I\u2019ve previously written posts on how to find and vet\u00a0digital marketing talent\u00a0as well as how to choose an\u00a0online marketing or PR agency. Along those lines of thinking, today I was reading through my feeds and came across a post on\u00a0how to spot\u00a0great SEO. Nick shares some smart thinking here:<\/p>\n
SEO is truly a mindset a business or a person must realize that it is more than just search engine rankings. The companies and individuals that realize this are the ones that are really reaping the benefits of marketing themselves online in the search engine space. Great search engine optimization doesn\u2019t just happen overnight or with some \u201ctool\u201d you found out there to make it happen quicker. Really good search engine optimization is a craft that takes time to acquire and the companies that are doing it right are visible in many areas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Social media is an exact parallel, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n
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- Social media is more than just friends or followers<\/li>\n
- Success doesn\u2019t just happen overnight or simply by using automation<\/li>\n
- It is a craft that takes time to hone and embed within the thinking of everyone at the organization<\/li>\n
- The companies doing it right are visible in many areas (and\u00a0significant outperforming\u00a0the rest)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Naturally my next thought was to share a list on how to spot a great social media program. \u00a0So here you go:<\/p>\n
Well referenced across the industry\/category<\/strong><\/p>\n
Not just on ranking or influencer lists \u2013 but media (all types) \u00a0are organically referencing the brand (or artist, person etc.). As I noted in a post on the necessity for your brand to\u00a0become referential\u00a0\u2013 the benefits to this are clear:<\/p>\n
The web is a referential medium.\u00a0 Bloggers and digitally-savvy journalists understand the concept of linking as a source, and instead of having to re-explain something already fleshed out, we just link as proof.\u00a0 It\u2019s simple and as still as effective as ever, even in a real-time world.<\/p>\n
And so, being referential remains a powerful position to be in.\u00a0 Whether your company blog, newsroom, resource center or even team members are referential, those in such a position have a decided advantage over competitors.\u00a0 It provides\u00a0increasing returns\u00a0as you\u2019re spending far less effort on outbound efforts and can focus more on inbound.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Logical workflow across channels & integration with other communications<\/strong><\/p>\n
It\u2019s obvious when looking at brands dominating their competitors socially they have consciously sculpted a workflow of content through their channels designed to achieve their objective. Content is syndicated in a way that provides value to users and also supports the growth of their community. Further, social is integrated across the company\u2019s communications programs beyond just website buttons \u2013 they\u2019re actually integrating into their larger communications strategy and dedicating resources to the effort. Companies truly at the edge are taking customer feedback from their communities and using it to improve their products ahead of competitors.<\/p>\n
Consistent and creative<\/strong><\/p>\n
Great social media programs maintain\u00a0consistency\u00a0and share of voice over time. A mature social media program maintains consistency without sacrificing the\u00a0signal to noise ratio. Concurrently those already in a groove with their efforts and maintaining share of voice understand that\u00a0buzz is a critical\u00a0element to inject into their efforts \u2013 and can pour fuel on already increasing metrics. But only after you have the basics down does buzz make sense.<\/p>\n
Intersection of social media and SEO<\/strong><\/p>\n
Savvy online marketers understand that\u00a0social media and SEO\u00a0have an intersection point. Not that this hasn\u2019t been in play for years, but with the engines\u00a0explicitly saying\u00a0they look at search signals, it should be clear enough for everyone that SEO and social don\u2019t operate in a vacuum. Integration of search with social is just another element that separates the good from the great.<\/p>\n
Working as a team \u2013 brands, partners, even\u00a0customers<\/strong><\/p>\n
While many social media marketing programs start as efforts with just a few, the ones that show results end up drawing many from an organization in. Let\u2019s face it, everyone wants to be a part of winning efforts. And success generally breeds more success \u2013 with partners and even customers getting into the mix bringing more visibility to the brand.<\/p>\n
Passionate and motivated team<\/strong><\/p>\n
Recently I shared a post on ways to\u00a0keep your social team motivated. \u00a0It\u2019s clear from the outside looking in that great social media marketing programs have a motivated team because, in essence they\u00a0have to<\/em>. There\u2019s too much involved to make the best programs a success than to have this any other way.<\/p>\n
Management is fully-bought in<\/strong><\/p>\n
The resource allocation necessary for truly great social marketing requires buy-in from management. But it\u2019s more than just resources in the form of funding or team members. It\u2019s trust. It\u2019s comprehension and education. In fact, in the future we\u2019ll see the way companies embrace social technologies shift, as Brian Solis\u00a0puts it, from an outside-in, bottom-up groundswell to a top-down, inside-out pivot. No matter what the motivation or persuasion for companies to get social \u2013 if you talk with the management teams of companies running\u00a0truly<\/em>\u00a0great social media programs you can tell immediately they are 100% bought in.<\/p>\n
This is of course a shortlist \u2013 what else should we add?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve previously written posts on how to find and vet\u00a0digital marketing talent\u00a0as well as how to choose an\u00a0online marketing or … <\/p>\n