Social Media Strategy: What will you give up in 2011?

Social media strategy implies a direction, a path or purpose.

Fundamentally, it implies a choice - choosing one focus other
another.  So, social media strategy implies exclusion as well as
inclusion.

The challenge is to make the choice - decide what you will focus
on and what you will give up (or exclude).

If you try to cover all social media for example, you are not
being strategic.  You will not achieve your goals because your
focus and energy will be too dispersed.

Two top marketers have gone public recently to explain what
their marketing strategy is for 2011.

Seth Godin has stated that (after 12 New York bestsellers)
he is giving up writing books for traditional publishing
to focus on publishing "in whatever form" works for his readers.
The Wall Street Journal suggests that this will take the form of
"electronic books, via print-on-demand or in such
formats as audiobooks, apps, small digital files
called PDFs and podcasts".  Seth indicated that the majority
of his blog readers have never bought one of his books
in a bookstore.

Dr. Mani - Infopreneur, heart surgeon and creator of The
Children's Heart Foundation - has decided to give up
traditional email marketing as a primary marketing approach
and focus more on social media marketing. He expressed
considerable disappointment at the low opening rate of
his emails in 2010.

These two top Internet marketers have changed their
social media strategy to reflect changes in audience response
experienced in 2010 and earlier.

So the question remains about your social media strategy:
What are you going to focus on in 2011 and what will
you give up to make this happen?

If you want some guidance in that choice, why not join
us in the SquidooRoo social media training program where
we take you through the choices re content creation,
social networking and promotion - all elements of
social media strategy.

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Ron Passfield, PhD, is a Giant Squid100 and
social media consultant.

His 6 month social media training program
is available at:
http://www.squidooroo.com

Sign up now for a FREE ecourse
in social media marketing:
Social Media Marketing Tips

How to develop your social network on Redgage

Redgage is not just a social bookmarking site for
uploading photos, links and videos. It is very much
a social networking site. The richness of the online
content is more than matched by the richness and
diversity of the network.

RedGage facilitates the building of your social network
through the add a friend button, the ability to store content
in Collections and the capacity to develop a comprehensive
profile.

Top Web 2.0 experts, like Mari Smith and Percy Belcher,
stress the importance of transparency on social networks.
Your RedGage profile page enables you to share a
lot of your self - your work, education, history, interests,
passions and the things you like. Additionally, you can add
web links to your blogs, Squidoo lenses and other sites.

Your Collections, in turn, provide insight into your passions,
preferences, hobbies and online goals.

By sharing something of yourself through your profile and
Collections, you enable others to identify common areas
of interest and connect with you.

RedGage can thus help you brand yourself - to show
something of who you are, what you believe in.

As Mari Smith argues, authenticity and transparency
enable others to relate to your humanness and to build
trust and rapport.

Adding genuine and transparent comments
to others' content helps to build on that rapport and
trust and establish a lasting connection.

Social networks such as RedGage are not just information
exchange centres - they are very much centers of
human connection. By sharing something of yourself,
you invite the other person to reciprocate and so
a genuine relationship can develop.

As you explore the RedGage site, you will find heaps
of Giant Squids and a host of excellent writers
from sites such as eHow.com, Gather.com, Scribd.com
and Associated Content. You will encounter photographers
ranging from the amateur who just loves taking photos
to the professional engaged in glamor photography.

RedGage enables the creation and sharing of all forms
of creative expression including art, photography or
writing.

So why not share and connect on RedGage and enrich
your life? Create a revealing profile, build your Collections,
add friends and make quality comments on Redgage content.
You will be amazed at how many people from diverse parts
of the world share your interests.

CLICK HERE to sign up with RedGage

For more information on how to make more money on RedGage
and build your social network, visit:
http://www.squidoo.com/redgage-money

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Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid. He provides free resources
for Squidoo affiliate marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

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