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Social media marketing: Hype or new way of approaching branding?

05/22/09 05:46 AM Filed in: Social Media
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A new study argues that social media has reached its tipping point, with 83% of the online population now using it in some form - and more than half do so on a regular basis, reports MarketingVOX. Despite its popularity, socnet platforms - including Facebook, Twitter and the like - have failed to demonstrate prowess as marketing tools, and possibly never will, according to Knowledge Networks, which released the report, titled “How People Use Social Media.” However what this study fails to understand is that traditional marketing measurement and implementation in new media does not work and until marketers learn to talk to people instead of trying to sell them they will never really "get it".


Some marketers and a majority of agencies don't understand a basic principle of social media and that is that users are in control not brands, not marketers, not even the social media platform itself. Facebook found this out the hard way when they tried to change some aspects of Facebook and Tweeter recently learned that users were not happy with even minor changes to the way users talk with each other.

This new report fails to understand and measure how people are interacting with brands and the buzz that is created around these interactions. Yes, I know it's all about results and driving business but come on now how many commercials on TV really drive business and isn't the ultimate goal of branding to get people interacting around your brand?

When thinking about social media as a marketing tactic it's extremely important to know what it can and can't do and set objectives around the realities of real expectations. First, it takes time to gain the trust of skeptical consumers, second don't implement a social media program and expect to see sales spike within a month or even 6 months. The whole idea is to talk to consumers/customers to bring them into and keep them into the brand. It's not about building market share anymore it's the long tail of trying to get existing customers to stay customers and giving prospects a reason that your brand can solve their problems.

There are many people who believe that social media is all hype and no results but these are the same people who believe that ads should interrupt us and continue with mass branding messages that are ineffective. Social media is here to stay and smart marketing people understand that a social media strategy is not the golden road to brand riches but rather an integrated nail in a complete marketing table.

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