Your 2010 WTF Strategy
Recently we came across an article which got a lot of snickers from the production team at NetSearch Direct: Click here to read it. The article (definitely worthy of your click-through) is all about developing your “WTF Strategy”; or Website, Twitter, Facebook Strategy. Funny acronym for a very serious branding/marketing question: Have you thought about your 2010 WTF Strategy?
2009 has been all about social media trends in advertising. More than just setting up a profile on Facebook or LinkedIn, this year has been about how to utilize that profile to drive home your brand to an entirely new set of eyes. Social media marketing focuses advertisers and business owners to think outside of traditional marketing means in order to come up with innovative solutions in lands where men have previously not traveled. Suddenly, Facebook Fan pages were popping up overnight, and many of us were delighted to see, and rep, our favorite brands online. Customer service was taken to a whole new level as companies jumped on board the Twitter train and answered queries, apologized for mix-ups, and offered special incentives to loyal social media followers. And those who got it right enjoyed sweet profits from a relatively low-cost, if any cost at all, marketing investment. Now that’s a win-win.
Just as quickly, however, we learned that social media strategies can spin widely out of control with damaging repercussions on image and profits. If not monitored or structured correctly, poorly construed social media campaigns and videos can cause an ugly backlash that spreads like wildfire. We won’t even mention the embarrassing viral video working from the theme of a cringe-worthy adult-themed website that represented the Quizno’s brand. The ensuring outrage across social media sites was so horrific; the toasty sandwich maker denied having any official part in the stunt, although their brand took a hard hit because of it. Nope, we’re not even going to go there.
It’s been a year of learning, that’s for sure.
But when the clock strikes one minute past midnight on January 1, 2010, what’s your WTF Strategy? Your search engine marketing campaigns are going to need a little help from your friends – the ones on Facebook, the ones whose tweets you read, and the ones who are in your LinkedIn network. Consumers are a bit savvier now, and expectations have been set – will your business be there to fill a need, or be hurrying at the end of the year to fill profit voids? At NetSearch Direct we say learn from all the lessons of 2009: the good, the bad, and the ugly, and take this opportunity now to set up your winning strategy for 2010.