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To order reprints of any article in its original format, visit Scoopreprintsource.com IntelligenceExpand your audience through social media ASSOCIATIONS NOW, October 2007
Amid all the hand wringing over the challenge to adopt social media for business purposes, one fundamental goal seems to be often overlooked: trust. Perhaps it’s easy to miss behind the glint and glimmer of new technologies, but trust—one of the most basic facets of any human interaction—underpins online social networks just as it does for real-life relationships. Just ask Jonathon Colman, senior manager of digital marketing for The Nature Conservancy. His steady involvement in online social media sites such as Digg, Reddit, Newsvine, and StumbleUpon has made him a trusted resource for information on conservation science and, in turn, a trusted spokesman for his organization. “Web 2.0 efforts thrive on person-to-person connection,” Colman says. “People feel like they have a human face with the conservancy, and we have found a lot of success with that.” Case in point: In mid-June, The Nature Conservancy purchased 161,000 acres of forest in the Adirondacks in New York. Colman posted a link to the announcement to Digg.com, where users post and rate news links, thereby recommending news for other users to view. In one day, Colman’s link gained positive ratings and steered nearly 15,000 visitors to The Nature Conservancy’s website, more than half of those coming within a one-hour span. This was not an isolated case. Colman has generated similar buzz around several other announcements and features, each time at zero cost and for about two minutes of work—sort of. Posting a news link to Digg or a similar site takes just a few mouse clicks, but building the level of trust among members of an online social network necessary to garner such attention takes much longer. Colman says he has been active on several Web 2.0 networks for a year and a half. “There is an upward ramp in terms of becoming credible on these online marketing networks,” he says. “The work you do in year one really starts to pay off in the second year.” That credibility is built through more than just promoting your organization. Colman says he regularly posts links to news on conservation science from other sites and organizations, rates other users’ posts, and posts comments as well. Following the code of ethics of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, his online identity states exactly who he is and for whom he works. By openly and consistently providing news and information, fellow web denizens view him as a trusted source. When he does post links to news from The Nature Conservancy, the effects can be measured in more than just website visits. Time spent on the site, commentary, and links from blog posts are both a positive end result and a generator for more attention. Suddenly, other people are building buzz for you. “There is no stronger marketing message than one is that is created by and disseminated by your supporters,” Colman says. “They’re much better spokespersons than you are.” Online social media marketing creates something of a snowball effect. Colman just gets the ball rolling, and it’s a role that any association marketing professional can take on by spending a few minutes each day on Digg or other networks. “Start small, pick one network, give it five, 10, maybe 15 minutes a day and just try to learn how it works,” Colman says. “Then once you have some hands-on experience, try to work it into your strategy.” Colman says that Web 2.0 marketing can be scary at first, but it pays off. “They should be prepared to flip the funnel, as Seth Godin says. Be prepared to give up a little bit of control over content, but the return they’ll get is a lot of trust and a lot of support,” says Colman. Jonathon Colman has delivered several presentations on digital marketing and—naturally—shares them online. For some practical tips and examples, visit www.slideshare.net/jcolman/slideshows.
More Articles From Associations Now, October 2007
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