5 Actionable Quotes to Power Up Your 2013 Social Media and Content Marketing Plans

It's 2013. Do you know where your online marketing plan is?

Check out the following quotes from five marketing books about social media and content marketing. You might discover the perfect inspiration to rethink your marketing plans and expand your influence.

1."Good content doesn't happen overnight. Most often, it takes research and revision to meet the needs of your customers."
     Book: Get Content Get Customers: Turn Prospects into Buyers with Content Marketing, by Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett, McGraw-Hill, 2009.
     How I See It: Think like a publisher. Sourcing, writing, publishing and promoting requires a thoughtful investment of time. First, use analytics to pinpoint which existing content satisfies your customers. Second, take the time to do content well or don't publish at all.
     Other Reading: Content Marketing: A Creative Case Study, Part 1 via @HuffPostBiz

2."Over 80 percent of all pins are repins; this means your followers and their followers and their followers do your marketing for you."
     Book: Pinterest Power: Market Your Business, Sell Your Product, and Build Your Brand on the World's Hottest Social Network, by Jason Miles and Karen Lacey, McGraw-Hill, 2012.
     How I See It: I've found that pinning to a Pinterest board is oddly self-rewarding. As a Pinterest content curator, I often revel in my boards and think, "Look at all the cool stuff I gathered." I like it even more when someone else repins my pin. It validates my content choices. Want the same results? Give your followers something fun to share.
     A Few Ideas: 5 Ways To Use Pinterest For Effective Video Marketing via @reelseo

3."Without question, badges are an important part of social proof and a factor in online influence in an information-dense world."
     Book: Return On Influence: The Revolutionary Power of Klout, Social Scoring, and Influence Marketing, by Mark Schaefer, McGraw-Hill, 2012.
     How I See It: Offer easy ways for your customers to be publicly rewarded for participation. Badges are the simplest, most straightforward way to do it. They're also an excellent display of community status and a built-in source of online referrals.
     Blog Posts: Category Archives: Badges via @foursquare

4."What starts out as 'all the cool companies are doing it' soon turns into standard practice. As communication channels increase, so does our level of expectation."

     Book: The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue, by Shama Kabani, Ben Bella Books, 2013.

     How I See It: You never know where your customers will start to congregate online, or where they'll go to get answers, so you're missing out if you're not part of the conversation. Keep an open mind and invest a few hours in the latest social media communication tool. At the very least, you'll be prepared if and when the new platform takes off. Remember: when it comes to social media, always be ready to launch fast and learn.

     New Tools:  What’s your next social media site? via @pctechauthority

5."We crave true, authentic experiences. The kid whose brother bites his finger and the news reporter who falls out of a vat of grapes: these are real. They're true. And that truth helps make them contagious."

     Book: The Viral Video Manifesto: Why Everything You Know is Wrong and How to Do What Really Works, by Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe, McGraw-Hill, 2012.

     How I See It: Capture real life; people can identify much easier with a situation when it's not faked. We want to view videos about real things that intrigue us, surprise us or delight us. We want to smile, go "ooo" and "ah,' then become the newsmonger in our circle of friends. Marketers can succeed by providing genuine video stories.

     Fun Viewing: [Video] Fish Catches Man

I hope I've helped you by sharing the above insights. By the way, what did you learn from last year's online marketing plan? What will you do differently this year? Share your thoughts in the blog comments or talk to me via @mincedmedia on Twitter or Facebook.