For many marketers today social media represents a brave, new world of online mumbo-jumbo where there are no rules and little perceived direct benefit; moreover some go so far as to believe that it is a fad driven by the young and unsophisticated. It is, however, much more than a trend for the internet generation. Social media as we know it today is just a modern expression of an age-old marketing strategy: to gain confidence in the marketplace, engage that very marketplace to speak openly and directly with you, and your target audience to promote your products, services and values.

With that in mind, I offer Dovetail’s Social Media Marketing Manifesto as a guideline for how we will take advantage of the medium.

The word “manifesto” is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as follows:

man·i·fes·to noun a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer.

Given that definition, it is our belief that …

• … that engaging in social media is part of, but in no way, the only way to communicate publicly.
• … that we cannot control the conversation, but will be an active participant in it.
• … that we have a responsibility both as a company and as individuals to be human, and professional in our online conversations.
• … that participating in social media will aid online marketing efforts to drive visitors to the Dovetail website, to generate leads and to assist customers in their use or our products and services.
• … that social media is not to be the center of our online efforts, but a means to drive visitors towards the web site.
• … that we will learn as much as we educate by listening as much as we talk.
• … that social media is fun, but that it is also work and should be taken seriously.
• … that techniques, strategies and tools will evolve over time.
• … that not all efforts will show results
• … that we should expect that results will often be different than those planned.
• … that our motives are genuine and guided by the core values of the company.

And, it is our intent to …

• … to utilize social media not as a gimmick, but as a means to communicate more openly, and more directly with those interested in Dovetail, it’s products such as novo, the company’s place in the world, and to present our employees as thought leaders in our industry. 
• … to actively participate in relevant conversations where Dovetail can add value.
• … to demonstrate the viability of social media in a overall web marketing strategy.
• … to express opinions and ideas.
• … to site and give credit to others who have points to make that we feel are of interest to us and our audience.
• … to utilize the social media sites and services that best reach our target audience.
• … to include social media concepts in both online and offline endeavors.
• … to communicate both as a company and as individuals.
• … to encourage, publish and reply to comments.
• … to adjust this manifesto as our efforts evolve.

There you have it, this is how we feel about social media as part of our marketing strategy. How about you? What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let us know, and if you haven’t done so take the time to develop your own manifesto – it’s an exercise well worth the effort.

-- Mike

follow me on Twitter @mikevilla

Headlines for the past two weeks have been focused on the Swine Flu outbreak. Information is coming from several directions and people have questions and concerns. An interesting article on CNN’s website talked about how companies are planning for the possibility of a pandemic.

An interesting mention in the article is how Sprint used their “internal website” to post information for employees.

This is just one more benefit of an intranet within an organization. How many ways do you need to communicate with your staff efficiently and consistently. During any type of event, the intranet can be not only the way to get the message out, but also the de facto location that your employees will turn to in a time of crisis to understand how events may affect them.

Think about it and if you want to know more about how an intranet can help your company, check out my previous post on the benefits of an intranet.

-- Mike

follow me on Twitter @mikevilla