What social marketing do you engage in?
Just reading a post on “is social marketing for the young” and I have to wonder…
I hesitate to say if it’s generational or not, bc I might be on the line at age 35. But someone asked me today if I twitter or tweet — and I just had to laugh. I opt for the more “traditional” method, using blogs, linkedin, facebook and other small business profiles. Things that communicate a point of view.
I agree it’s a lifestyle “activity” and in fact I would go so far as to call it a “technology snack.”
Sometimes I think it goes beyond marketing and turns into an behavior. People seem to need these small fixes or snacks like they need cheetos - and it seems to have the same rather dulling affect.
Thoughts?
I might have coined a new term. You heard it here first: technology snacks
July 30th, 2008 at 3:07 am
If its generational……I should really be out of it! At the grand old age of 56 I am starting a virtual assistant business and am finding all the social networking to be just a little mind boggling. But, I am finding that LinkedIn is a good site and in reading all I can about being a virtual assistant, that EVERYONE is on Facebook.
And, yes, they tell me that I should be Twitter, too. I don’t know. Maybe they named it that because it makes people like me smile and/or laugh out loud when I think about “do you Twitter?”. Can’t imagine why anyone would want to follow me around and I already have so much to do with working on my business, that I’m not sure my “following” someone else around wouldn’t be taking time away from the business. But…..I know some other virtual assistants who say they have gotten new clients this way, so who am I to judge? lol
Denise
http://www.officeassistancepro.com
July 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I’m coming to the conclusion that any avenue can be successful, as long as you care and feed it - bc social networking tools are hungry beasties.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I think there are a few contributing factors that keep older generations from completely adapting social marketing as a lifestyle.
First off, I think there has to be a quality filter for all the noise. With a lot of these sites, like Plurk and Twitter, we are having others’ opinions and views lifestreamed to us – that can be a lot to deal with if you are new to social marketing. This may be why a lot of people stick to more traditional methods – it is a more sincere of keeping abreast. The more traditional methods depend on sincerity and reciprocity to create strong relationships; the lifestreaming networks use “ultra-casual” updates, which become cumbersome and can be useless information overload. I have been on Twitter for a while, but I am still trying to figure out how to maximize it as a marketing tool.
Second, I question the transparency and authenticity of a lot of users. Many people use these sites for completely self-serving purposes. Since these sites are “tools” for social marketing, many people are sending one-directional messages instead of creating dialogue or a community. Maybe this gets back to the “noise” concept? I just become more and more skeptical of a lot of users. I still try to find the right voice to use so everyone knows I am really here to provide a genuine insight.
Finally (and I could probably add more to the list), social marketing takes a lot of time – not only because a user has to be consistent with a presence, but also because it is a time commitment to learn how each community reacts to messages. There is a reason you see more progressive companies that have one person (or even more) concentrating on social marketing.
I have been social marketing for almost 8 years now (I am only 25), but even I have a problem accepting avenues that don’t communicate a point of view. Maybe younger crowds are already used to all the noise and are more willing to accept it as a lifestyle? Either way, snacking too much will make anyone fat.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:37 am
I am new to the social networking scene and am only now realizing its’ marketing potential. When I first heard about Twitter I thought it would be a site for preteens and teenagers to while away summer days. However, there was recently an article about one of the founders of Twitter on the Ladies Who Launch website so I decided to check it out.
In fact, most people do not communicate a point of view but use it to promote things they are doing such as video tutorials or an update to their product line. They include a link in the “tweet” in hopes that someone will follow it to their site. I think it has great potential in terms of driving traffic to a website because the people involved are constantly checking to see what others are doing.
Though as pointed out all this social networking is time consuming and slightly addicitive…use with caution!
July 31st, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Interesting comments…
Chad: I agree with you with respect to authenticity. It doesn’t make sense for a company or organization to adopt blogging, for example, if they do not intend to “let their hair down a bit” and show customers what they are really about - aside from the formal corporate message.
One good example of how I’ve seen dare I say it, Twitter, used is by Zappos. If you txt the CEO, he txt’s right back, often highlighting how this communication is influencing his customer service program. (I make the distinction btwn influencing and over reaction.) Zappos.com effectively uses text, showing that customer have direct access and influence in the company - but also that people in the company really want to listen.
To Kristin:
Yes, these “whick hit” options are just that - fast basts. I think people need to have a better understanding of what these tools should be used for and how.
If you don’t know why you are using these tools, niether will your customers.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:01 am
“Social Marketing’s” #1 job is to inform or entertain. On the marketing side, it also offers tips or links that connect to buying products or services.
In other words, you might buy, but you don’t have to buy anything to fully enjoy a “social marketing” website.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
While the young are almost automatically into social media and targets for social marketing, many older people are getting on board. I know many 40 something or 50 something moms who spend many hours on the internet now that the kids are off to college. They have a lot of time to fill now and are drawn the latest trends. The great thing is that they are established in life and now that the kids are gone, have a lot more disposible income than a 17 year old high school student so they are prime targets for social advertising. Don’t forget about the dads that are trying to show they are up on the latest trends and do a lot of social media surfing. Pretty much anybody who starts is likely to get hooked so the number of users in every age group will continue to rise.