Content marketing and digital PR strategists

It's mercenary, egotistical, misguided and not real… Let me explain.

I've had a couple of follows on Twitter recently, particularly from some SEO specialists and 'social media gurus' -- if there is such a thing -- here in Auckland. I thought, naively, they were following me because they're interested in content marketing and good copy, or in engaging in some way...

I can't help but marvel at how many companies there are in New Zealand whose Twitter followers far out number the amount of people they are following -- doesn't that say something about their willingness, or lack thereof, to listen to their customers?

It seems that some companies have taken social media and twisted it to their own ends. They prefer to speak, than be spoken to... and they enjoy the 'social prestige' or mana of having so many more followers than they are following - or am I being precious here?

I always thought social media was about conversation, which is at least 50% listening.

Do not be seduced by the multitude of marketing evangelists out there, or the hype around a particular channel like social media because – while all are valid and powerful – they must be used in the right context.

There are many different disciplines in marketing – SEO, content marketing, public relations, advertising, social media, loyalty programmes, direct mail etc. – and all have their evangelists and their merits, but it is critical to remember that they are all really just channels… to building a relationship with your customer.

The type of relationship depends on whether your business is with the general public (consumers) or business-to-business. While those channels we use to reach both sets of customers are the same, the way we use them differs.

Let me explain. There are two types of relationship and here's how to decide what's most appropriate...

Photo by Photostock

ScienceDaily — Companies that use the popular social-media site Facebook and its fan page module to market themselves to customers can increase sales, word-of-mouth marketing and customer loyalty significantly among a subset of their customers, according to new research from Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business. The study is featured in the March issue of the Harvard Business Review.
Research for the article, "How Effective is Facebook Marketing?," was conducted by Utpal Dholakia, associate professor of management at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business, and Emily Durham, a Jones School alumna and founder of Restaurant Connections, a Houston‐based restaurant consultancy.

Photo by: Graur Codrin

By Colin Kennedy and Fiona Powell

“How can I make social media networking -- including LinkedIn and Facebook -- work for me?”

It’s a common question and one usually accompanied by the unspoken expectation that social media success comes from following certain rules. It’s an expectation bound for disappointment.
Photo by: Jeroen van Oostrom

Mum always said don’t talk to strangers, but in the age of social media the ability to start or join conversations is increasingly a key strategic advantage for organisations and salespeople.

By Colin Kennedy

Datum Connect’s recent seminar on Facebook marketing was oversubscribed by more than 100% as business owners slowly come around to the realisation that Facebook advertising is probably the most ultra-targeted medium of all time.

Looking to target people whose favourite band is U2 and who are also fans of the book Watership Down? Facebook can do it for you.