Whoa ! Don't tell me consumers are getting tired of social media already ?
Did anyone really believe that social media was going to remain hot into 2010? Consumers are realizing that being connected 24/7 can be a real pain in the neck and that having their relatives on Facebook and Twitter is "like totally uncool". Is this trend going to continue in 2010?
Throwing mud against the fan and hoping it sticks
is not a strategy
(click to enlarge)
First let's take
a step back and look at social media as a
product. Everything on the Internet moves at warp
speed so its no wonder that while most marketers
are moving slowly into social media that the wave
may have already crashed ashore and is moving
back out to sea.
It was recently reported that women are embracing
social media (duh!). If this is a surprise to you
then maybe marketing is not your career path.
Women are a natural when it comes to social
media. They like to join communities and can
relate to each other and share stories and
experiences. I learned this when I was doing
research for a new product launch. The women in
our focus groups (ok, this was before we could
online research) would open up to each other and
talk about everything up to and including their
sex lives. Men on the other hand just said the
minimum, agreed with the group and wanted their
checks.
So now even though Facebook continues to grow the
growth is coming from outside the US. Twitter
can't seem to increase penetration because they
can't explain to users that it's a great tool for
business intelligence or saving money. Too many
people think Twitter is a site to read what
others had for dinner !
Imagine going into a meeting when sales are down
and saying
"we have thousands of fans on Facebook"
Does this mean
that you should scale back social media plans?
Possibly, it all comes down to your business
objectives. Some will tell you that you need to
engage your audience but unless you can convert
these consumers into customers you're wasting
time and money. I really like Twitter as a tool
for contacting brands or retailers when I have a
problem with a product but there is no way that I
am going to follow a soft drink or coffee brand
on Facebook.
Put the pieces of the puzzle together and call
your customer service center as a customer. What
was the experience like? Go to the store and look
at your product as compared to the store brand.
Is there enough value to buy your brand over the
inexpensive store brand?
In short think like a skeptical consumer not a
marketer. Hard to do but essential if you're
going to excel in the marketplace.
