Social Media, SEO and RSS Are Just Tools In Your Marketing Toolbox
The other day I was in a meeting with a group of local internet creative types to discuss some possible group projects. I confess that I went in feeling a little intimidated. Collectively they have graphic design, 
web design, audio, video and a variety of techie related skills.
And to top it off, they’re all in their 20s and early 30s. I wasn’t quite sure I belonged with this group. They know so much more than I do.
But as the meeting went along, I came to a surprising (for me) realization. They may know what buttons to push in which software, but I’m the one who understands how to use the technology as part of an overall marketing strategy.
Because I’m so new to many of these technologies that kids today seem to come out of the womb using, I discounted what I do know. But then I realized that when it comes to marketing, social media sites, RSS, SEO and assorted technologies are all just tools to add to your marketing strategy.
It’s not what technology you use, it’s how you use it that brings in results. Whether you are using the internet or paper to promote your business, the basic principals remain the same. If you understand and apply basic marketing principals, it doesn’t really matter what new technology is thrown at you.
This little discovery of mine has given me a new confidence when approaching technologies like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I can always take a course - or hire someone - to learn what buttons to push.
I already know how to put the technology to use. Networking is networking. It doesn’t matter if it’s live and in person or virtual and on the web. You need to approach it the same way. Facebook and Twitter are the 21st century version of the telephone and fax machine. They are just a tool to make your marketing more efficient.
Andrea J. Stenberg
Facebook, Marketing, Twitter
Posted
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Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 12:53 pm under
While the Marketing basics remains the same, there is also the reality that beyond the tools and the geeks we are witnessing a major shift in how people consume information and how they get used to interact with their ecosystem a lot more. All these tools are nothing compared to the rise of Peer-to-peer communication, not in the sense of tools but in the sense of social behavior.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:01 pmIn terms of marketing and branding, we are moving from push to pull, and companies are loosing the control of what is being said on a given product or on the brand in general. So they need to learn to get into the tool so that they can manage better the social behavior.
One key area are blogs: there are many experts now blogging (you blog yourself on marketing and entrepreneurship from what I see), and collectively these experts have a big impact. Companies need to inderstand better this ecosystem, and it starts by listening. But I do not see many of them doing this as of yet…
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June 27th, 2008 at 7:45 pm