marketing « Sysomos Blog

Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

Will Social Media Kill Traditional Advertising?

In the scheme of things, social media marketing is a small drop in the bucket compared with the $450 billion global advertising market and the $50-billion online advertising market.

But given the growing interest in social media marketing as a powerful and effective way to connect and engage with consumers, does this mean seismic changes in the advertising world are only a matter of time?

Here’s another take: if social media advertising let companies:

- engage and build strong relationships with consumers
- gives consumers ways to share information, content and recommendations about products and services
- makes it easier for companies to measure the impact of their efforts

…..does this mean it’s only a matter of time before social media rules the roost?

We’re starting to see many companies (include large players such as P&G and Uniliver) allocate more of their advertising budgets to social media, although in the scheme of things, it’s still a small piece of the overall pie.

But there’s little doubt social media will become a bigger part of the pie. So the question is what other advertising vehicles will surrender turf?

Newspapers are already suffering as more advertising dollars move online while television advertising is under threat by the a fragmented universe that includes a growing number of online competitors.

Ironically, one of the strongest traditional advertising mediums is one of the oldest – radio, which continues to hold its own.

It would be unrealistic to suggest social media and online advertising is going rule the global advertising business any time soon but as more people get their entertainment, content and education online, more dollars will flow to social media marketing, and away from the old guard advertisers mediums.

For another take on the impact of social media on advertising, check out this post, which argues the outdoor ads will be the only platform to survive social media.

By Mark Evans - August 30th, 2010 - 1 Comment »
Tags: advertising, marketing, radio, Social Media
Posted in Social Media

Social Media and the Art of the Soft Sell

It goes without saying that social media has emerged as a powerful and effective sales and marketing tool. It explains why a growing number of companies are happily jumping on the bandwagon as a way to boost their online presence.

One of the key lessons that many companies are learning, however, is that social media is not a place for the hard sell. Unlike other mediums, companies that try to blatantly pitch their goods and services are penalized rather than rewarded.

This is a difficult reality for many companies to understand or accept because it means changing their behaviour, as well as the way they have done business for years. Social media is not a broadcast medium in which yelling louder or more often than the other guy works effectively.

Rather than slapping someone in the face to get their attention, you give them a nice, friendly social media hug. Instead of repeatedly telling to consumers about how wonderful your product or service is, you whisper it in their ears.

In other words, it’s all about the soft sell rather than the hard sell. It’s about getting the message across without having to be blatantly obvious about it. If the product or service is any good, consumers will likely gravitate to it.

Here’s some tips about the “soft sell”:

1. Don’t try to sell.

2. Be subtle rather than blunt. Rather than selling all the time, relax and let your product or service doing the talking.

3. Provide information and insight about a variety of topics that engage, entertain or educate. This will provide the opportunity to also talk about your products or services without getting pushback from consumers.

4. Make sure you give and take. The more you give, the more you can take.

5. If you are going to promote a product or service, talk about the benefits and features. Provide consumers with a reason why they care or pay attention, otherwise they will quickly move on to the next conversation.

By Mark Evans - July 14th, 2010 - 1 Comment »
Tags: marketing, sales, Social Media, tips
Posted in Social Media

The Growing Sexiness of B2B Social Media

Ever since social media emerged as a useful and valuable corporate marketing and sales vehicle, most of the attention has been on the business-to-consumer (B2C) market.

Companies such as Dell, Starbucks, Naked Pizza and Comcast have been celebrated for their success in leveraging social media to connect with consumers, offer better customer service and drive sales.

Meanwhile, the B2B social media market has pretty much been ignored. Perhaps the biggest reason is the potential audience is considerably smaller than the B2C market so from the outside looking in, B2B social media may appear be far less interesting.

The reality is this is far from the truth. In fact, B2B social media can be as effective and enjoy as much success as B2C social media. In fact, the strategic approach between B2B and B2C social media is similar. The differences lies in the tactics used because the approach and tone of B2B social media can be more formal. (For more thoughts on the strategic vs. tactic angle, check out this post by Jay Baer.)

So what are the benefits for B2B social media? On a high level, it offer ways to:
- Build relationships with existing and potential customers

- Provide better and faster customer service

- Offer information about your products and services to suppliers, partners, employees and investors

- Establish a stronger brand and market presence

- Engage in business development, sales and marketing opportunities.

As the global economy begins to recover, B2B social media is going to become increasingly sexy to more companies are recognizing that social media can leveraged effectively to achieve strategic and tactical goals.

A lot of this activity is happening as companies look for new and different ways to do marketing and sales after spending most of 2009 doing little more than trying to hold their heads above water. Now is the time many companies are willing to do new things rather than do nothing.

For more thoughts on B2B social media marketing, Penn Olson’s Sarah Chong has a good post on the benefits, while Michelle Bowles has five example of B2B social media “winners”.

As well, here’s a chart looking at social media ad spending:

By Mark Evans - April 9th, 2010 - 1 Comment »
Tags: B2B, marketing, Social Media
Posted in Social Media

Five Truths About Social Media

It’s still early days for social media so there’s still an awful lot of hype and misconceptions thriving amid the enthusiasm and excitement. Here are few social media realities that should, hopefully, not come as too much of a surprise.

1. Social media is not about the tools and services such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, although they do play a key role in making things happen. Social media is how the tools and services are effectively married with great content, creative ideas, smart strategies and tactics, and all the other communications, marketing and sales activities done by companies to do business.

