friendly staff, a warm family atmosphere and a clean pleasant hotel, well located. What more could one ask for? On the bus transfer back to the airport at the end of our trip, there were other travelers who had opted for the “nice hotel” my daughter had found – only to be rather disappointed.  

 

What I am saying is – when planning your marketing campaign stick to facts. We all want to promote products in the best possible light – but don’t raise expectations to a level that you can’t meet.

No less important, do try to incorporate “real” people in your marketing mix: an interesting client case study or a positive customer comment on the level of your service.
Don’t forget to check what people are saying about you out on the web. If you can find it – so can your potential and existing customers! 

As I’ve posted this today – September 7th, I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to say Happy Birthday to my mum, a special lady. It’s thanks to her love for the English language (and her pedantic upbringing) that I speak, read and write English so well.