The main objective of social media marketing is to engage your followers. It’s less about selling and more about connecting. We’ve emphasized this point time and again. This week, we present links that support it.

In social media, it’s all about letting go of your brand (FinancialExpress.com)

Marketers need to let go of their brand much more, especially for social media. Rather than trying to control everything, the best course of action is to join in the conversation. Build relationships with the consumers and the rewards will be substantial.

People Who Follow Brands Are More Likely to Buy Their Stuff (eMarketer.com)

More than one half of Facebook fans said they are more likely to make a purchase for at least a few brands, and 67% of Twitter followers reported the same. Many people become brand fans either to receive exclusive information or to show support.

Are You Ready for ‘Citizen Advertainment’? (TheCommsCorner)

The rise of Social Media has suddenly made the ‘everyday Joe’ incredibly influential. Brands, and even celebrities, are beginning to realize that they don’t need to prod or pay of bloggers to promote them. They just need to produce engaging content.

What is pervasive creativity in the era of Social Media? (LiquidNotFlat)

Content is the core of creativity. In an economy dominated by attention, creativity is more and more about telling stories to the public, allowing them to aggregate what they support.

Well Played: Ikea Facebook Campaign (Rahafharfoush.com)

Social media campaigns don’t need to be long and laborious to be effective. It just needs to be clear cut and well executed.