Interview with Nate Tennant on Search Marketing

Nate Tennant

“A good social media team consists of writers, strategists and often a technical social media group.”
An Interview with Nate Tennant, Founder, Kirk Communications

What are you most excited about in social media space at the moment?
One of the most exciting things happening in social media right now is the potential that Facebook will have their own search engine embedded within the Facebook platform. With over a billion unique users, Facebook has the potential be a serious challenger to Google’s search dominance.

Many companies do not know how to approach a social media campaign, what would you suggest to them?
Before a company engages in a social media campaign, they should first understand there strategic and brand message. That message should be repeated again and again in social media. Most companies are not using social media strategically and as a result the quality and quantity of followers is minimal, which takes away from the power of social media.

What is the right budget to get a social media campaign started?
A minimal social campaign can be started by anyone for a zero budget. Once a company hits a level where they want to expand the number of followers, their budget would need to increase incrementally. The segment, reach and geographic dispersion will all have an effect on the cost.

Is social media more powerful than search engine marketing?
It depends. For some B to C companies social media is the main driver of web traffic. For many B to B companies social media matters less. Ideally a good social media strategy will involve both search and social. Tweets, blogs and other social media posts that integrate specific SEO keywords and phrases can be powerful for both organic SEO and social media effectiveness.

What defines a good social media team?
A good social media team consists of writers, strategists and often a technical social media group. Having one and not the others minimizes the effect of good social media.