In 2008, Twitter was a stream of text and often even links weren’t included in the tweet. Today it is a multi-media torrent with six second Vine clips, images, Slideshare embeds, Gifs and videos. And I have only just started.
But even back then in the primordial soup that was social media marketing, there were signs of it’s imminent promise. These indicators included:
- Global reach: Social networks provided a platform that could reach a global audience in real time
- Free earned attention: You could also “earn” attention online by gaining followers and fans without paying for it
- Increase in traffic: Traffic could be driven to your website and blog by embedding links
So hard work, persistence and experimenting could produce world wide content distribution and attention that offered real marketing value. Earned media. It is still possible, but it is getting harder as the Facebook and the social media industry matures and aim to monetise their platforms.
What worked when social started?
Making social media work for your brand as a marketing tool in 2008 was a mixture of tactics that were discovered, tested and retested in the embryonic mist of social media birth. At that time of social media evolution, hashtags and URL shorteners were barely imagined.
On Facebook the most valued tactic was growing Facebook “likes”. This gave your brand reach and organic traffic.
On Twitter it was about building followers and learning the art of writing enticing headlines in 140 characters with a shortened URL to get that “click”
That was then. Much of this still applies but a lot has changed.
This Content Marketing Tip Is Worth Gold. You Won’t Believe What Happened When I Did This!
