Social Media Marketing Interviews - Sally Whitwell

Sally Whitwell is a musician that lives in Australia.

MZ: Describe what projects/organizations/activities you have marketed using social networking?
Sally Whitwell: I have been promoting my new album "Mad Rush - Solo Piano Music of Philip Glass", and events associated with it.

MZ: What social media sites have you used for marketing?
Sally Whitwell: Facebook and Tumblr

MZ: What aspect(s) of your social media marketing has/have been most effective?
Sally Whitwell: Sharing of audio and video has been very effective, also personal interactions with Tumblr followers and Facebook fans.

MZ: What aspect(s) of your social media marketing has/have been least effective?
Sally Whitwell: Text blogging. I find that my followers engage the least with even short articles that I write of my experiences. Maybe it's the demographic? It could also be subjective to the nature of the Tumblr blogs generally, which are very skewed towards pictures, video and audio. At any rate, I like to keep the blog a bit 'mixed' in terms of the type of posts - and I've had quite a few comments from people who like that aspect of it (that said, those comments come from the people who read the text posts!)

MZ: What is the most important thing social media marketing provides that traditional marketing doesn’t?
Sally Whitwell: Direct connection with my listeners.

MZ: Have you experienced any drawbacks using social media for marketing?
Sally Whitwell: It does take a constant time commitment to make it effective. I check for blog/facebook interactions at regular intervals.

MZ: How do you measure the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts?
Sally Whitwell: Album sales, which are measure here in Australia by ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association) charts and the iTunes Australia charts.

MZ: What is the one most important quality necessary for a successful social media marketing plan?
Sally Whitwell: A regular chunk of time to commit to it and a willingness to engage directly with fans and followers.

MZ: What is the one most critical thing to avoid when using social media marketing?
Sally Whitwell: Distance from your fans and followers.

MZ: Do you have any other advice for an individual or organization attempting to use social media marketing?
Sally Whitwell: Don't be too distant or appear to be surrounded by an entourage of 'people'. Direct connection is super important.