Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Social Media: Fad or Fake??
I guess a lot of traditional marketers are beginning to ask themselves this question more and more as social media "infects" our culture on a daily basis. I remember when Myspace gained popularity and if you didn't have one the only reason was because you didn't have a computer. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flikr, Smugmug, Youtube, and so many more social websites come to mind when I think of social media or places for people to go online and share memories, stories, interests about themselves and connect with other people who have similar interests. Marketers who still believe that traditional marketing is the only way to go and social media will begin to fade obviously have not done the research on how effective social media marketing is. The book, "Secrets of Social Media Marketing," written by Paul Gillin, lists several different facts about how often these "social places" are visited daily and monthly: "The average Youtube visitor watched 41.6 videos in a month", "Emory University...found that 97 percent of the students had Facebook accounts and 24 percent logged onto Facebook 18 or more times a day." These 2 facts themselves are staggering because it shows us that people are no longer spending time watching tv, reading, or spending time on other forms of entertainment to relax - people are spending their extra time online. Yes, social media marketing is very new and a sort of scary, unknown territory for most companies who are used to using traditional media forms as their way of marketing. However, my belief is that this so called "trend" is here to stay. Ten years from now social media will no longer be a trend but absolutely imperative if companies want to survive. Technology has and will continue to evolve tremendously for us to just ignore social media as a great marketing tool. Cell phones, Ipod, Ipad, Kindle, and the next new gadget to hit the market will replace television time and the times when reading the newspaper was the way to get the latest news. We will be bombarded with new links, advertisement listings on the sidebar of websites, popups, "groups" that share a common interest in a certain store, restaurant, or hobby, all because this is where our audience will be. Why waste millions of dollars on a television commercial when our target audience will only be exposed to it 1/3 of the time?? And our other marketing option is social media that will expose them to our marketing efforts 2/3 of the time for a fraction of the price because social media is CHEAP! So, to all those marketers out there who believe social media is just a fad, I gotta tell ya' - I think it's the real thing.
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Not until I was in Dr. Melancon's Consumer Behavior class last semester did I realize that social media marketing existed. Don't get me wrong, I was being exposed to it everyday through Facebook and other social media outlets, but I didn't know that there was a label or term for it. I was also unaware of the immensity and impact that it was having on not just the social and marketing network, but the world as well. Now that I am taking this class and learning about all the aspects of social media marketing I am recognizing it every time I see it and I think sometimes I think it will cause my brain to overload! It is everywhere!
ReplyDeleteThe statistics that have been given in our readings and class notes are somewhat surprising, but what is even more unbelievable is that I am part of most of those statistics! I don't log onto Facebook quite as many as 18 times a day, or watch 42 videos on YouTube a month, but sometimes I may get close! I already participate in many of the mainstream social media sites and now that I am learning about the benefits of accounts such as LinkedIn, I'm sure I will become a consistent user or many more!
And it isn't just college students and teenagers (Generation Y and younger), which is what I think a lot of companies think and why they don't see the need to use social media. I was a little late to jump on the Facebook bandwagon (I joined about two years ago), but I am completely addicted and so is just about everyone I knew in high school. That's Generation X and the leading edge of Gen Y. Lately I notice it isn't just my high school friends on Facebook, but their parents are jumping on too! When the Baby Boomers and Generation Y (two of the largest generations in history) are both in the same place, you KNOW you are on to something.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that social media is the real thing. Like you said, it may very well be an imperative tool in a few years, and, although some companies think social media marketing is scary, I think it would be even scarier for them if they didn't join in. People actually add to the marketing all the time without even realizing it, whether it be a status like, "going to Starbucks to get my favorite cappacino!" or "I'm obsessed with my new Nikes!" To the companies not already utilizing these outlets, I ask "Why not take advantage of what these users are practically laying out right in front of your face?" If you have a really great product or a bad product, people are going to post about it. This is a great way to find out what you're doing right and what needs to be worked on. Better yet, you can somewhat control the topic and spark conversations about topics you want more information on. This type of research can never be achieved through long surveys people don't even want to be filling out in the first place. With social media, people are there by choice. This is a great opportunity, and any company that doesn't take advantage of it is really missing out.
ReplyDeleteJust like you said, social media marketing will be imperative for a business' survival. When I interned for a firm this past summer, my boss wanted me to constantly update the firm's Facebook and Twitter account. She was new to this and felt that she was behind the curve. She told me she wished she had started social media marketing sooner. After I started updating her accounts, more people began interacting with them. This proves that social media marketing really does work if you put the effort into it.
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