Everyone seems to be talking about social media these days yet many marketers simply can’t find the time to implement a coherent social marketing strategy. Next week’s guest Dave Evans wants you to get started with social marketing and he has sent us this blog posting to get you started. Dave is the Social Media Strategist and co-founder of Digital Voodoo and also the author of “Social Media: An Hour a Day, a practical, hands-on guide to the implementation and measurement.”

It’s ironic that as a powerful force — the Social Web — is emerging, the overwhelming share of media spending is still directed to marketing channels that don’t tap it. For many marketers, the reality of the job–making quarterly numbers, boosting sales now, or rolling out a new service–push innovation and evaluation of new ideas to the back burner. Most of us know that “social media” is something we ought to be focusing more than a stray brain cell on, yet for whatever reason we don’t. It’s time we did, and even better is to approach this new discipline of social media based marketing in the same way as we’d approach any other marketing program.

Consider that as a marketer, you face a real challenge: Giving up control over your message in order to gain a presence in the conversations that matter to you. For an industry built on the turn of a phrase, that’s reason enough to say to yourself “OK, maybe I’ll work more on this next week.” Of course, like the old “Free Beer Next Week” joke, next week never gets here and as a result the conversation your customers are having about you simply continue…without you. That’s too bad, because if they are saying nice things, you’re missing out on the bump you’d otherwise be able to tap. And if they’re not? Then not only are you missing out, but you’re spending more on promotion (to overcome your less-than-it-might-be reputation) than you need to. You’re missing out on the information needed to understand what to change in order that you might positively influence the conversations going on around you. Doubting the collective wisdom of your customers? Consider these words from the founder of the world’s largest retailer, Sam Walton: “If you have questions, go to the store. Your customer has the answer.” With social media, the “store” will literally come to you and tell you what’s needed.

All of this is not to suggest that you stop doing what you’re doing now and dive head-long into social media. Like any form of marketing, it is the overall integration of selected tactics that generally produces the best result. Social Media is a complement–not a replacement–that belongs in your marketing toolbox. If you haven’t already, take some time and explore the Social Web. Look at what your competitors are doing, and look at the social tools your customers are using. Make it your business to learn about social media and how you can apply it. Above all, do it this week.

Tags: Customer Conversations, Dave Evans, Digital Voodoo, Media Buying, social marketing, Social media