Social Marketing Pointers from Howard Tullman

I received this note in my inbox this morning from Howard Tullman, CEO of Flashpoint Academy, with some really helpful tips on understanding how Web 2.0 will affect your business.

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Social networks, for better or worse, are in the process of changing branding, marketing, interpersonal and B2B communication and even the nature of what we used to think of as conversations around the water cooler at the office. Increasingly, we will all tell our stories thru our customers rather than to our customers. I recently spoke to a group of direct marketers and I included 10 critical considerations to keep in mind as we all approach this new and very challenging area.

1. Your Brand No Longer Belongs Just to You.
   
2. If You Don’t Control the Conversation, Someone Else Will.
3. You Can’t Control the Conversation, but You Must be A Constant and Authentic Part of It.
4. A Little Bad Pushes Out Tons of Good.
5. Talking to Yourself is Like Wetting Your Pants in a Dark Suit. (You Get a Warm Feeling, but No One Notices)
6. Talking to Existing Customers is Much More Valuable than Trying to Solicit New Ones.
7. Deeper Connection is Always Better than Wider. (Commitment and Spend.)
8. Value Exchange is Critical for Engagement.
9. Additive and Empowering – not Interruptive and Trivial.
10. Build Up from Bite Sized…Start Small, then Scale.