How to get up to
speed on social media
That's the challenge facing so many planners and buyers
By the Media Life staff
Apr 21, 2011
To say that social media is top of mind for media planners and buyers may be the great understatement of 2011. It’s top of mind for clients, and that’s putting huge pressure on planners and buyers to get up to speed on social media.
And of course that’s made all the more difficult by the very nature of social media, which seems to be ever-changing.
Compare it, if you will, to running for a moving train, bags and packages in tow.
How do you catch up and then stay abreast?
That’s one of the questions submitted to Media Life’s new feature, Ask a Media Life expert, where the Media Life staff fields questions from readers and then reaches out to experts for the answers.
Here’s the question we received:
"What are the best ways to learn about social media? I work at a small agency with small to Fortune 500 clients who all think they want to or should be online. How do I help them? Where would you send people to learn more about social media? Web sites, white papers? How would you instruct someone to go about learning more about social media?"
To address this question, we turned to the following authorities on the subject:
Ming Linsley, associate media director at MEC North America; Steve Glauberman, founder and CEO at Enlighten in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Sam Weston, director of social engagement at HUGE; Malcolm Faulds, senior vice president of marketing at BzzAgent in Boston; Michelle Lamar, vice president of media at V3 Integrated Marketing; Chris Brogan, New Marketing Labs president; Todd Steinman, chief executive officer at the GroupM/WPP agency M80; Drew Hawkins, community manager at Engauge and author of the blog Brain Wads; Chris Bowler, vice president of social media at Razorfish; and Kristin Miller, internet marketing specialist at WebpageFX.
In addition to offering their insights, our experts have also provided a slew of links to sites where readers can learn more about social media. We've compiled them in a box below.
But before giving you their answers we'd like to invite readers to submit questions they'd like to see answered by Media Life experts. We'd also like to invite readers who are interested to join our panel of experts.
To submit a question or volunteer to become a Media Life expert, follow this link.
And if you'd like to weigh in on this question with your own opinion, you can do so in the comment box at the bottom of this story
We'd also like to invite readers to attend a Media Life webinar on social media this coming Monday that's being presented by Taylor Valentine, VP of Social Media and Relationship Marketing at Horizon Media.
Valentine will give an overview of where social media is today. He'll talk about how fast it's growing, what's driving that growth, and how it promises to transform media as we know it.
You can sign up by following this link to the Media Life social media webinar.
Now onto our experts.
Here's their advice, in sum: While there's myriad places you can go to read up on social media and scads of books on the topic, the best way to master social media is to dive in, as MEC's Ming Linsley puts it.
Approach social media as a consumer, joining all the major sites and learning how they work. Build pages, get your name out there by following others, join discussion groups and share your opinions. As a consumer of social media, a user, you will develop a special feel for how it works that you can then communicate to your clients.
Ming Linsley, associate media director at MEC North America
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The best way to educate yourself about social media is to dive in.
Actively follow brands that you like on Facebook and Twitter, read news and blogs dedicated to social media, test out new platforms that you read about, and go deep within topics or verticals that you are personally interested in. I love to run, so I try out a lot of different applications and platforms for socializing fitness, read blogs and explore forums related to running.
As far as educating your clients is concerned, nothing is more powerful than real results. Showing your clients data and case studies on what they and their competitors are doing (or not) in social is the first step. Looking at how these examples aligned with best practices and their long term goals will help to direct them in a constructive way.
Every client, whether actively or passively, is involved in social media. The question is: are they a part of the conversation or do third parties, and even competitors, speak for them? By helping your clients to answer this question, you can chart a path to make their brand social in a manner that is true to who they are and to their goals.
Steve Glauberman, founder and CEO at Enlighten in Ann Arbor, Mich.
There is no single best way to learn about anything, including social and online media. That said I believe you have to immerse yourself in the space, understand consumer expectations and how habits are changing as a result of technical innovation, study what other brands are doing in the space, and most importantly, experiment, learn and adjust.
While the lines between digital media and social media are blurring the basic tactics behind successful digital media programs remain: understanding the marketing objectives, defining the target audience, identifying the online properties where this audience spends its time, and producing useful and engaging content. In terms of tracking down the online properties that match one's target audience, digital media planners have many resources at their disposal, including SearchEngineLand.com, Searchenginewatch.com, Clickz.com, imediaconnection.com, Adage.com, Emarketer.com, Mediabuyerplanner.com, Mediapost.com, Marketingvox.com.
The good thing about the exploding social marketing space is that it is still relatively new, so self-declared pundits notwithstanding there is still plenty of opportunity for people to learn and become proficient in the space. Evolutions in technology have vastly amplified the ability for consumers to learn the "truth" about brands as well as to voice their own opinions. As such what is ultimately important in this new world is to create useful, transparent, and engaging content that adds brand value and by its very nature will be shared. Resources to learn more would include Mashable.com, ReadWriteWeb.com, SocialMediaExaminer.com and a plethora of books and blogs.
Finally, you help your clients determine their digital strategies by educating them on their overall consumer media habits, behaviors, and expectations and presenting them with strategies that tie the client’s specific objectives to online tactics. Introduce them to the expected results of these tactics, and let them compare the return of these tactics with other options they may have.
