The Adam Ad Group out in British Columbia writes a Monday Morning Motivator column that is definitely worth your time. This week’s article (entitled The Emperor’s New Clothes) discusses the myths behind social media as the next great marketing tool for business.
Social media has its place, but one should always approach it in the context of a broader, comprehensive marketing strategy and program. As we wrote last week , social media is wrapped in a layer of hype that is difficult for small businesses to unravel. Before you jump at the promises made by ‘social media experts’, take a look at your customer base and what marketing tools have worked in the past. I’ll let Drago, from Adam Ad Group, take it from here:
“Facebook promises hypertargeting but this has been the promise of every media since the invention of advertising. Newspapers have been divided into sections for nearly a century. “Do you want to target men in the Sports section, women in the Lifestyle section, or businesspeople in the Business section?” Magazines were invented to allow us to target micro-groups that shared a common interest. Television and radio stations promise psychographic targeting through specific programming. Billboards promise tightly controlled geographic targeting. And each of these media is hampered by the same limiting factor as Facebook and Twitter. It is an inescapable truth: Response to your message will be dictated by its relevance and credibility, not by the vehicle of its delivery.
There is benefit to be had through a presence on Facebook. Twitter is a quick way to blurt 140 characters to whomever will give you a moment’s attention. If you enjoy these things, do them. Your business will certainly derive some benefit.
But they are not the highest and best use of your time and energy.”
Finally, you are one of the first writers to downsize social media. Like you said it has its place but not the most powerful marketing tool. I agree that one can use time more efficiently. Running a large design firm in Phoenix I have to keep up with customer demands and new tech.
Never thought about it, “people used to buy magazines specific to there needs” Wonder how you can target customers like that. Google adsense works, but can get very expensive.
Because those Social media companies are so good at marketing, everyone wants it included in the web packages. The hype is similar to Apple. In comparison to all the other PC companies, Apple is tiny. But they spend a ton of money on advertising, and everyone on the planet understands what an iPhone is. Blackberry outsells iPhone, but their ads are few. Everyone wants the Apple product, even if they can’t articulate why.
Thank You. Like your info and will bookmark.