Here’s my first entry for this year’s Bathroom Blogfest 2009 which is all about ‘Flushing the Recession and Plunging into Forgotten Spaces.’

Don’t forget to check out the full list of blogfesters here, as well as the Bathroom Blogfest’s official Blog and Facebook Fan page

One of the key things in Social Media Marketing, is how brands can use different channels and add value to their customers. Now imagine you’re faced with a purchase decision, and suddenly remember this cool Facebook Fan Page / YouTube video / Twitter Feed, you’ll probably end up buying the brand that made you feel good, instead of a competitor product… well I do anyway!

Social media is a relationship channel and you could add value by sharing something to help your customers, or it might be by providing a customer with a chance to give you feedback, or simply sharing a joke with them!

Here are a few ways to provide value and usefulness to your customers:

- Listen to your audience online and let them know you hear them by making changes based on their feedback
- Follow the 90/10 rule: 90% of your messages will be about adding value, and the remaining 10% will be about promoting your brand and ‘pushing’ your marketing messages
- Be human – Social Media is about giving your brand a voice (or a face, e.g Zappos)
- Online messages spread fast – follow the social networking code of conduct and be nice (remember Habitat?)
- Every time you Tweet / Blog about something, ask yourself if it’s useful
- Ask questions, answer questions, retweet content your followers might find useful

What other useful tips could we add to this list?