Social networks, such as MySpace and LinkedIn started off with a small following of early adopters who used them as they were intended to be used, simply to connect with other users. As time went on many people began to use social networks in an attempt at marketing their companies. This isn’t isolated to social networks though. The same thing has happened with just about every technology you can think of. With the printing press came catalog. With the telephone came telemarketers. With the personal computer came desktop publishing. With the Internet came web sites and with email came email marketing.

When used properly and ethically, just about any form of technology can be used to increase the exposure you are able to generate for your company in a positive manner however it’s the few people who refuse to maintain any sense of decency that ruin it for the rest of us. These are the people that create dozens if not hundreds or thousands of fake profiles on various social network sites and then bombard you with useless bulletins, private messages and invites to push their products or services. Chances are that these also happen to be the same people that think SPAM email is perfectly acceptable as long as it makes them a few dollars.

Don’t let this scare you away from utilizing social networking in your marketing plan though. As long as you follow a few basic guidelines (mostly common sense) you can develop a new and useful marketing channel that requires no investment other than your own time.

1. Create an informative and honest profile that tells people what you do or what your company is about. You don’t need to replicate your entire company web site on your profile though. Just stick to the basics. You don’t have to use a photo, but under no circumstances should you use someone else’s picture ? even if it’s a stock photo that you’ve legally purchased. Keep in mind though, if you are in a relationship-based business such as real estate, investing or something of that nature, using a professional photo of yourself is a good idea.
2. Add other members to your network based on their relevance ? not a sexy photo. Simply having a large network will do little for your business if they have nothing to do with your industry. Like any other form of marketing, focus on quality over quantity. In most social networking web sites you can search for other members based on their interests or their industries. Develop a group of like minded people and you’ll all get a lot more out of the relationship.
3. Provide value. Are you one of the countless others that just created a profile and then adds everyone you find while providing little or no benefit to them? Don’t be. You could create an added value by offering the members of your network a promotional code that gives them a discount, give them early access to new products or even give them free information that would be useful to their business.
4. Don’t be annoying. If you have something to say, say it, but there is no need to post a bulletin or send a message every day. If you start down that path, not only will people start to ignore what you say, but they’ll likely remove you from their network. Think of it as a classic case of “less is more.”

A relatively easy and inexpensive way to generate exposure for your business is by holding a contest. By offering people the opportunity to get something for free, you can cause even those that are not interested in your products or services to talk about your company to those that are. Your contest can take a variety of forms but in order to achieve the best results, it will need to meet four criteria.

1. Prizes must be clear and specific. If entrants don’t know what they may win then they probably won’t bother to enter your contest. More importantly, if they think they will win one thing and end up getting something completely different, chances are that it will generate negative publicity for your company. A perfect example of this was a contest held by a bay area Hooters restaurant for it’s employees in which the prize was allegedly a Toyota car. At the end of the contest, the winning employee received a toy Yoda ? an action figure from the Star Wars movie. Needless to say, the local media had a field day with that.

2. Ensure that your prizes are worthwhile. If it’s easier for an entrant to simply buy the prize instead of entering your contest you can be sure that is what they will do.

3. Eligibility must be clear. In order to be a contestant in your contest, does an entrant have to meet a certain set of criteria? Make that known right up front. It will save your potential entrants a lot of frustration.

4. Set a time frame. Whether the winners will be chosen the next week, the next month or the next vernal equinox after the third full moon of the year, you need to let the entrants know. If you are offering a free cruise in July, chances are that a winner will not reschedule his triple by-pass heart surgery upon winning - instead he will be frustrated that he can’t enjoy his prize.

When these criteria are met and your contest is properly marketed you can generally expect to see a good amount of exposure for your company. You should also ensure that you collect information from each entrant so that you can market to them again in the future.

Do you remember the last time you went to the mailbox? Chances are that you shuffled past the bills, set aside the credit card and mortgage offers and perhaps glanced at a postcard or two but when you got to that handwritten envelope , you probably stopped what you were doing and opened it right there on the spot. You’re not the only person that reacts this way and you can use that to help market your company.

Handwriting adds a personal touch that can’t be achieved with any graphic design technique or font. It’s that personal touch causes response rates to increase dramatically when it’s used in direct mail. Obviously you can hand-write names and addresses on envelopes but it doesn’t have to stop there. Handwritten sales or thank you letters can have a tremendous impact and you can even add handwriting to any of your printed marketing materials.

We recently posted about guerilla marketing but some people still are not sure what it is or how it can work for them. Back in August CNN also reported on some guerilla marketing tactics that various companies have recently used, some successful, some…not so much. So, if after reading our post and CNN’s article you’re still a bit unsure what it is, be sure to check back in a few weeks because we are currently planning a guerilla marketing campaign for one of our clients and plan to post a case study & video.

The term “guerilla marketing” has been used to describe many types of marketing, often times erroneously. In it’s simplest form, guerilla marketing is using unconventional or outrageous techniques to generate exposure for a company, product or service. It is most effective when the techniques used relate in some way to what is being marketed, for example ? a performance car parts manufacturer would probably see impressive results with a campaign utilizing a branded custom car placed at various car and race related events while a home builder would likely not see any results at all from the same campaign.

Effective guerilla marketing comes from a combination of a strong understanding of traditional marketing and the application of unconventional thinking. There is a lot more to it than simply pulling an outrageous stunt. In depth research on your target market and your competition must be conducted followed by detailed planning. Keep in mind that guerilla marketing can often take longer than other methods of marketing to generate initial results but will usually deliver larger rewards in the long run.

Flash mobs were the new, hot thing about 2 years ago and then they quietly disappeared, as people got bored of the idea.

Now Ford is trying to use Flash mobs to promote the Ford Fusion. The problem here is that Ford is attempting to use something that has no relevance to their product and is of little to no interest to their target market. There are situations (such as pushing a particular political or social agenda) where a Flash mob could be a viable marketing tool, but this is not one of them.

If you plan to use an edgy guerilla marketing technique to promote your product or service you need to make sure that the technique is somehow relevant to your offering and that it will be accepted by your target market. Do your homework - otherwise you risk executing a marketing campaign that delivers little to no results, or even worse, one that alienates your consumers.