What does it mean?
In a few short words: You probably already know what it means. That's the whole idea of social media.
The allure of Facebook, Twitter and Myspace is that they intended to mean something different for every user. Members upload photos; post links to their favorite websites; and update their own daily (or hourly) status.
Why do we care?
Facebook, Twitter and Myspace are all .COM sites. That is to say that they are all commercial ventures in search of a profit. They appear to be doing a good job on their part - now how do we monetize the situation without - and here's the kicker - without becoming a hindrance to the social media process.
There is obviously a great deal of traffic through these websites and where there's traffic, there's marketing potential. However, we're talking about social conversations (ostensibly) and interrupting that conversation with a negative distraction is tantamount to the pop-up ads of old.
How do we do it?
This post is the tip of the iceberg of conversations to come. We have a few, quick ideas for you to get started and we will circle back to this conversation over the next few months.
- Start your own profile and take a look around at the ads around the site. If it annoys you, it will annoy others.
- Search for your favorite brands, stores, and activities. Do they have a "Fan's Page"?
- Look at your friend's profiles. Are they pointing to favorite pages? Are they linking to product postings, notes, events, or videos?
- Are your friend's talking about the same?
Inserting yourself into these areas is tantamount to the old-fashioned way of direct marketing. Handing people a print ad on the street, as it were.
Instead of yelling into the wind, you and your company need to start listening to the voices. Interacting with the group.
It's a brave new world out there and your old Marketing Manual doesn't work in this space.
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