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G. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) data engineering dashboard for your most enthused and self-identified brand fans, watching for your next "relevant to me" communication, product and or engagement.
H. A smart, social networking "war room" in your building. The room should contain up to 10 monitor displays each fixated and tuned to your most important volume-based social initiatives i.e. a Twitter display, a Facebook display, a YouTube display, a display for your own web site, a retail and/or distributor site display (with fast bookmarks), etc.
Having said this, brand competing, that is fighting for a consumers' short and long term attention, interest and conviction, is not a solitary art form even in the world of social networking. There is competition behind you, in front of you, around you and even hidden from you, as your brand marches into the future of your expected more than fair share of opportunities. The following socially-charged marketing realities call for brave internal and external focus to energize, engage and promulgate socially engineered strategies and tool sets to ensure brand growth, brand security:
Reality #1: Brands have discovered the sales and marketing power of social networking and are hiring subject matter experts to navigate, harness and capitalize on this highly competitive, less expensive leverage.
Reality #2: The Internet is naturally evolving its core one-to-one relevant intelligence creating smart and efficient profit pools between creativity and actionable stimulations, defining the new pylon for brands' profitable growth.
Reality #3: Social networking is not just for the young. Those with generally the largest household incomes, those over the age of 55 globally are highly Internet social.
Reality #4: Facebook is a multi-modal pylon to social engagements and a dominant window to global opportunity. Every brand builder should have a keen and highly motivated strategy to harness and benefit from this social powerhouse.
Reality #5: Social networking is rapidly exploding globally, opening new windows to opportunity in every country, cutting through cultural and geographic boundaries.
Reality #6: 126 million blogs are available according to BlogPulse. Blogs offer smart vistas for brand engagements when created and executed in the relevant language of user and consumer-valued expectations.
Reality #7: Social networking is highly efficient and more profitable than conventional mediums when harvested and implemented correctly.
Reality #8: Ambient marketing is mono marketing if not fully engaged in relevant social sites, social opportunities with competitive rhythm impact.
Reality #9: Lasso, harness and teach your entire organization from the CEO down through your hallways regarding the competitive value of the social networking landscape. Social networking cannot be effective nor protracted without internal support.
The gambit of competitive predating and preying through social change, through social networking is already here. Opportunity abounds for smart social-centric marketers. However, our ubiquitous social reality could also be a casualty for uninformed businesses, for the late to the social party, for the socially timid, and socially inactive! When done right, brand socialization hunts for and muscles up brand infatuation, your most potent and profitable competitive weapon of choice.
Peter Weedfald is President of Gen One Ventures, Author of Green Reign Leadership
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