The Progression of Social Media from Real-Time Conversations to Mobile Devices

Please welcome Jamie Turner to my blog. Jamie is the Chief Content Officer for the 60 Second Marketer, an online magazine that provides tools, tips, and tutorials on the newest trends in marketing. Over the past 20 years, Jamie has helped a myriad of companies including AT&T, Cartoon Network, CNN, Motorola, and The Coca-Cola Company to grow their sales and revenues through persuasive marketing. Check out his website, follow on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook. Recently, I discussed the impact of social media on marketing with Jamie and would like to share the highlights.

How has social media changed marketing?

JAMIE TURNER: There are two primary ways that social media has changed marketing. The first is that the consumer now expects the brand to have a dialogue with them. In the past, brands had a monologue with consumers, but today, consumers expect brands to respond to their questions, comments, and complaints via social media. The second way that things have changed is that brands are expected to be completely transparent with their actions and behaviors. In the old days, brands could get away with questionable behavior. But today, consumers watch their every move, and as a result, are quick to Tweet, blog, or post an update to Facebook.

What three questions should a business ask before jumping into social media?

JAMIE TURNER: There are three simple questions to ask before you dive in:

[1] Is social media right for our business? Surprisingly, the answer is sometimes “no.”

[2] Can we devote appropriate resources to this campaign?

[3] Are we going to track and measure our campaign?

If the answer to all three is “yes,” then you’re good-to-go.

How do you measure the effectiveness of a social media campaign?

JAMIE TURNER: One, track and measure your traffic via social media, which is relatively simple in the digital world. And two, understand the concept of Customer Lifetime Value, which is the amount of revenue the average customer generates for your business during the average time that he/she buys your brand. If you understand Customer Lifetime Value, then you can calculate how much money you have spent using social media to acquire a new customer. By using these calculations, you can easily measure the effectiveness of your social media campaign. You can download my presentation on this topic at http://www.slideshare.net/JamieTurner1313/social-media-roi-how-to-calculate-your-success.

What are your favorite websites that focus on social media?

JAMIE TURNER: I’m a big fan of Google’s YouTube channel because the videos are extremely well-produced and provide great value to the viewer. I’m also a fan of Social Media Examiner.

 

How will the social media landscape change over the next 12 months?

JAMIE TURNER: The big change will be that more people will access their social media campaigns via mobile devices. I talk about this in great detail in my new book, Go Mobile. Mobile is going to transform the way we do business – it has already started, and believe it or not, mobile is not that hard for marketers to manage.