A Social Media Marketing Story

by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com

Rachel Levy is a Boston-based marketer who reinvented her personal brand. She built a go-to person status in social media marketing by embracing the challenge of mastering the intricacies of social media. The reinvention has resulted in consulting with corporate clients, blogging at
www.rachel-levy.com, and Tweeting to thousands of followers as BostonMarketer.

The road to reinvention began on a different path -- job search.

I didn’t know a lot about social media, but I felt that I should know it from a business perspective. The job search transitioned into consulting for clients. I added another layer to my marketing skills.

Her marketing skills were already formidable from experience at Jim Beam Brands, Kraft Foods, and Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston. The experience is vital to Rachel’s keen understanding of social media. Where others see social media as a mere novelty, Rachel sees it as an extraordinary marketing opportunity for corporate America. Unfortunately, the opportunity may be missed.

Social media is a tool for the marketing tool belt. But companies have a lot of room to be more effective in how they utilize Facebook, Twitter, and other social media and networking web sites. They might not view social media as an integral part of a marketing strategy because social media is relatively new. They need to be willing to invest time in developing a strategy.

Once a company develops, refines, and implements a social media strategy, another challenge will manifest. How do you measure effectiveness?

Companies will change measurement tools. Instead of cost per impression, the measurement may be cost per engagement or cost per conversation. The cost will be rooted in time and salary, not a dollar amount in the advertising budget.

To learn more about Rachel Levy’s social media insights, go to her web site at www.rachel-levy.com and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BostonMarketer.