I just came from an event hosted by CMA in Calgary. Presenter: Darren Barefoot of Capulet Communications, titled Deadly sins of Social Media Marketing (Social Media Campaign Killers). Below is a list of the main takeaways from this event and Darren’s presentation.

Disclaimer: Although I will be using the first person in points below, please note that these are just my notes from the event.

1. Do it, don’t just talk about it. Social Media marketing does not heal all wounds. Use social media marketing as a tool in combination with other marketing channels, both traditional and digital.
2. Measure what you do, review the results, and adjust. Do not be afraid if Social Media does not work for you. It’s not for every business or product.
3. Show, don’t tell. Use traditional communications principles such as “a picture is worth a thousand words” to communicate your message. Also show example of how others benefit by using your product.
4. Watch your conversational tone. Make sure your conversations are happening in the tone consistent with your product and target audience.
5. Don’t launch campaigns on Friday afternoon. By the time you are back in the office on Monday, your client / brand / product will be severely damaged. Online communities are not taking weekends.
6. Know your audience. What they are, where they are, what they want.
7. Don’t spam, don’t broadcast, play by the rules. Spam and you’ll suffer.
8. Observe what the web says. First monitor and listen, then analyze and react. Things to consider when reacting: be honest and use the same channel that was used to talk about your company. For example, post a video response on YouTube. Make a campaign of it.
9. Monitor all the time, not just once a month. Create Alerts and make sure you are notified about every mention of your brand / product / company online.
10. Find great community managers, champions. Can’t find any? Create them. Don’t assume that interns are the best people to enhance your reputation online. Champion needs to have the following qualities:
    • Passionate about your business, company
    • Aware of brand issues and social etiquette
    • Great at knowing the audience and talking to them
    • Great at soliciting feedback from the audience
    • Digitally savvy, technology, social media
11. The Internet is made of people. Put your people in the center on your website and social profile as they are the ones that deliver the value to the client.
12. Don’t abandon blogs. Although it’s time consuming, keep at it. Allocate enough resources to talk about your company’s people.
13. Don’t bullshit. The web will know. Even after the campaign ends, the info is still there on search engines. The web is the “archive”.

The next big thing according to Darren Barefoot, is Foursquare and communities like it: Location-based social networks where people interact based on game rules. Google Latitude is another example of similar service.