Comments on: Are All of Your Eggs in One Social Media Basket?

By: Houston Search Engine Optimization

Houston Search Engine Optimization — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:06:21 +0000

There are the popular social media sites then there are the ones you have to dig deep to find . Creating your own social media site that has a smaller or niche following is even better. Houston Search Engine Optimization's last blog post..5 Steps To Creating A Rockstar LinkedIn Profile

By: Rob Ferrall

Rob Ferrall — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:05:36 +0000

Diversification is key in all aspects of online marketing — social media marketing, and link building included. Too many people do put all of their eggs into one basket, so to speak, and when trends change, or search engine algorithms change, etc — they’re left scrambling (pun intended!) trying to get back what they lost almost overnight.

Successful online businesses have multiple streams of marketing in place — SEO, social media, affiliate, advertisements, etc — and each of those groups should have subsets themselves. While you can put all of your faith in article marketing, Twitter, ads that appeal to a narrow market, etc… it’s a bit risky.

Rob Ferrall’s last blog post..New Auto-post Articles to WordPress Plugin

By: Kristy Bolsinger

Kristy Bolsinger — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:56:48 +0000

I’m not quite so sure I understand what you’re trying to say here.
I think I was pretty clear that diversification is a key strategic point in social media, as it is in many other areas. I also did not focus only on Twitter, other than to point out that at this moment in time it is the site getting all of the attention. So, given that, no I don’t believe I am falling into that same trap.
I appreciate contrarian points of view as they are the source of discussion, I’m just not so sure what your argument is.

By: Nirmal Palaparthi

Nirmal Palaparthi — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:31:18 +0000

Am extremely sorry to be taking a contrarian point of view here…. Just replace “twitter” in this article with “facebook” and the article would have worked just as well. Replace Social Media with some other domain and there too… So what are we talking about here? Social Media strategy or one-size-fits all strategy? Aren’t you falling into the same trap that you accuse companies of falling?

By: Kristy Bolsinger

Kristy Bolsinger — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:13:28 +0000

@Lyndon Sorry for my delay in response.
Coming from someone who is in a similar place as you are (school, work, etc…) I think it’s important to make social media an integral part of your daily life. Its’ easy to get caught up in the other stuff and dismiss social media especially when the stress is on.

There are a lot of productivity tools that make contributing and remaining active in social media a lot easier. The various clients for Twitter, FriendFeed, Digsby, etc allow you to update more than one site at a time. Set ongoing reminders throughout the day and take 5 min’s to get engage. I love social media so I’m almost always scanning, but I use times like lunch and other ‘down’ time to dig in a little deeper. Not every organization, especially if it’s a one-man show can afford a dedicated division so it’s a matter of integrating it throughout your day in some way.

The topic of hiring someone to manage your sm and branding is a totally different conversation that brings up an entirely different set of concerns. But in short, I can say that the one definitive answer about outsourcing sm initiatives is: “It depends.”

By: Ben Bravery

Ben Bravery — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:46:56 +0000

@Lyndon: If the business sees social media as something that will give them a competitive advantage (which, imo it will for every business). Then they should have a a seperate division of their company that combines Public Relations with Marketing. Anything that gives you up to date and accurate information of what your audience wants is priceless. Ben Bravery's last blog post..Mark your calender for these two dates

By: Social Media Fanatics

Social Media Fanatics — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:31:52 +0000

[...] needs. On the other hand, it is also bad. As Kristy Bolsinger said in her article entitled “Are All Your Eggs in One Social Media Basket?“, focusing all your time on one social media website alone will not help you as that website [...]

By: Twitter Today: April 8, 2009 | kenneth lim . net

Twitter Today: April 8, 2009 | kenneth lim . net — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:02:33 +0000

[...] Are all your eggs in one social media basket? (Via: @stejules) [...]

By: Lyndon Reid

Lyndon Reid — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:03:03 +0000

I have to agree with Ben, the following statement really resonates…

“If you know your audience well enough you know where they can be found, and hopefully where they’re going (now and next).”

If you develop a site around a market you are passionate about you will know where your audience is going and you’ll WANT to be there. I think its important beginners really consider launching a site about a topic they are truly interested in.