2. Social media is not a silver bullet or elixir. Adding some social media into the mix won’t produce miracles or wild success if there are other issues or problems such as mediocre products and services, bad customer service, ineffective marketing, or intense competition.

3. A company and its employees have to embrace social media and make it part of the corporate culture. Social media can not be outsourced or ghost-written because unless you’re really drinking the corporate Kool-Aid, it’s difficult to be completely committed.

4. Social media is not a standalone activity or something that operates in isolation. At its best, social media complements and enhances a company’s other activities, and vice-versa. Social media thrives when it’s tightly integrated into how a company does business.

5. It’s still early days for social media so companies that think they need to play a desperate game of catch-up can take a deep breath. That said, social media is gaining a lot of strategic and tactical traction so companies better start thinking why, how and when they want to get into the game.

What are some of the social media truths that you would highlight?

By Mark Evans - January 11th, 2010 - 4 Comments »
Tags: facebook, marketing, sales, Social Media, twitter
Posted in Social Media

Why Apple Doesn’t Use Social Media

TechCrunch reported yesterday that Apple is starting to increase its use of Twitter.

For any other world-class, consumer-facing company, this news would probably have been met with a shrug. But for Apple, this is major news because Apple hasn’t embraced social media, even though it’s all rage from a communications, marketing and sales perspective. Apple, which has always marched to the beat of its own drum, is not a social media user, aside from a few low-profile Twitter accounts such as iTunesTrailers

So why is that? Why is Apple sitting on the social media sidelines, while the rest of the world jumps on the bandwagon?

Perhaps the biggest explanation may be that Apple doesn’t need to do social media itself – not when you’ve got millions of consumers more than happy to blog, tweet, video and podcast about their love for Apple and Steve Jobs.

In a sense, Apple has outsourced social media.

Another reason may be that Apple’s marketing campaigns are so good that social media is unnecessary. A case in point are the popular Apple vs. Windows TV ads, which have attracted a lot of word-of-mouth and YouTube views. Again, no need to do social media itself.

And for all the talk about brands having conversation with their customers and potential customers, Apple is having conversations but in different ways. Jobs’ annual keynotes at Macworld is the biggest conversation in the high-world. Steve talks, and then everyone talks back in social and traditional media.

Another venue where Apple is having conversations are the Apple Stores where you can walk in, and have a conversation with a real person as opposed an avatar.

Maybe Apple is the exception to the rule when it comes to social media. Maybe Apple doesn’t need social media or, at least, to do it much itself.

Why do you think?

By Mark Evans - October 21st, 2009 - 3 Comments »
Tags: apple, marketing, Social Media, steve jobs
Posted in Social Media

There’s No ROI on Social Media

First, a confession. The headline is designed to capture your attention so I’m guilty as charged for suggesting an idea that many people may find preposterous.

In fact, the headline isn’t true or accurate but it does play on the raging debate happening over whether there is return on investment (ROI) from social media activity, and how ROI is or can be measured.

This discussion isn’t surprising because new ways that companies spend money should be analyzed and measured, otherwise there is difficult to know whether it’s money well spent, or money that should be spent on other things.

The challenge when it comes to measuring social media ROI is it’s still early days for social media. As a result, there is a lot of experimenting (and spending) by companies that want to get experience and insight into what works and what doesn’t. At the same time, they are trying to create ROI models that can be used for measurement purposes.

A good example is The Gap, which recently launched a new campaign, “Born to Fit” that features the extensive use of online ads and social media, in particular a Facebook Page.

In a blog post, Jacob Morgan included this intriguing quote from Julie Channing, senior account director for AKQA, the agency handling The Gap’s campaign:

“The Gap had set no numerical benchmarks to determine success in the campaign, but rather would look at how much consumers interact with the brand to gauge ROI.”

Morgan contends the problem is that without benchmarks, it’s difficult to “measure ANY type of success, let alone ROI”. Morgan makes a good point because how is consumer interaction with a brand measured? He also questions how AKQA will be able to explain to its client how well the campaign did without defined metrics.

For anyone focused on social media ROI, The Gap’s approach may be frustrating and, perhaps, disappointing given The Gap is a major advertiser defining how it operates within the emerging social media landscape. At the same time, it also shows that social media ROI is still work in progress, and that the “rules” have yet to be established.

Of course, it should also be pointed out that marketing within social media is a different creature than traditional media.

In social media, there are well-defined metrics that can be used to track ROI such as Web site traffic, click- throughs, and higher sales. At the same time, social feature features “soft” metrics that are more difficult to measure: better customer service, engagement, interaction, a stronger brand and more loyal customers.

The focus (obsession?) with social media ROI is healthy and much-needed because it’s part of the process in which social media will become a viable option for many marketers and advertisers. The more attention paid to ROI, the faster, in theory, the parameters will be defined and established.

What do you think? Are there ways to effectively measure social media ROI right now, or it is still work in progress?

More: Jacob Morgan has been spending a lot of time focused on social media ROI: here’s a collection of recent posts he’s done.

By Mark Evans - September 21st, 2009 - 7 Comments »
Tags: advertising, jacob morgan, marketing, ROI, Social Media, the gap
Posted in Social Media

Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

About Sysomos Blog

Browse by

Archives

Twitter