Social Media Marketing Interviews - David Gutowski - writer

David Gutowski is a writer based in Brooklyn, NY.

MZ: Describe what projects/organizations/activities you have marketed using social networking?
David Gutowski: I promote my blog, Largehearted Boy, my monthly Brooklyn reading series Largehearted Lit, and my freelance writing through social media.

MZ: What social media sites have you used for marketing?
David Gutowski: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, MySpace

MZ: What aspect(s) of your social media marketing has/have been most effective?
David Gutowski: Utilizing Twitter and Facebook has made the most difference. For years I avoided both, but as they became pervasive I realized that they were invaluable in keeping up my website's onion presence.

MZ: What aspect(s) of your social media marketing has/have been least effective?
David Gutowski: I have given up on MySpace. I generate almost no traffic from the site, and even at the height of its popularity the user interface didn't engender traffic or interaction.

MZ: What is the most important thing social media marketing provides that traditional marketing doesn’t?
David Gutowski: Immediate contact. Whenever I want, I can reach out to a significant portion of my website's readers (and vice versa).

MZ: Have you experienced any drawbacks using social media for marketing?
David Gutowski: Social media can be a time sink, especially Twitter and Facebook. Focus is important, or you can get lost in the details.

MZ: How do you measure the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts?
David Gutowski: Quantifying social media's effects on my website's traffic is difficult, but I use Google Analytics and other tools to attempt to gauge effectiveness.

MZ: What is the one most important quality necessary for a successful social media marketing plan?
David Gutowski: There has to be a human touch. Automating press release dispersal to social media is easy, but without the human interaction, these are easily ignored..

MZ: What is the one most critical thing to avoid when using social media marketing?
David Gutowski: Self-promotion for self-promotion's sake. A brand is the relationship between the product and the individual, you have to nurture that instead of making it a one-way conversation.

MZ: Do you have any other advice for an individual or organization attempting to use social media marketing?
David Gutowski: Social media is a two-way interaction. The most effective people and brands on Twitter (@amandapalmer, @jonathancoulton, and others) interact genuinely with their followers.