Get over it. Social media and content marketing are here to stay, but that does not mean they are here to take over. The Internet has become the go-to resource for most businesses for the early stages of the buying cycle. However, according to this article, the old-fashioned salesperson is still the vital element needed at the end. Thank goodness some things never change.

Here’s a great story about how American Airlines used social media to improve their image by providing exceptional customer service, the kind we would all like to receive. It’s a must-read because the lesson here is applicable to every company, whether B2C or B2B: Social media is best used to engage and serve customers. Kind of like your business itself.

Everyone is talking about social media. Do you have a Twitter account? A Facebook page? Are you on Linkedin? Social media is the greatest thing since sliced bread! (The only thing greater would be if Elvis was still alive and had his own Twitter account.) According to this article, the problem is that everyone talks about using social media, but few really use it effectively. Are you one of them?

Proof that a Social Media Marketing Program is just one of the ingredients in the delicous marketing pudding!  Social Media should be used as one of the ingredients in your marketing recipe. Better to concentrate on cooking up the whole meal rather than relying on one ingredient to make the meal a success.

What has the small business marketing world Buzzing? “Google Buzz” !  This is the latest addition to social media marketing that the internet and marketers are all fired up about. Google Buzz  is a  new feature that shows up in Gmail that is a friend feed type social newsfeed like Facebook which behaves differently in google never ending style – a scroll platform. Most of the “buzz” about Google buzz has marketers asking is it a marketing utility? Is it something we need? It is brilliant because what it does is forces social stream into our inbox and allows us to see that we are inundating ourselves with stuff we don’t need!

Google Buzz will allow us to see more real time content such as tweets and comments in google buzz that will get ranked as critical words.  Eventually Google Buzz will eliminate the race for followers and fans and will allow google environment fans to be able to use Google Buzz effectively to parse down the number of people they want to connect with to a reasonable level.

I am all for anything that will make our lives easier but if Google Buzz does what is promised, it will negate the need for companies to be concerned about how many friends and fans they are collecting and concentrate on building long term relationships with their true customers.

As the world of social media marketing changes, we are studying all the ways in which we can help our small business customers to make educated decisions on which social media platforms they will incorporate into their 2010 marketing programs.  Stay tuned!

I don’t know about you, but at the end of every year, I receive a myriad of promotional calendars in the mail. Considering there is little space on my office wall and the fact that I carry a hard copy day timer (which I affectionately refer to as my PDA!), I feel guilty that I cannot make use of all the wonderful calendars I receive, I decided that one way to provide an answer to my questions is to create a content calendar, using one of my spare calendars. You can use a spare calendar to perform the same exercise.

Use tools such as Twitter search or Google Alerts to find out your customers’ needs. Are you seeking attraction or attention? Develop a content marketing plan –mark in your calendar when to Blog, when to send out Press Releases, when to write a White Paper. Consistency is the key to every marketing plan. Create consistent information and stick to your plan. If you cannot perform the marketing initiatives yourself, then look for someone who can assist you with implementation.

Outsource to a qualified content consultant who understands your industry and can help to write a Blog post in a timely manner. Or, assign an internal project manager to work with an outsourced content manager. Just be sure your content manager understands your industry and is an expert in their field.
Once you have put together your content marketing plan, work the plan. Consistency is the key! (Consistency is the key!).