Practical Steps for Marketers to Use Social Media in This Recession

The recession will endure for some time. Global concerns about pandemic flu will not improve things.The recession is driving most of our clients to continue to innovate around social media and other new marketing and communications approaches. No one is shrinking back to the tried and true simply because the "tried and true" isn't so true any more. The effectiveness of traditional marketing and communications is shifting if not receding.

How can marketers innovate at a time when only the most effective marketing makes the budget cut? How can you expand use of social media when none of your colleagues agree on a measurement standard to judge the ROI of the effort?

I tried to put some simple ideas down in a little guidebook for marketers and communication pros. I wanted to offer practical tips and practices that marcom experts could use internally to succeed with a higher level of social media work. I basically told people what we do.

You can get Expanding the Impact of Communications Through Digital Influence on the Ogilvy On Recession site.

Here's the set up in the Guide:

"A Guide to Social Media and Word of Mouth Marketing
Social media-driven word of mouth is a more efficient form of marketing producing both sales and advocacy with long term brand and reputation gains. Digital platforms have empowered the average consumer to both share and find opinion. They have also turbo-charged the phenomena of influencer marketing. Social media makes new influencers everyday and it amplifies and carries their voices farther than was ever possible before.

This recession will reveal the selling and brand-building strength of social media-driven word of mouth marketing programs. It will also positively transform marketing for the foreseeable future. The power and efficiency comes from three big truths:

• Influencer and network marketing targets more effectively than all mass marketing
• Word of mouth scales outward to reach more people with more relevance over time especially when fueled by engaging advertising
• The deeper engagement of most WOM programs builds brand affinity at the same time as driving action

A Useful Guide
One way to be engaging is to provide something people can use in their lives - to be of-use. This guide delivers not just a point of view on communications and marketing in a recession but concrete steps you can take today.
 
How can brands use social media-based word of mouth marketing effectively? What are the 12 things that every marketer can do today to start applying this innovation to their business? How will you measure performance?"

The Ogilvy on Recession site has some other great resources- relevant to the entire world -  meant to help marketing and communications professionals do some great work now. I want to thank my co-author, Christopher Graves - Presdient of Ogilvy PR in Asia. Chris wrote another great article specific to Asia that you can also find on the site - The New PR - Leveraging Digital Influence to Drive Sales and Reputation.

Comments

[Marissa Yennie]

Although no one wants to be in a recession, I think that marketers can really capitalize on it and learn how to be even more crafty and innovative. These steps and guides are particularly helpful because sometimes people get overwhelmed and find themselves with no direction. I agree that "tried and true" tactics are no longer true. Although a recession is a time to hold on to the clients you have, marketers can take more risks than they have in the past-- can try new, different things they may not have tried before, like experimenting with social media outlets to communicate with target audiences. Marketers now have the time to attain a higher level of social media work. Marketers can also experiment with word-of-mouth marketing like never before. Also, audiences are more demanding and want to gain something out of these relationships that marketers form. I agree that marketers need to be of use to the audience.

[Authority Networker]

The fusion of internet network marketing and social media is a perfect attraction marketing strategy to reach potential customers anywhere in the world. Many marketers are attracted to social media because of the reduced costs compared to expensive television, radio and newspaper ads. Social media marketing taps into a familiar concept called attraction marketing and lets you build relationships with your targeted audience. Social media sites can help establish your presence in a number of different places on the Web. Traditional marketing will never be able to target as precisely as social media marketing. Just imagine the social media profits you can have in being able to recruit people from different places.