The Effective Use of Social Media in Marketing - Obey

Social media marketing is not just making a Facebook page; it’s using different networks that your customers are on and engaging them. The concentration of word of mouth could enable a company to succeed in social media marketing. To that end there are a few specific ideas to keep in mind when attempting to effectively utilize social media. The first is tying social media to organizational goals. Social media should not be considered it’s on entity but incorporated within the organization to meet marketing objectives. A problem that should be highlighted is that 60% of companies are either in the research or experimentation stage of social media marketing. Despite its growing importance in marketing, the majority of companies have not adapted to this change. This brings up to the third idea which is social media is now a part of the marketing mix. Due to consumer being more involved with purchase decisions, consumer engagement has never been more important. Social media addresses this aspect and has developed its own marketing mix.
This new dynamic creates six main objectives for marketers using social media. The first is building brand awareness. Social media enables companies to reach new audiences and build awareness with consumers that otherwise would not know about the company. Brand awareness can also be increased by sharing content of their company such as culture and news. Additionally social media can be used to move consumers from the social media networks to the company website.
Making customer service personal would be the second objective that should be considered. It enables immediate response and interaction between customer and company which enhances the company’s image. Customer support on social media outlets such as Twitter could be used to keep customers informed or answer any questions or concern the customer may have.
Event marketing is area that social media can affects. Social media allows the marketer to release updates and alerts as well promote the event itself. Effectively using social media allow the audience to participate in real time which enriches the experience and engages the audience. Sharing content from the event will allow the audience to share their experiences with potential consumers and their networks.
The product launch has conceived a new meaning. Whereas in the past companies spent millions of dollars on push campaigns, now there is a way to reach huge audiences cheaply through word of mouth; social media. In order to engage these audiences companies must not only tell the consumer about the product, but rather show them. They can also incorporate contests with a new product launch on Facebook to get consumers interested and involved with their company. These contests could consist of giving away the new product or complementary product.
Building a sales pipeline is made easier through social media marketing. In order for a company to build their pipeline they must first locate their customer base in the social media networks. Once specific social media networks have been singled out the company has to maintain a presence there. Once they have a strong presence companies can then guide consumers to their website or store to make a purchase.
Being active in your community creates free buzz. If a company is able to establish itself within a community and promotes an idea or a social value rather than just a product, a connection is made between community and brand. This connection will increase the dispersal rate of your messages and will increase consumer action. The social value that the company promotes becomes the purchase incentive in and of itself.
Tom’s Shoes has effectively been able to incorporate social media especially well within their organization. They have several different social media tools such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter among others. They build brand awareness with their blog by share experiences of employees and customer involved with their organization.
Tom’s Shoes make customer service personal by giving their Tom’s Happiness Guarantee which states if the customer has any issue with their products they can engage employees instantly through direct channel s such as Twitter. Host a “Style Your Sole” party is how Tom’s Shoes engages consumers to market through events. Customers can use social media to promote the party within their network. The blog is used within this company to promote new product lines being launched when they released their sun glasses. The blog is also used as a pipeline to funnel customer to their website. Community activation is a strength of Tom’s Shoes marketing. With their events such as “Campus Clubs”, “Decorate your Sole” parties Tom’s Shoes calls its consumers to action.

Overall social media marketing is a very powerful tool, and no further evidence in need other than the proliferation of Tom’s Shoes.

References
"TOMS Blog." Official Store - TOMS Shoes - One for One - A Pair of New Shoes Is Given to a Child in Need With Every Pair Purchased TOMS.com. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. .
http://info.spredfast.com/SocialMediaPocketGuide-AMAwebinar.html