What Social Network Marketing Does for Me..or not.

I've been putting considerable effort into Social Network Marketing for a good six months. I am not going to detail all of my social network marketing activities here. Suffice it to say that I'm active on YouTube, Amazon.com, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Friend Feed, Twitter, and other lesser known video sites. I use Google Reader and FriendFeed postings and I keep two of my own Blogs bubbling. Everything feeds everything else as much as is … wise. I'm peddling books in several ways including video book reviews and video ads.

Conclusion 1: A rising tide raises all vessels and it is difficult to catch a falling knife.

If the market is hot for your product, then any marketing action you take makes you look like a genius. If you are fighting a down market, then be prepared to feel not so smart. No great insight here, but it's good to keep in mind when evaluating Social Network Marketing efforts.

Any data you collect must be in the context of the market. A statement such as "Social Network Marketing increased my sales by 22%." is useless information.

I am trying to peddle books, both my own books and popular fiction books. If you read anything about book sales in the last few years, you know I am trying to catch the falling knife. So, I am real good at telling you what doesn't work.


Conclusion 2: The BEST use of Social Network Marketing is to sell Social Network Marketing. (As practiced by Mr. Burchill)

The hottest topic on FriendFeed is … FriendFeed. The hottest topics on Twitter are all Twitter-related.

Conclusion 3: So far, no service does GROUPS well.

I am terribly disappointed by the "Groups" on FaceBook, FriendFeed, and LinkedIn. I have joined political groups, local interest groups, writers' groups, readers' groups, groups on military history, particular writers, pilots, wine drinkers, and on. Overall, the level of activity is abysmal when compared to similar blogs and existing SIGs.

I get MUCH better response to postings in Blog-related comments than I do to the same things thrown out in the FB, FF, or LI groups. I get better responses to comments posted on YouTube and Amazon.com than from any of the Social Network Groups.

I get a much better response from Twitter postings than from any questions, comments, or offers on any SN groups.

It takes a big driver, like a contest or discount coupons, to make a group on a social network into a success. Otherwise, the perceived value of these specific groups is masked by some aspect of social network services that I have not identified, but perhaps it is the low and infrequent attendance.

The "Answers" section of LinkedIn is a special case. This instant Q&A is like a world of transient discussion groups that includes the component of people competing to show their expertise and win badges. Imagine a large circulating cocktail party where each knot of people pins a visible badge on the person who was the best participant in that discussion before the group splits and each person moves on. The Answers section of LinkedIn can be potent if used sparingly.


Conclusion 4: The BEST practical use of Social Network Marketing for those not selling Social Network Marketing is to get opt-in for your email list.

As much as I dislike government oversight, I must conclude that the Federal and State CANSPAM laws have enhanced the effectiveness of email newsletters when that email is done right.

I think the best advice you can give any client considering Social Network Marketing is to look at it as a way to get some very good names on their opt-in email lists.

Considering the relatively low up-front cost of Social Network Marketing, simply getting good contacts can give a good rate of return on investment.


Conclusion 5: Make sure your buyers are young enough to be in the Social Network market.

That advice is inspired by James Burchill. But, what James never explained well enough to me is the generational aspect of Social Network Marketing. I am over 60. I am an outlying blip on the chart of SN users. Since the highest percentage of book readers per age group has grey hair, I am in the wrong place!

Yes, that SN demographic is changing, but it's not going to change much. The limitations are on eyes, thumbs, and fear of tech. My love of tech keeps me going.

I would love to be in the business of selling acne cream through Social Networking. Give me some discount coupons to distribute and I'd rock. Heck, maybe I'll do that in my spare time just to take up the slack.


Conclusion 6: (Tentative) There are days when I think Twitter mini-blog posts are the most useful thing I do.

There are days when I think I should dump much of the other stuff and just do mini-blog posts on Twitter. Not that they are easy to do when done well, but there is something more addictive about Twitter than I find in all of the other services.


Now that I have shared... I'd be interested to hear from others who have put in some time and energy into Social Network Marketing.