Recently I was working with a very promising, & innovative health- care startup so when asked if they had their social media plan in place & active now that they have gone "live," I was surprised by their answer-not yet. To their credit, they were aware that it was something that they had to do, but it was earmarked as a project for "next year." I told them while they may not be ready for social media; it's ready for them. If people are saying good things about their product, they want them amplified but more importantly, if some unforeseen problem arises, it will give them a chance to join the conversation, fix the problem, & avert the potential effect of a spear through a major organ in the company's young life.
The Mechanics Of Old Media & New Media Are Different
While these folks are aware of social media, they don't quite comprehend its mechanics because they are still applying the kind of thinking attached to "old media." More specifically, in old media [a.k.a. intrusive media] you purchase your platform "or eyes" in the form of TV commercials, magazine ads as well as other traditional outlets [email campaigns, trade shows & the like]. Also you are blasting your ads to everyone instead of surgically targeting your desired demographic-those people most likely to be converted to paying customers. However, in new media, in order to speak to your desired demographic at all, you have to first build & nurture relationships so that you have an audience to speak to when you have something to say. Also, because it's your target audience, you are more likely to convert people to leads & from leads into real customers. While the critical point of needing to engage & build relationships seemed lost on this young company, don't allow it to be lost on you. Even if your business is in its early stages, start reaching out now. How?
Edsel-Style Marketing When You Are Selling A Prius
The easiest way is to demonstrate your expertise in your area by helping others with their problems for free. For example, if your company will be selling widgets for dog training, perhaps you can begin by creating a blog offering dog training tips to new owners or answering dog training questions that appear in the “twitterverse” [once you have begun finding & building relationships with those folks who own dogs]. This is all stuff you can do even before your widgets are in the market. However, once they become available, you now have a starting base of potentially interested customers, which will be growing exponentially as you continue to reach out & dialogue with those dog lovers. The idea is to draw them to you instead of trying to impose yourself on them. Essentially, you don't want to be stuck using a strategy suited for marketing an Edsel when you are trying to sell a Prius.