The “a-ha” moments were aplenty at last week’s PRSA monthly meeting, when Peter Shankman, HARO creator, social media wise man and guy you’d totally want to invite out for a beer took the floor to talk effective marketing in the digital age.
Though his presentation could inspire a hundred blog posts, what follows are four components of successful marketing worth remembering.
- Transparency: Make a mistake? Admit it. Not rocket science, but an important thing to remember in business (and in life, too!). Being transparent creates trust and trust creates loyalty. Transparency is therefore the new, uh, black.
- Relevance: If you want loyal customers, you’re going to have to give them what they want how they want it. Not sure what your customers want? Ask them. And remember: just because social media is the current “it” medium doesn’t mean it is right for you. Embrace the concepts social media presents, but not necessarily the social media brands themselves. No matter how cool social media is, revenue always trumps cool.
- Brevity: The average attention span of 18-45 year olds is 2.6 seconds or 140 characters. What does this mean? One, it means that I’ve already lost a good chunk of you. Two, it means that now, more than ever, quality writing is paramount. (4 realz, LOL!) The message that is written the best is the one that will be read. Simple as that.
- Be Top of Mind: Your business is about your customers. All of your marketing efforts – new or traditional – need to be rooted in basic customer relationship management.
According to Peter, we’re moving toward a world of one network where your information will be a part of you. He introduced many in the room to Pokens, social business cards that allow you to share social media information and cultivate relationships with a wave of the hand. Find out more here: www.poken.com.
Check out the video below for a short interview with Peter, and be sure to check out blog and connect with him on Twitter.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XAOdbnW-JY]
-Laura Stanelle, @laurastanelle
