Mark Schaefer (Schaefer Marketing Solutions) shared this news with his Facebook community this morning:
Click through to the original post on Mark's Facebook profile
Can you relate to the ?social marketing skeptic? as he began to see what Mark sees?
Those of us who are successfully using social media to engage with, network, and build relationships with our target audiences can all remember the moment in time when we first recognized the power behind the human dynamics in social marketing.
My ?A-Ha!? Moment: The Stage Is Set
My ?A-ha!? moment came in 2010, several months after we?d started blogging and using social media. I?d been actively and intentionally building relationships with New Englanders on Twitter, focusing on business owners and vendors, two sectors of our own target audience for WordPress websites and marketing-oriented videos. Bruce Garber, a New England videographer, was tweeting about an upcoming networking breakfast called Southern New England Media Makers. Scott went to the breakfast and connected with photographers, videographers, and other ?media makers.? Watch the short SNEMM Video Roll Call from that breakfast here, to see who was there:
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I watched the video myself, took note of the attendees, then set about reaching out to and building relationships on Twitter with each one. All this time, while building relationships by simply being myself, expressing genuine interest in others? lives and businesses, and connecting people with one another, I was writing blog posts about internet and buzz marketing, social media tips, and business topics, always thinking about what our target audience would be interested in, sharing links to our blog posts on several social media platforms, and driving traffic to our website.
From Twitter to Beer (and Club Soda with Extra Lemon)
Soon after that networking breakfast, Scott and I got together with one of the SNEMM attendees, George Ross, a world-class sports photographer and experienced SEO-focused marketer. We traded stories and experiences, talked about marketing and life, and deepened our budding friendship. Not long after our Beer and Club Soda Summit, George contacted us about a local business that needed very specialized help with their existing WordPress website. Here?s where everything came together: By then, George knew and trusted us enough to put his own reputation on the line by referring us to the business in need. Scott reached out to the business and advised them, we took over the account, and we still hold that account to this day.
That account was our very first procured through relationships originally started on Twitter. That was my ?A-ha!? moment about social marketing, and from there, everything changed in our business. Building and nurturing real relationships, helping people, connecting, and being mindful of the needs of others became the driving force behind everything we do at New England Multimedia, reflecting the way Scott and I live our lives offline anyway. It?s been a natural fit for us.
Who Do You Trust the Most?
In ?The Staggering Power of Peer-to-Peer Influence? we shared some not-so-surprising statistics about influence, trust, and consumer behavior that bear out what we?ve experienced. According to the Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey, 92% of consumers say they trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising. For New England Multimedia, the relationships we?ve built online have radically changed the way we ?find? new customers, engage and nurture relationships with existing and former customers, and build mutually-beneficial relationships.
Social marketing is here to stay.
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What was YOUR first ?A-ha!? moment with social marketing (social media marketing)? Share it with us!
Jordyn Wieber michael phelps Kerri Strug Ledecky Nadia Comaneci Rebecca Soni Snoop Lion
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