Social Networking: One Size Does Not Fit All
July 30, 2007
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To this day I can fit into my middle school gym shorts. How? Because the shorts that swallowed me up when I was an awkward, scrawny adolescent didn’t fit me to start with. Instead they are marked “one size fits all”.
This morning I can’t help but to realize two things. One - that my public school clearly needed more funding, and secondly - that this “one size fits all” mentality is how companies are approaching marketing with social media - in particular social networking sites.
While Facebook and MySpace are the top sites for social networking, they certainly aren’t for every organization. So if you are considering entering the waters of social networking I’ve listed 3 considerations you should ask to help guide your strategy. Feel free to add to these.
1. What are you selling? Get to the core of your motivation for social networking. If you treat this as a direct attempt to increase your sales - you are off to a bad start. Social networking sites provide you an opportunity for consumers to become your brand advocate, to get them talking, sharing and even interacting with your brand. Save your sales pitch for the sales floor.
2. Who are you talking to? Before choosing a social networking site think of your audience. In social media it is important to fully understand not just their demographics, but their psychographics. What are their interests, hobbies, and ways they communicate? You may find there is a niche networking site that will better reach them. Or you may even realize that a social networking site isn’t the right fit.
3. Who are you really talking to? Be wary of the information social networking sites claim of their users. Keep in mind there is still some uncertainty and mystery in these numbers and the truthfulness of user profiles. Before you take the leap, take a minute to involve yourself in a site. See how users are interacting or what brands they are discussing to really see if the site is appropriate for your objectives.
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I agree with this analysis of social networking, especially the three considerations. I would even add one more:
4. Remember, as the saying goes, 80% of people in life are followers and 20% are leaders. If you make the social leaders advocates of your brand, then the rest of the pack will follow. This is how trends are started, not by the masses, but by the few. One should target this elite social group in order to facilitate the opportunity described in the first consideration: “an opportunity for consumers to become your brand advocate, to get them talking, sharing and even interacting with your brand.”