That being said, I struggle (as a part-time marketer, full-time developer, part-time student) finding the time to concentrate on a balanced approach to social media marketing. Especially since the “connections/relationships” take time and legitimate effort to build and maintain. Any suggestions? The obvious one I guess is to hire someone (that can actually represent your brand well).

Lyndon Reid’s last blog post..Should I Continue with my Education?

By: Graham Higginson

Graham Higginson — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:51:58 +0000

I can only agree that no one knows where social media is going, but it is going somewhere and fast. Back in the early days of the internet, my lawyer, a leader in his profession both then and now, stated that the legal profession would never accept email!

We are building a network of niche bookmark sites covering the areas of lifestyle, sports and business under the http://www.keeno.net umbrella in the belief that tightly targeted groups will attract interested users and the ROI for social marketeers will be greater.

By: Ben Bravery

Ben Bravery — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:24:32 +0000

"If you know your audience well enough you know where they can be found, and hopefully where they’re going (now and next)." What you wrote right there will stick in my head for a long time. This is why understanding your market/audience is paramount to business success. If none of your audience is on the next big thing i.e twitter, then it would be a waste of time using twitter. But the chances of your audience not being on twitter is very slim these days as so many people are tweeting away. This is where twitter directories such as twellow.com come in handy. The hype around the next big thing doesnt really matter when it comes down to the fact that all you need is to be involved with your target market. Brilliant post, no wonder it's on top of sphinn. Ben Bravery's last blog post..Click Distribution on Googles First Page

By: Kristy Bolsinger

Kristy Bolsinger — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:37:22 +0000

Yeah I briefly touched on diversification. There’s a lot to be said for that. Especially when one is thinking about where the niche you’re operating in may be found. If you know your audience well enough you know where they can be found, and hopefully where they’re going (now and next).
It’s also a good idea to diversify to be able to take advantage of the next up and coming site. Diversification, as in any business strategy has its place and usage in social media marketing. Niche sites included of course!

By: Alex Peerenboom

Alex Peerenboom — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:09:57 +0000

Great points you make here. It's also smart to diversify your social media portfolio because there are so many out there. Aside from the main medium (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter), there are a lot of niche networks as well. You want to reach as much audience as you can. Alex Peerenboom's last blog post..Viral Marketing: A Good Lesson

By: bewegaleri

bewegaleri — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:53:34 +0000

Yeah, i used several social media, just to promote my main blog. bewegaleri's last blog post..Rapidown, Your Rapidshare Premium Account Subtituter

By: Internet Strategist

Internet Strategist — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:12:17 +0000

I blogged about what should be next for Twitter - or any other Social Media site that wants to succeed - in the post I've linked to the main URL field (not the CommentLuv field - it is older than that). The Social Networking site that makes it easy for users to locate exactly what they're interested in will be THE one that also provides an awesome opportunity for businesses. More details in that post. Internet Strategist's last blog post..By: Social Media: Valuable Investment or a Waste of Your Valuable Time? Your Thoughts? | GROWMAP.COM

By: Kristy Bolsinger

Kristy Bolsinger — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:39:25 +0000

Bruce

I totally agree with you. I think many expect social media venture’s to be a magic bullet. Of course on the other extreme, some don’t find it’s value.

There is definitely a need to find the balance between knowing when to reallocate resources, and knowing when to stick it out.

Thank You!!

By: Bruce Brown

Bruce Brown — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:20:36 +0000

Kristy,

Point taken and also well put.

Another issue, common to more than just social media, is people switching before really giving something a proper chance or the proper effort. You know, sort of like, “Well, I tried MySpace and didn’t get a date/job/client/whatever, so then I tried Facebook and that didn’t help, so know I’m trying Twitter.” Sort like the way many diet or go to therapy; they try one for the sake of trying it and fooling themselves that they’re actually doing something, and then when the old magic does happen immediately they move on to the next new magic.”

Diversification and layering of social media is the key, plus using each for it’s best purpose. Add water, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and it starts to actually cook. If folks would see the new tools as additions, rather than replacements for what they used before, they’d have a richer experience.

And, of course, one needs to recognize the trending toward ever-faster change and not only be ready for it, but attempt to anticipate it and greet it with joy and excitement – WITHOUT abandoning the modes already adopted.

Bruce