Sometimes - particularly with companies new to social media, the discipline is seen as something they "need" but they don't know what it is, how it can affect their marketing programs, and potentially most importantly - how to hire the right person to develop and execute a social media strategy.
Recently I have had discussions with several LARGE organizations and unfortunately social media scepticism seems to be running rampant.
The problem seems to be that they are either afraid to communicate with the public, or they just don't know how social media marketing works. It's ok to admit you don't understand the process, that's why I do what I do. However, it is often my role to debunk myths and overcome failed efforts developed by other social media "experts".
So if you are in a situation like this - either as a Marketing Director or similar, or as a fellow social media marketer, here are a five marketing goals that social media helps with and how I have helped achieve them.
I recently got a new pair of glasses from America's Best. Normally I google a company, ask friends only etc. This time I just made a purchase decision based on advertising. After all, at $69 for two pair how could I go wrong?
We are blessed today with a variety of tools to share our interests and suggest interesting things to our friends and followers. We are also blessed with even more venues to share those interests. Unfortunately, sometimes this just makes everything a giant mess.
One question I get asked fairly often is, "Why did you pick history in college?" The honest answer is that I picked something I had a passion for and enjoyed doing. Looking back however, being a history in major taught me a number of important skills that today I use as a marketer.