Randy

It’s true -short-term “campaigns” can be effective in delivering traffic spikes. A perfect example is a contest or event. This is great for getting your name out there and bringing in traffic, short-lived as it might be.

However, the overarching theme of the Summit was that it’s more effective to have a social media strategy in place that long outlives any short-term campaign. This is how the companies studied were successful in outreach to customers. Their continued presence and participation in social media channels has been far more beneficial to them than a short-term effort would have been.

Combining short-term special promotions with a longer-term strategy is certainly a great way to go. Problems arise when companies decide to try social media and then don’t see any immediate results so they give up. Their social media presence goes dormant. They wasted their time and money.

While there’s a time and place for everything, social media marketing is a lot like content marketing as it’s a medium that can be used to strengthen relationships with both customers and prospects over the long term, and in time, those relationships (and word of mouth) will lead to long-term growth and brand loyalty.

Randy

Great post! You’ve listed some really helpful tips here.

I’m interested to know more about #3: “Social media efforts should not be viewed as short-term campaigns but as a long-term strategy to listen to and engage with customers and prospects.”

I recently read elsewhere that short-term social media campaigns, particularly on a social networking site like Facebook, can be quite effective in creating large spikes in traffic in a short period of time. Could you offer a bit more insight as to why you think a long-term strategy is the more useful application of social media?

Thanks,
Erin Leach-Kemon

I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again sometime – at least virtually.

Best,

Randy

Randy

Not to forget all the constantly evolving social media touch-points (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Groupons) – real exciting journey ahead. Look forward to stay in touch with the #smss10 fraternity and to meet once more in #smss11!

BR,
Nelson Wee, Singapore
Let’s Connect @nelsonwee