Social Media Marketing For Dummies®

Chapter 14. Ten SIM Best Practices

Social influence marketing effort may fail for a lot of reasons. And not surprisingly, hundreds if not thousands of articles are online about why certain SIM efforts failed. Strangely, there's a lot less discussion about what succeeds and why. I certainly don't have all the answers, but what I do know is that by following these ten best practices, your chances of success are much greater.

Open Up Your Brand to Your Consumers, and Let Them Evolve It

This is difficult for many marketers. You've probably spent money and time building your brand only to have someone telling you to let go of it. This may sound absurd. The truth is that the more you let your consumers internalize your brand, talk about it in their own language, and manifest your story in their own way, the more success you will have with your SIM efforts.

Letting your consumers evolve your brand doesn't mean you're losing control of it completely. How you let consumers evolve your brand must be done in a fashion that is in sync with your company values, what your customers expect of you, the industry you operate in, and the appropriateness for your brand. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't let go at all. Brands that hold onto too much mystique run the risk of appearing cold, distant, and alienating. Those risks are accentuated now with the social Web, so be careful, even if you're Chanel or Louis Vuitton.

Develop a SIM Voice without Silencing Other Voices that Support Your Brand

Surprisingly, ...