Eze Castle Integration Shares Social Media Marketing Secrets
Are you willing to commit, start small, and be patient with social media? Eze Castle Integration (ECI) Director of Marketing Mary Beth Hamilton (pictured) says that managed services providers (MSPs) should focus on these three disciplines for positive results with social media marketing (SMM) campaigns. “We really aim to engage in conversations with our followers,” says Hamilton of her company’s social media marketing strategy and practice.
Eze Castle Integration (ECI), an MSPmentor 100 company, officially implemented social media into its marketing strategy in 2009 with the launch of the company’s Twitter account. “Ours was a later entrance than some B2B companies,” says Hamilton, “but the right time for our company because we were at a point in time when we were able to commit 100 percent to achieve social media participation.” The company’s Facebook and YouTube accounts followed soon after.
Publish a company blog, and commit to updating it
ECI added a company blog – Hedge IT – to its website. The blog targets the company’s primary readers – hedge funds – by providing insight on technology and operations trends in the hedge fund industry. “Our goal is to deliver relevant, interesting articles that are vendor and sales agnostic,” says Hamilton. The company is committed to publishing articles every Tuesday and Thursday. “A blog without fresh, relevant content is valueless,” says Hamilton. “We didn’t want to have a website with a blog where the last post is three months old. I’m proud to say we’ve never missed a day.”
Commit to your social media accounts
Social media participation is needed for positive results. “You have to commit,” says Hamilton. “It isn’t something you can do halfway.” Set realistic goals from the start, and commit to achieving those goals. “That commitment can be one blog article, five tweets, and one Facebook post a week, but you need to commit.”
Don’t reach for the stars, yet
Not every MSP has the same resources. Some may be able to hire a full-time employee for social media, while others will find an intern. Either way, make sure that the employee is passionate about social media. “Your commitment level may depend on marketing resources available or whether you have a trust employee that is passionate about social media,” says Hamilton.
Follow what larger companies are doing, but don’t expect the same type of results. Don’t reach for the stars, not yet. “Get involved even on a small scale,” says Hamilton, “but remember to stay committed.”
Patience is a virtue
Building a following takes time. “Don’t expect your first tweet to result in an immediate spike in traffic,” says Hamilton. “It takes time to build a trusted following, but it does happen if you commit.” Base your success on your immediate goals, and you’ll establish a baseline. “Measurement of social media can be tricky at first, but should be done just as you measure other marketing campaigns,” says Hamilton.
ECI has four primary employees on its marketing team who monitor, participate, and maintain the company’s social media participation, along with other employees who participate via their personal accounts. The future for social media is uncertain, but ECI, says Hamilton, is ready for any possible obstacles. “The value of social media continues to increase and the mechanisms for communication continue to evolve.”