Sam Weston, director of social engagement at HUGE
There's certainly no shortage of blogs, books, and people willing to tell you what you should think about social media. But while reading and listening to experts may help you get through a dinner conversation or a business meeting, the truth is that the only way to really understand social media is to use it yourself.
The best place to go to learn how to use Facebook is Facebook.com. And the same is true for Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, Foursquare, Quora, or any of the myriad networks and platforms that emerge on a daily basis. Once you start to use social media personally, it usually doesn't take long to be able to see the potential uses for professional or business objectives.
That said, there are a number of great sites out there which provide information on the basics and keep you up to speed on what you should be paying attention to:
Mashable; Read Write Web; All Things Digital; Jeremiah Owyang's Web Strategist blog; AllFacebook.com
.
Finally, I highly recommend using Twitter's search engine to really understand the power of social media.
Search.twitter.com allows you to see conversation about any topic you're interested in in real time and is a great way to see the power of social media in action.
Malcolm Faulds, senior vice president of marketing at BzzAgent in Boston
Social media marketing is a big topic and it changes all the time. Don’t expect to master it overnight – focus on the underlying trends and read more every day.
There are some great resources that can introduce you to the topic quickly, and then some others that can help you keep current. Social Media Examiner keeps things simple and has a great introductory video to help newbies find their footing. Social Media Today and Mashable have more depth of content on social marketing but can be overwhelming. Stick to the guides to until you’re comfortable scanning the headlines for relevant topics. Slideshare and Marketing Sherpa each have great insights from social marketing practitioners. HubSpot can also be helpful.
If you have a subscription, Forrester is a fantastic resource for social marketing best practices. The Pew Internet and American Life project is a goldmine of insights. Blogher also puts out great research – their new Social Media Matters report is fantastic. At BzzAgent we’ve been hard at work putting out resources to help marketers understand where social marketing fits in the product lifecycle and how to get a clear understanding of social media ROI.
Reading is important, but the only way to really understand social media marketing is to jump in and start engaging with customers through social channels like Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Customers are happy to engage with you – especially when you have something meaningful to offer. This can be new product information, news about upcoming events, or even a better method to engage with customer service. But remember, social channels don’t turn off. If you start a social program and then walk away, your customers will notice.
Paul Dunay, author of
"Facebook Advertising for Dummies" and "Facebook Marketing for Dummies"
How to Optimize your Paid Search with Social Media by Paul Dunay
Social Media – the Next Frontier by Paul Dunay
Social Lift is the Ultimate Rate of Change by Paul Dunay
New Marketing Labs president Chris Brogan
Book suggestions:
"Social Media 101" by Chris Brogan
"Social Media ROI" by Olivier Blanchard
"The Referral Engine" by John Jantsch
"The New Rules of Community" by Tamar Weinberg
"The Thank You Economy" by Gary Vaynerchuk
Michelle Lamar, VP of Media at V3 Integrated Marketing
The first thing to know about social media is that everything about social media is NEW so even the "experts" aren't that far ahead of you. EVERYONE is learning new information when it comes to social media marketing and the technology is changing, evolving constantly.
With that in mind, here are the ways to learn more about social media:
1. Look at your industry or your client's industry, see how other businesses and brands are using the tools of social media.
2. Start following the news on social media. Three of the best "news" websites for social media and online marketing are as follows:
http://mashable.com/
http://www.marketingprofs.com/
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com
Once you "get in the water" you can begin to implement a strategy for how to use social media for your brand or business. Don't be intimidated by some of the gurus or experts. Remember that they haven't been doing it that long. Social media is like the wild west, it's still evolving daily!
Manage expectations about what social media can do for your client right from the start. Social media is very powerful but the results don't come overnight, and some clients can become frustrated. In other words, under promise, over deliver.
I've found it's best to use the following "formula" when introducing clients to social media.
1. Determine a goal. Make it a small goal.
2. Focus on reaching the goal.
3. Once the goal is reached, move on to the next one.
Focus on smaller goals first, like increasing Facebook fans or gaining more links from Facebook. Especially when clients are new to social media, it's important to provide proof of results, and if you keep your goals smaller, then you can provide this proof faster.
Here are some of my favorite resources for learning more about social media:
Presentations/Reports/Case Studies/How-To
Shelly Kramer created a powerful and easy-to-read presentation about the power of social media. You can read it over on Slideshare or on the V3 blog.
Social Media Examiner has some excellent case studies.
MarketingProfs has a great library of tools and reports.
Mashable offers great guide books on Twitter, Facebook and more. The website also offers great Lists.
Bloggers Who Tell It To You Straight Up:
http://socialmouths.com
http://jadecraven.com/
http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/
Best Books EVER on Social Media Marketing, Blogs and Understanding Online Media: "Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business," by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman; "Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions" by Guy Kawasaki; "Engage!" by Brian Solis; and "Trust Agents" by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.
Todd Steinman, chief executive officer at the GroupM/WPP agency M80
Social media is ubiquitous on the web and mobile, so learning about it is as easy as just jumping in.
