What is the foundation of social media? A simple question with multiple ways to respond, but I found a great post this morning that discusses the 5 C’s that make up the foundation of social media marketing.
- Conversation: Go where the conversations are taking place - Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, YouTube, etc. Establish accounts and create your identity. Stay up-to-date with your accounts and participate often. Really get to know your followers and audience so you can actively participate.
- Community: Seize the opportunity to not only join and participate in conversations, but add your own value. This is how you create a community, which you must work to maintain and earn the trust of your followers. A good site for community building (in addition to the ones mentioned above) is Ning. Ning allows its users to create their own social websites and social networks. It’s a good place to create a form or community around your product, which in return can produce useful user feedback.
- Commenting: It’s important to maintain a relationship with your audience, so always be engaged. Track everything so you can respond to comments, whether they are comments to your blog posts, tweets, videos, etc. In addition, comment on other individuals posts, tweets, etc. The more engaged you are, the better response you will get.
- Collaboration: Think of your followers as your partners. They are your most loyal brand endorsers. Only friend and follow the people who are conversing about your brand and collaborate with them regularly. Do not spam them or push your product on them. Create the environment for them to want to learn more and endorse you.
- Contribution: Content is essential to being successful in social media. Create creative content that is engaging, unique, and news worthy. Make your audience want to learn more and want to share what they learn with their friends (Digg, Reddit, Stumble, Delicious, YouTube, etc.). Encourage others to promote your content too.
Follow the 5 C’s and you are on the right track to successfully marketing your business on the social web. For a more detailed look at the core ingredients that define social media, I highly recommend you check out Michael Fruchter’s full post!
What do you consider the foundation of social media to be? Share in the comments!
February 18th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
It becomes clear that successful Social Media Marketing is not only about effective management of the five C’s but also their integration, so I believe that as a foundation for social media marketing we have to bear in mind the five C’s as a whole. I’m convinced that AIDA model would help to successfully engage with followers/audience .
AIDA (Attention Interest Desire Action)
What would it be the Social Media Marketing Mix? the integration of the five C’s?
February 19th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
I think social media comes down to the idea that we should all conduct business “in the light of day” which is actually something Obama mentioned during his campaign. Participating in social media involves putting your true ideas and thoughts, as a vendor into the atmosphere so your clients can readily see it. Brides deserve to read your comments, read your reviews and hear what you have to say. It shows them you have nothing to hid, and actually want to be a part of their planning. It’s a good way to gain their trust and earn validation.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Creating community around your product or service is key. Seth Godin’s Tribes is an excellent read, and an even better concept. The five C’s listed are great!
Sandra Makis last blog post..Running down the dream!
March 28th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
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September 1st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
All five C’s are the embodiment of Relationship Building 101. The great advantage we have as a society today is the E-world which has brought our conversations from paper and pencil to I-pod and touch screens. I for one love the fast connections that I am able to make with just a click. Personal branding through the use of these tools is only the most logical thing to do and applying these five C’s just adds value to your written word. I for one believe that people do not buy a product from a Salesperson because they are convinced the product is a good product… they buy a product from a Salesperson because the Salesperson has established a sense of trust with the customer. There is absolutely no true guarantee in a product only the guarantee that the relationship you built with the Salesperson will bring you peace of mind if ever the product does not meet your satisfaction. (PS… Check out Brian Buffini… he is great at teaching the basics of building and keeping valuable and lasting relationships.)