By CRAIG HARDING BEc, Dip EM, AMAMI

EVERYONE has heard of social media. You can’t even turn on the television or radio without hearing about Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or MySpace.

To many in marketing and communication, social media is a shot in the arm, providing new technologies and media and it has leveled the playing field, particularly for organisations that may not have enormous budgets. For others, it’s nothing more than a pain in the proverbial. It means that we’ve had to learn a whole lot of new things, not to mention unlearn many old habits. Above all it means we have to be able to think and respond in ‘real-time’ and know our way around digital technology as well as we do a design studio, printing works or newsroom.

First and foremost, participating in the social web means building brand recognition. Social media can be used not just by individuals, but by companies and their brands, emergency services, pubs and restaurants, banks and so on. It’s the brand recognition that leads to improved linking to your website.

But of course it’s not just about the technology, but what you do with it that matters.

Social media is all about building relationships. All marketing and communication is about building relationships. Social media offers tools and platforms to get the job done, but they don’t replace the one-on-one interaction necessary for being successful. And, relationships take time. At our consultancy, we live by the adage that it’s never about the technology, but always about the people.

In some senses, everyone’s an expert and no one’s an expert. Social media ‘experts’ continue to come out of the woodwork. Many can talk the talk but not walk the walk! Knowing how to tweet doesn’t make you an authority on social media.

Some things never change. Yes, there’s been a paradigm shift away from conventional newspaper and broadcast communications and towards more direct engagement. But the basic rules of communication, public relations and marketing practice still apply. Good old-fashioned business ethics continue to rule the day! Knowing who you want to impact, the value your organisation brings and understanding the other person’s needs before you get in touch continues to be mission critical in all marketing efforts.

Social media is more than Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. While these forums are extremely important, social networks make up only part of the social media ecosystem. Email lists, web forums, user groups, photo and video sharing services, podcasts, social bookmarking sites and niche online communities are all part of the social media mix. It’s important to seek out where your customers interests lie and get involved in conversations on their turf. As I said, it’s all about building relationships.

In marketing and communication, it’s not one thing you do, it’s everything you do. The most successful campaigns are those where all program elements work together. Social media, direct mail, email and traditional advertising and public relations and face-to-face communication should all work in tandem. Social media should not and cannot stand alone. Rather it should be integrated into all campaign elements.

But bear in mind that while digital media is growing exponentially and is already crucially important in our communication, it is still relatively early days. A recent Australian study determined that only four per cent of Australians trust digital advertising and only nine per cent of people look out for digital advertising. Only eight per cent like to follow brands on Facebook and four per cent like to follow them on Twitter.

On the flip side of this, 43 per cent of Australians will ‘actively recommend a brand they like to others’ and 58 per cent are also open to following and receiving information from brands they like.

Next month in the Tasmanian Business Reporter I will provide some statistics on social media usage and takeup.

* Craig Harding is Marketing Director at strategic communications and marketing consultancy Corporate Communications (Tas) Pty Ltd. Corporate Communications is able to advise clients on how to best incorporate social media in their marketing and communication activities.