| #1. Social Media is not Necessarily “Social”: |
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The value of social media is increasingly defined by a relevant, not a social network. |
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Social media networks are created by people to filter and find relevant information. |
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It is also not an explicit opt-in to receive “targeted” marketing. |
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It presents marketers a unique opportunity to “listen” to the market-place conversations and either listen only, or participate in appropriate ways. |
| #2. Multichannel Integration is Still a Challenge: |
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The addition of Digital media to the mix reminds us that basic multichannel integration is still not a core competency for most marketers.
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Product silos, turf, and politics continue to result in dis-integrated marketing. |
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Furthermore, deploying media per the Opt-In preferences of individual customers and prospects is being practiced by very few. |
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Deploying multiple media without customer's media and message preferences is just multimedia irritation! |
| #3. Three Levels of Trust are Required: |
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Marketers need 3 Levels of Trust:
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| 1. |
Trust the “Voice of Your Customer” via research and ongoing feedback, to guide you in developing true Relationship Marketing strategies. |
| 2. |
Trust the strength of your brand and value proposition, to encourage large numbers to respond when you ask them to Opt-In and define the value, messaging and offers they want from you. Innovators such as Microsoft have achieved opt-in rates of 70% + worldwide. |
| 3. |
The points above assume that you have total trust and confidence in the value and competitive differentiation of your product. This is clearly a pre-requisite. |
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