Tips for social marketing success: connect with other bloggers before you shoot for the big time

You wouldn’t throw yourself in the deep end of the swimming pool without learning how to swim, so why commit to writing a business blog without testing the waters a bit first? So says social marketing guru David Meerman Scott, author of World Wide Rave and The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

In this new business television show, Scott continues to share his latest social marketing tips and web strategy advice on creating a really effective blog that people will actually want to read.

In Scott’s earlier business television shows, he recommended not leaping into the blogosphere, but instead waiting and monitoring the conversation on leading blogs in your field for a month or two.

He also explained the successful internet strategy of “exercising your blog voice” by leaving comments on popular blogs for some time before starting your own.

By taking this approach, says Scott, when you finally launch your social marketing campaign, you will understand the way that blogs work, you will know some of the key online figures in your industry, and you will have a much greater chance of success.

The next step towards leveraging social marketing results by running a great blog, he says, is to work with other bloggers. Blogging and social marketing are all about building an online community, after all.

Scott recommends inviting other bloggers to try your products and services, for example you might want to give them beta software to try out or review. Let them know about new products before they come on to the market, and perhaps they’ll write about you on their blog.

Another way to get their attention is to invite them to come and meet you or your CEO. These are all ways to get bloggers to talk about you and your business, to link to your blog, give you feedback, and promote your message online.