That could mean anything from hitting that Facebook Like button to checking in on Foursquare to sharing a picture through Instagram. Understanding the nuances of medium is often achieved by playing with the tools, applications and platforms that comprise the social universe.
The pace of innovation and the volume of information surrounding social media can, however, be daunting. There are many amazing resources online that can get you up to speed and keep you there. My primary source and the most comprehensive is Mashable (the website, the app and the twitter feed) but often land on techcrunch, social media today, and many others. I also use sites like insidefacebook, Socialbakers, whatthetrend and tweetreach for more specific information and needs. Lastly, I find myself relying on my Twitter feed more and more for the broadest and most compelling real-time insights surrounding social media. I like @jowyang, @mashable, @mediaredef to name a few.
Drew Hawkins, community manager at Engauge and author of the blog Brain Wads
Trying to filter out social media tips, articles and observations is like trying to fill up a water bottle with a fire hose. It's hard to funnel things down to learning about what's relevant to you.
With that said, I think a basic Google search is not the way to get started. I have a couple of go-to sites to learn more about social media. There are also a lot of gurus, consultants and evangelists (some who are very well known) that give non-specific advice that won't help you justify social in any real corporate situation. Here are a few resources to start:
{Grow}, www.businessesgrow.com/blog: Mark Schaefer helps cut through social media BS and gives clear and useful insights on the world of social. His posts are entertaining and his advice is fluffy -- it's stuff that you could really use. His is one of those blogs that you could learn just as much through the comments as the posts themselves.
Social Media Explorer, www.socialmediaexplorer.com: Jason Falls is the main curator of this blog but taps into a host of guest bloggers to post relevant advice and content. Falls has a background in the ad agency world and has some good insights on analytics and information that could help you with practical social media opportunities.
Social Media Examiner, www.socialmediaexaminer.com: This draws from a lot of social media "experts." While I don't see eye-to-eye with some of them every time, this is a good resource for beginners on how to leverage certain social media tools, advice on the best kinds etc.
Brain Wads: Not to pimp myself out, but I tend to blog about practical social media applications, drawing from learning experiences and mistakes I've made in the past. Nothing trumps actual trial and error discoveries.
I would get started following Mashable's news feed to keep up on industry trends. From there, you can get pointed towards other experts and/or companies that may fit your individual niche better. Start broadly and narrow down your focus from there.
The more specific you can be with your social media approach, the more successful your outcomes.
Chris Bowler, vice president of social media at Razorfish
Three ways to get up to speed on social media -- and fast!
For anyone looking to understand how to use social media for their clients, I would suggest three areas to bone up on, as each one are on the minds of your clients today. Guaranteed.
Learn to use social media strategically.
Clients want to jump in the pool of social media, which typically means opening up a Facebook page or Twitter handle, but what they really want to know is how social media can drive results. So while you need to understand the platforms, what is more critical is to understand how social media works. At Razorfish, we talk about social media through the lens of social influence marketing. That is, using the power of influencers to help achieve brand and business goals. Understanding higher, strategic marketing use of social media will help set the right objectives, inform your program, and measure the results. A great starting point is
here.
Tap into Facebook.
For many clients, social media equals Facebook. While that’s not true, it’s impossible to ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Facebook is evolving every day, and it’s important to keep tabs on what’s going on, as well as building relationships with the world’s largest social network. I’d suggest getting to know your Facebook sales representatives, if only to have a resource to turn to when needed. These representatives will be geared toward ad sales, but they also are plugged into what’s coming next on this platform. At the very least, bookmark and follow
All Facebook, the unofficial guide to what’s coming next.
Understand the guardrails of social media - what you should and should not do
Your first conversations with clients around social media will involve where and when, but you’ll soon need to provide counsel on the how of social media. Specifically, the policies, guidelines and best practices around social media use. For many small companies this starts with their employees first. Luckily, we have several examples of how clients help manage their employees in the social media space. A fantastic resource is
here, which includes a database of policies from dozens of companies for you to peruse.
Kristin Miller, internet marketing specialist at WebpageFX
Great question! Social media is still quite a new medium for businesses to engage with their audiences. It is an organic medium that constantly changes. It can be overwhelming to learn the ins and outs if you are just getting started. If you are completely new to social media, the best way to learn, as with many new things, is to start to use it. Start a personal Twitter account, or create a Facebook page under your Facebook profile just to test it out.
It is also a great idea to look at the social media presence that other companies in your industry have--what are they discussing with their followers? What is working for them? Additionally, following web sites or blogs dedicated to social media is the best way to stay on the cutting edge. Sites like Mashable.com and TechCrunch.com provide useful topics ranging from basic to advanced. If you run into questions or don't understand certain aspects of an account you are setting up, do a Google search. It is likely that a few others have the same questions!
The most important thing to keep in mind when beginning a social media strategy is that social media should be treated as an extension of your customer service efforts; engagement is expected and required. Having a presence in the social space shows your customers that you are open to having a conversation. Therefore, keep your social media outlets active and respond to users' questions and comments as soon as possible. Don't let your account get "stale" by continuing to follow social media resources online.
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