Recommended reading: The Advergirl Social Manifesto.

When it comes to the evolving world of marketing, there are few people whose opinions I value more than Leigh "Advergirl" Householder. So it's been especially great to see her posting more and more about social media.

Specifically, I wanted to share Leigh's four-part Social Manifesto on "How companies are using social media." To give you a sense of her street cred, I should tell you Leigh is a brand strategist at Ologie in Columbus, Ohio, and is the one-woman powerhouse behind Advergirl.com.

Here are Leigh's four tips on using social media for business:

1.  Let your customers or employees support each other. Build a central hub where they can ask questions, collect ideas and celebrate the brand.

Example: Best Buy's Blue Shirt Nation.

2. Activate ambassadors. Some brands have a leg up in social media. Their fans already consider the brand a part of their personal identities. For these lucky brands, the best course is simply to motivate their fans to take the brand into the social world by giving them the right tools, soap boxes or, heck, bling.

Example: Victoria Secret PINK.

3. Listen for new insights. Imagine if you could get the very best development or marketing ideas you’d never thought of from people who actually use your product.

Example: Bell Canada

4. Give people something they need. Fill a gap, provide a bridge, be the tool people can’t live without.

Example: FedEx Launches a Package.

Of course, you shouldn't stop after reading just this series. Be sure to subscribe to Advergirl. Very few bloggers — if any — offer an equal mix of practicality, experience and foresight.

Speaking of which, here are a few more recent Advergirl posts of note:

• Social media etiquette
• How brands SHOULD use social media

Comments

[Leigh Householder]

David - thanks so much for the post. You inspired me to get typing again. Wrote about some trends today.

Happy holidays!