The Most Important Thing in Social Media Marketing

Enough with all the buzz on viral marketing, big plans and social media marketing strategies.

If you’re planning to jump on social media in 2011 or even looking to pump in more money to make your brand more social and viral, read this before doing so.

Don’t be blinded by the viral successes Samsung, Dell, Old Spice or many other brands have achieved… because the most important thing in social media marketing is your product quality.

Marketing consists of 4Ps (place, price, promotion, product)… so don’t just focus on one component. Only advertising agencies have the right to focus on promotion alone. In fact, this also applies to any marketing investment you’re about to make.

Your product need not be perfect, but it should bring value to people and is above (or at least on par with) your competitors’ standard. Many times, we receive pitches from startups and are hesitant to feature them. Why? Because the product isn’t ready and any form of publicity is just going to do more harm than good. Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe in shipping fast. But we also have to be conscious about delivering it right. A flawed product that is spread virally is as good as giving a competitor a free head start. Plus, you would have wasted a load of resources too.

Toyota and Apple have a fair share of flawed products in the last couple of years. But their strong brand image gives them enough leeway to do so. Unfortunately, a small business doesn’t have this luxury. Do it virally wrong once and you’re gone. We enjoy watching businesses embracing social media but it has to be done right. All fluff and no stuff is what makes a successful campaign empty. So what if it went viral. The campaign is a success but people detest your product. Thanks to your viral social media campaign, people learned that your product isn’t worth their money. This is the de-marketing effect that you want to avoid. So, be sure about your product before you market it.

Back to Marketing

Of course, to let consumers know about your product, a sound marketing plan has to be in place. Don’t put it in a closet. Hazrul Jamari, CEO of Verberter feels that a good product is crucial but it is not enough to bring in revenue.

“Through my experience, I’ve learnt that strategy over anything else is what determines the success of a campaign. So what if you have a product that changes the world. If your placement is not visible and promotion isn’t aggressive, you’re dead,” said Jamari.

“There are no nice guys in marketing. It is essentially a war out there. So the best product (weapon) doesn’t determine everything. Outwit your competitors by maneuvering around their dominance.”

Constant Improvement