The Social Media Summit: A Virtual Success November 4, 2010 @ 03:09 PM | By Sara Steele

I’ve been personally active on Facebook since before social marketing was all the hype. So, when tasked with assisting in our social media efforts and sending our messages out via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., my initial thought was, “How difficult can it really be, right?”  Wrong!  Yesterday, I attended the Social Media Virtual Summit hosted by the Online Marketing Summit (OMS). I continue to be amazed at how much is involved with social media and the strategies for B2B and B2C marketing.

The virtual tradeshow was great! You can attend various presentations in the auditorium, engage in Q&A with the presenters or take a stroll through the virtual exhibit hall. Here are a few things I learned which I will apply to my daily social media efforts going forward:

• Keep your messages personal and engaging. Response rate dramatically increases when a communication is personalized or endorsed by a friend. By supplying content and conversation pieces and targeting those readers who are most likely to talk, your message will take you a lot further.
• Seek to understand your readers and predict their behavior.  Chris Marriott, VP, Global Agency Services, spoke about how social media has given rise to the marketing democracy. It’s important to understand ‘voters’ and their lifecycle to deliver effective communications.  Rather than battle the marketing democracy, it’s better to embrace and join the movement. Here’s a great example he gave demonstrating how United learned this lesson the hard way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo.
• Go beyond selling. At the end of the day, it’s not about hammering individuals with selling products at a great price. It’s about keeping your messages consistent and newsworthy so that your readers want to read them and in turn will work on your behalf to spread your message.

The downside to this virtual experience? I wasn’t able to catch as much of the conference as I would have liked. While it’s great to not have to leave your desk,  it’s also very difficult to keep out distractions. Luckily, all the presentations were recorded using streaming services, so I can go back and watch on another day.

Sara Steele is a marketing coordinator at InterCall responsible for various corporate communication initiatives; including social media and channel marketing efforts. Sara began working with InterCall after graduating from the University of Colorado in 2006. In her free time, she enjoys running, skiing, and spending time with family and friends.