By Nina Buik, Chief Marketing Officer at HP Connect
I admit that I’m a fan of Lady Gaga’s music, but even more a fan of her marketing strategy:
- Creates a globally recognizable brand image
- Creates edgy, compelling headlines
- Is “virtually” ubiquitous
- Fearless of putting herself “out there”
- Has built an incredibly loyal following
You don’t have to be “born this way” to be successful at social media, but you do have to have a successful strategy, or you may simply end up in a “bad romance.”
The social media explosion has proven that like-minded consumers/people like belonging to a group (e.g., ski club, track club, Lady Gaga fan club, etc.). They want to know more about the “thing” that makes them like-minded, and they want to communicate with one another. Thus the advent of social CRM.
So what is your strategy? Is it measurable? Is your entire organization part of and supportive of your strategy? What is your organization’s “love game” with your customers? Here are a few tips:
- Other than your product or service, identify what your customers have in common.
- Identify where your customers hang out—online and offline.
- Take a good look at your brand image/messaging. Make sure it is current/relevant and “fits in” these virtual groups and/or physical locations.
- Define measurable outcomes.
- Assign passionate “owners.”
- Provide tools to your foot soldiers (tweetsheets, blog templates, etc.).
- Encourage your team to find the “edge” of their message (staying just within the guidelines).
- Use a hub/spoke model (your website is the hub, and all external spoke messages refer the reader back to your site).
Lady Gaga has it right. Whether you enjoy her music or not, stop “dancing in the dark” and take note of her successful marketing strategy.
