Commentary
Have you ever used your computer to speak with friends living abroad? When was the last time you took part in an online conference, uploaded a personal video, shared photos or even used a hashtag in a tweet?
If you have done some or even all of these things lately, then you are one of many who connect online via social media tools, networks and communities. If, however, you have little idea of the above and are keen to change this, then this book is probably for you.
But first: What exactly is guerrilla social media marketing? And what does it have to do with the issue of mobility?
Over the past few years, online tools like Twitter, Facebook, Skype and YouTube have succeeded in becoming household names across the globe. Social media networks and communities are now such an integral part of our lives that many people and businesses would find it difficult to exist without them. By enabling people to stay connected, share resources and exchange information (often in real time), social media tools are responsible for encouraging a worldwide transformation in the way people and communities correspond with one another. By harnessing the power of the Web 2.0, people are no longer hampered by their location and can interact and develop relationships with other users despite natural/enforced borders, economic or even political restrictions and barriers. It means being connected virtually with everyone and anyone at the same time. In other words, this technology promotes and even encourages global mobility – at least virtually.
Given this new potential, many businesses and organisations are keen get on board the social media train by connecting to the more popular social media tools. Some seem to be successful and proudly boast hundreds of friends, followers and thousands of so-called ‘Likes’. But can these results actually be taken as indicators of real success? Well, not according to this book. People who become marketing guerrillas measure success in profits or net positive results. For them, it doesn’t matter how many tweets you have posted or how many people have given you the ‘Thumbs Up’, what matters is the impact you are having on your target audience. Is your message, brand or campaign actually connecting with the people you want to reach? Have you taken the time to listen to them, to understand their needs? This is the key to this relatively new approach – guerrillas understand that the world is connected and that people are conversing with each other in ways today that would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. Most importantly, however, true guerrilla marketers are open and flexible to changes and readily use a mixture of imagination, creativity, knowledge and community to get results.
This was the thinking behind the marketing drive that helped Barack Obama to win the presidential election in 2008. By utilising the very online tools that Americans were plugging into, Obama’s communication strategists helped to develop an atmosphere of inclusion and empowerment, which resulted in a massive social movement and hence success at the polls. When, for instance, Obama issued his first President-elect weekly radio address, it was broadcast on YouTube so that it could be embedded, shared and commented on easily. It worked. Although relatively few people typically listen to the president’s weekly address on the radio, Obama’s YouTube address was viewed by more than a million people (Edelman, 2009).
Again, this is the key to social media guerrilla tactics – by being creative with social media tools, taking the time to think about who you want to connect with, by investing in your approach and motivating others to take note of that you have to say – you have the potential to mobilise people both virtually and on the ground. When the Make-a-Wish Foundation of British Colombia and Yukon Canada began thinking about the possibility of running a fundraising event and 24-hour campaign, they began looking at alternative means to drive this forward and maximise exposure. They realised that many of the major corporations and organisations that made donations also had thousands of Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin connections and fans…if there was some way to gain access and motivate these links, they could increase momentum for their cause and improve donations. With this in mind, they asked executives to do one simple thing – make a donation and share it with their contact base. To show them how, these executives were invited to a pre-campaign event at a local pub where they were shown how to easily share the information on major social networks. A few days later the campaign was started and in less than 14 hours over $12,000 was raised with the average donation being approximately $40 – with almost zero cost to the campaign organisers (Gibson 2011).
While this book may not help you win a presidential campaign, it is a good place to start if you are interested in developing your knowledge of this area or if you are seeking new possibilities for your organisation. By providing short, informative overviews of the world’s best (and least) known social media tools, practical examples, and advice about how to develop your own brand and online communications strategy, this is a book you are sure to reference far into the future.
References
Lutz, M. (2009), The social pulpit: Barack Obama’s Social Media Toolkit, Edelman, Online. Available at: http://www.edelman.com/image/insights/content/social%20pulpit%20-%20barack%20obamas%20social%20media%20toolkit%201.09.pdf
[Accessed 20 November 2011].
Gibson, S. (2011), Guerrilla social media marketing for events [Online]. Available at: http://www.guerrillasocialmediahq.com/. [Accessed 7 December 2011].
