Cashing In on the Social Media Phenomenon, or Not
“Social Media Playtime Is Over,” at BL Ochman’s What’sNextBlog.com, got me thinking about the current rush by marketers not only to understand the Social Media Phenomenon and its profound effects on people’s perceptions, but also to transform online communities like Facebook, Twitter, and others, into remarkably intuitive marketing tools capable of reaching a never-before available global audience.
In her article, Ochman advises businesses to take social media marketing seriously by allocating sufficient financial, technological, and staffing resources to managing it. The article is worth reading if only for the surprising list she offers of what it takes to support social media marketing.
Whether it’s possible or even advisable to manipulate social media communities to fulfill corporate marketing goals is certainly a discussion worth having, but I choose to leave social media alone. That’s right. I don’t support figuring out innovative ways Twitter can enhance a company’s brand, or using Facebook to fine-tune the sights on a marketing campaign. Let them be what they are, a 21st century evolution of human networking. Let’s study it, cultivate it, and most of all let’s not tamper with it. I’m in favor of allowing the whole social media phenomenon to blossom commercial free. That doesn’t mean a business shouldn’t have a Facebook page, but they should have a good reason to be there, one that has a higher purpose than corporate profits, a reason that justifies breeching what has become both a highly personal and a very public online space.
It may not be too late to save our current online communities from eroding from within. The collective cyber spirit is alive and well as noted in Facebook’s recent failed attempt to change its use policy. Millions of users protested. They were listened to, and Facebook made adjustments to its policies.
Often, a company gets lots of online buzz just because it’s a good company and not because it’s seeded the blogging clouds on its own behalf. My friend Jim is a goldsmith. He created a one-of-a-kind diamond piece for a client. The client was so thrilled she posted her praise on a blog dedicated to jewelry enthusiasts. Within a very short time, Jim was receiving new orders from blog readers. He did a good job, someone noticed, and now the word is out. I think that’s how it should work. Clean, and simple.
Once social media goes commercial, it sells out its members and loses its purpose. It becomes the ultimate marketing tool.
My message to marketers everywhere is, “Stay outta my Facebook.”
Tags: facebook, marketing, social media, social networking, twitter
One Response to “Cashing In on the Social Media Phenomenon, or Not”
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March 20th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Wow this is a great article. I wish I’d thought of it.