Saleem Speaks On Social Media Strategy

If you have an opinion regarding social media then you’re not alone. Whether it’s what social media is or isn’t, how best to use it, or whether it’s even effective and efficient it seems impossible to navigate the net without running into an opinion.

Now, what you don’t find much of are insights from those who operate on both sides of the conversation – the facilitator who operates an active social site, and the participant in social communities.

Check out these takeaways from a recent interview with Muhammad Saleem of Tip’d.

One of the effects social media can have on a person is burnout. Let’s face it, it’s definitely a participation sport and those that are active get the biggest bang. Not easy to do when you have other business concerns to deal with. Here’s what Saleem has to say:

I think its important to love the fundamentals of social media, be interested in the relationships and conversations, and the theory behind it. If you’re genuinely interested then you won’t get bored.

If you’re ready to dive into the fundamentals of social dynamics then check out Groundswell and The Tipping Point.

Now, I have a friend who’s a trainer in referral marketing (that’s social isn’t it? )and one point he always bring up is, “Your networth lies in your network.”

Basically, your true value lies in the network of people you associate with. This holds true in social media and is a key to leveraging these sites for traffic and increased readership. Says Saleem:

Consider this, people that are friends usually have similar interests and preferences (hence they bond and are friends), and when you have similar interests and preferences, of course there is going to be a large degree of voting for each others content.

This plays into social media strategy. Don’t go mass-adding friends on sites such as Digg, Facebook, or Twitter. You do want to connect with folks that are enjoyable, right? That you’re interested in and who are interested in you?

Take the time to find folks similar to you and you’ll have a more enjoyable and rewarding experience.

He also attributes the rapid success of Tip’d to this same strategy.

We didn’t hire a PR firm or write up an official press release. Instead we reached out to people who we had relationships with and asked them if they could do a write-up, and only approached sites whose audience would enjoy the coverage.

Imagine that… a social site promoted through social interaction. Crazy talk!

As far as fitting social media into your marketing strategy, Saleem offers this advice:

You should consider the following: your demographic, their social technographics profile, their interests and preferences, and your conversion goals before deciding if social media should be part of your online marketing strategy. Even then, most people default to Digg – social news is just one aspect, don’t forget social networking, online video, online communities and forums, and so on.

In the interview Saleem also discusses the key elements that have contributed to the growth of Tip’d and the future of social media. You can read the entire interview here.

One thing you’ll definitely notice in the interview is that Saleem approaches social media with a strategy – both as a site owner and as a user.

One site you may want to check out and add to your online activities is BuzzEstate – a social news site for real estate. In full disclosure, it’s a site I’ve been designing/debugging for the past several weeks and I’d love to see you there.