Social media
Facebook Keeping Face
While the social media world has been fixated with Twitter – naysayers, advocates, rule setters, collectors, faux pas – Facebook has been not so quietly keeping pace in their own growth. The last time we took a serious look at Facebook, we reported the “Granny syndrome” as the fastest growing segment. Well there’s news to report since then.
On today’s MENG (Marketing Executive Networking Group) webinar, Richard Krueger, the facilitator of FACEBOOK STRATEGY FOR BUSINESS AND BRANDS, provided some pretty staggering statistics. And he should know. He has devoted the past year and a half to studying this online social network for writing a book on its marketing applications.
What’s Your Social Media Excuse?
Lots of companies are still nervous about entering the cool waters of social media. Here are the top excuses—or “rationales”—I hear:
- “We have no resources to devote.”
- “We can’t control it, so why bother at all.”
- “Consumers are confused. There are too many conflicting points of view.”
- “Social media is a trend and will burn out soon.”
These same companies may also still believe that they control the dialogue around their company’s brand, products and services. Truth is, social media is a great leveler. Marketers who refuse to acknowledge the shift that’s taking place are missing out on the opportunity to get in front of online social dialogue and learn from the insights and postings that are happening…with or without you. Continue reading
Are you a Twitter Quitter?
The social media world is all aTweet with millions flocking to Twitter, the micro-blogging site limited to short headline-type messages within 140 characters. The content of these messages ranges widely from the mundane “I’m now eating an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen” to the topic-specific “The Aquada: a new amphibious automobile. (Check it out now for breaking news and commentary—no surprise: Swine flu has been the hottest topic this week.)
Did Social Media put Obama in the White House?
Yes and no.
At the recent Digital Marketing World ( a virtual conference of 12,000 marketers across the US) Barack Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, provided a glimpse inside the media campaign that generated unprecedented response through innovative use of media. David was careful to note that despite all the hype and accolades for their use of social media, it was the media mix — a combination of different media used for specific purposes — that drove the unprecedented results. I say unprecedented because in 2007 not many outside the state of Illinois gave Obama much chance of being elected President. Unprecedented because he surpassed previous fundraising records-$580 million in two years, with 91 percent coming from individual donors.
The Obama media campaign wasn’t a “blitz the media and let’s see what happens” plan; it was a highly orchestrated, carefully plotted strategy of how best to consistently brand across multiple demographics and voter segments with a three-pronged purpose: acquisition, activation, and advocacy. Since McCain focused primarily on acquisition, one could argue that it was the advocacy prong through use of social media that clinched the voter turnout and subsequent election.
But the real keys to the White House were won with a four-point strategy, according to David: Continue reading
4.1.09: “Social networks are bad biz.” April Fool’s?
Okay, so yesterday’s Time.com story: “Facebook Takes a Dive: Why Social Networks Are Bad Businesses”
Let’s discuss.
1. Claim #1: Social Media Networks are not profitable businesses.
Old news. We know this. I hate to sound callous, but that’s not my problem. If FB doesn’t have the infrastructure to make money for itself, I feel a little BAD for FB maybe, but not enough to, I don’t know, stop using it for my OWN purposes. Nor will this knowledge make me tell others to stop using it for theirs.
2. Claim #2: You won’t make money placing non-targeted advertisements on Social Media Networks.
Non-targeted advertising is not the best idea? A financial services FB ad would lose a celebrity death match with it’s twin ad placed on AOL Finance. Point taken. Are we supposed to be surprised?
But let’s not confuse these listed cons with the pros that can be gained by USING social media networks properly, both as outreach vehicles for your brand and strategic ad placement opportunities. We are all witnessing the chameleon-like behavior of advertising. KFC? Potholes?
Should your brand Facebook?
Now that’s a big question. Who belongs, and who doesn’t belong on Facebook (along with every other social media outlet) is one of the biggest questions facing marketing managers today. Truth? It depends.
If you’re looking for a stock answer, it may be time to adjust your expectations. At least, for the time being. And while you’re doing that, you might want to invest some time crash-coursing the social media channels that are out there and what makes them unique. Here’s one recent dive into the MySpace/Facebook discussion.
See who else is Facebook marketing with this “just in” from retailerdaily.com. FB comes in at the bottom … but the bit about Kmart on Twitter is fun too.
