Five Social Media Resolutions for 2010

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In January 2008, a major influencer in the search engine marketing business made a bold statement. He predicted that Web 2.0 was a fad that would fade away by year end. The same year a once popular direct marketing expert predicted the demise of the internet if gas prices fell to $1 per gallon.

In January 2009, a CEO of a major online shopping solution provider, 'accomplished speaker & author,' insisted that the spend on social media is overrated. He insisted that your money would be better spent if you focused on investment in search marketing. (His software had the ability to facilitate effective search marketing.)

Earlier this year, I heard an internet guru & 'esteemed consultant' say that social media took up too much time, that there was no way to measure the impact of social media, & that your investments would be better in other channels.

Contrary to these opinions, social media is turning out to be a very effective engagement tool. You can grow your sphere of influence by engaging your existing fans (getting them to pay more attention to your campaigns), and getting your fans to promote your brands to their acquaintances. You also have an opportunity to be genuine and engage your consumers in a real dialogue. This dialogue is the foundation of relevance in all your campaigns (across channel).

What is popular today is Facebook, Twitter creates a buzz, & blogs abound. User generated content via text, sound, pictures, & video helps build up the value of a brand. Many companies are making significant investments in social media. There are distinct ways to measure success.

For the success of your social media strategy in 2010 you need to focus on five things -

1. You have to learn to listen via social media, don't just lead conversations - you need to join conversations;

2. You need to respond to queries and comments - good or bad, and do this quickly;

3. You have to keep learning & adapting your program to meet the needs of those you serve;

4. Set up simple measures of success;

5. Be as genuine as you can!

Good luck with engagement in 2010.