There are a lot of lists out there describing steps or activities you should engage in in order to get the most out of social media. It is easy to get the impression that this is simply a matter of following some steps in order and waiting for results. What isn’t mentioned is that marketing with social media isn’t so much a matter of following a linear progression as it is of becoming part of a spherical process.

While many of these tips are nice, perhaps it’s now time to think not of a list of things to do, but in terms of a mix. Like a marketing mix, your social media blend should contain a balance of the factors that drive your efforts:

* Your company products and services. What you business is should drive how you communicate. If you are in consulting, you should be providing valuable information and driving a conversation that raises

1) Questions you can answer and

2) Needs that you have not yet identified.

If you can do this, you have a following and also some valuable data.

* Customer – Customers of products will be interested in how others are using a product or service, they will be interested in how you are handling complaints as well as news on new versions and updates. As above, customers of a service will be interested in how best to leverage the services they have or are considering paying for. Social media can often been seen as obligitory because ‘everyone else is doing it’. That is not the view to take. Social media is an incredible opportunity to collect very useful information as well as retain customers, to even win evangelists.

* The network – Each social network is different. There are different protocols, jargon and value systems. Your approach is going to vary from network to network. This eventually becomes a rather complex task and this is why large companies like Coke have already set up a separate department to handle this kind of communication.

* Time and effort distribution, evaluating the ROI for your efforts is a continual process, network crowds change, your business changes and needs change. Some networks may be of more use to you for audience than others. If you find a great source of traffic in one network that’s wonderful but don’t neglect the others. Many people use social media to GET information as well. Shouldn’t you be doing the same thing? Don’t always approach social media as a distributor, make sure to spend time as a consumer as well. This is essential to understanding the mindset of the people you are targeting.

The ‘tribe’ aside from the material needs of the target consumer, there is also the manner in which a particular group speaks to each other. Whether it be formal, casual or a mix of the two, it is important to speak to them in terms that they understand. Traditional marketing has been very focused on telling the consumer what is happening and where things are going. Today, with social media, particularly with SME organizations, it is about listening and responding. More focused attention is appreciated and rewarded with the opportunity to explain why your products and services are better.

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