CHAPTER 11
Community Rules: Social Network Development
Don’t Be Late to the Social Networking Party
A friend recently asked me a compelling question about social media marketing for an article he was writing: “How long does it take to see any kind of ROI from a social media marketing campaign?” The answer to that question is an appropriate introduction to this chapter, because it reveals the importance of growing a social network as well as investing in relationships and community through social channels.
If a business like Brian Clark’s Copyblogger Media announced a new software product through a series of demonstration videos promoted on the main web site to the Copyblogger community, via e-mail, and through social channels like Facebook and Twitter, I’d estimate that it would take a few hours to a few days before significant orders started coming in. Why so fast? Brian, Sonia, and their team have already built a hub and numerous spokes as social networks. The Copyblogger Media brand is known among buyers and numerous online marketing influentials as a provider of quality software. Brian has committed to creating content and media for several years, building up a strong online presence and attracting thousands of links and top search visibility on Google and Bing. With those online and offline social connections, search visibility, and credibility in place, barriers to conversion for a new product launch are low.
Now let’s take another perspective. At a recent event, I talked ...