Tags:
Commentary
Guerrilla social media marketing
Commentary
Have you ever used your computer to speak with friends living abroad? When was the last time you took part in an online conference, uploaded a personal video, shared photos or even used a hashtag in a tweet?
If you have done some or even all of these things lately, then you are one of many who connect online via social media tools, networks and communities. If, however, you have little idea of the above and are keen to change this, then this book is probably for you.
But first: What exactly is guerrilla social media marketing? And what does it have to do with the issue of mobility?
Over the past few years, online tools like Twitter, Facebook, Skype and YouTube have succeeded in becoming household names across the globe. Social media networks and communities are now such an integral part of our lives that many people and businesses would find it difficult to exist without them. By enabling people to stay connected, share resources and exchange information (often in real time), social media tools are responsible for encouraging a worldwide transformation in the way people and communities correspond with one another. By harnessing the power of the Web 2.0, people are no longer hampered by their location and can interact and develop relationships with other users despite natural/enforced borders, economic or even political restrictions and barriers. It means being connected virtually with everyone and anyone at the same time. In other words, this technology promotes and even encourages global mobility – at least virtually.
Given this new potential, many businesses and organisations are keen get on board the social media train by connecting to the more popular social media tools. Some seem to be successful and proudly boast hundreds of friends, followers and thousands of so-called ‘Likes’. But can these results actually be taken as indicators of real success? Well, not according to this book. People who become marketing guerrillas measure success in profits or net positive results. For them, it doesn’t matter how many tweets you have posted or how many people have given you the ‘Thumbs Up’, what matters is the impact you are having on your target audience. Is your message, brand or campaign actually connecting with the people you want to reach? Have you taken the time to listen to them, to understand their needs? This is the key to this relatively new approach – guerrillas understand that the world is connected and that people are conversing with each other in ways today that would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. Most importantly, however, true guerrilla marketers are open and flexible to changes and readily use a mixture of imagination, creativity, knowledge and community to get results.
This was the thinking behind the marketing drive that helped Barack Obama to win the presidential election in 2008. By utilising the very online tools that Americans were plugging into, Obama’s communication strategists helped to develop an atmosphere of inclusion and empowerment, which resulted in a massive social movement and hence success at the polls. When, for instance, Obama issued his first President-elect weekly radio address, it was broadcast on YouTube so that it could be embedded, shared and commented on easily. It worked. Although relatively few people typically listen to the president’s weekly address on the radio, Obama’s YouTube address was viewed by more than a million people (Edelman, 2009).
Again, this is the key to social media guerrilla tactics – by being creative with social media tools, taking the time to think about who you want to connect with, by investing in your approach and motivating others to take note of that you have to say – you have the potential to mobilise people both virtually and on the ground. When the Make-a-Wish Foundation of British Colombia and Yukon Canada began thinking about the possibility of running a fundraising event and 24-hour campaign, they began looking at alternative means to drive this forward and maximise exposure. They realised that many of the major corporations and organisations that made donations also had thousands of Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin connections and fans…if there was some way to gain access and motivate these links, they could increase momentum for their cause and improve donations. With this in mind, they asked executives to do one simple thing – make a donation and share it with their contact base. To show them how, these executives were invited to a pre-campaign event at a local pub where they were shown how to easily share the information on major social networks. A few days later the campaign was started and in less than 14 hours over $12,000 was raised with the average donation being approximately $40 – with almost zero cost to the campaign organisers (Gibson 2011).
While this book may not help you win a presidential campaign, it is a good place to start if you are interested in developing your knowledge of this area or if you are seeking new possibilities for your organisation. By providing short, informative overviews of the world’s best (and least) known social media tools, practical examples, and advice about how to develop your own brand and online communications strategy, this is a book you are sure to reference far into the future.
References
Lutz, M. (2009), The social pulpit: Barack Obama’s Social Media Toolkit, Edelman, Online. Available at: http://www.edelman.com/image/insights/content/social%20pulpit%20-%20barack%20obamas%20social%20media%20toolkit%201.09.pdf
[Accessed 20 November 2011].
Gibson, S. (2011), Guerrilla social media marketing for events [Online]. Available at: http://www.guerrillasocialmediahq.com/. [Accessed 7 December 2011].
Tags: Commentary