Social Media Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Participating — Four Rules of the Game

Many different factors can make or break a SMM campaign, and sometimes it’s even just a matter of luck. But four rules matter above all else when it comes to SMM campaigns.

These rules don’t always apply to other forms of marketing. Pay attention to them, and make sure that your SMM campaign abides by these.

Be authentic

Authenticity is a tricky word. It’s tricky because it’s overused in the context of social media. Everybody talks about being authentic when marketing in the social media realm, but what that means is rarely explained. Authenticity is being honest and transparent: It’s as simple as that.

Here are some examples:

When you set up a blog as part of your campaign, make sure that you’re using your own voice.

Don’t outsource the publishing of content to a third party or to your PR team. If you have to, make sure that the writer accurately identifies himself as contributing on your behalf. George Colony’s blog The Counterintuitive CEO is a great example, as shown in Figure 4-4. The blog is written in the first person by Forrester’s chief executive officer, George Colony. There’s no doubt that he is writing.

When you’re publishing your ...