Can Marketers Ever “Get” Social Media?
Social Media is about "conversation." It’s about people conversing amongst themselves; people conversing with — and about — brands of all sizes.
Marketing is about "selling stuff."
And there’s the rub.
Marketers’ motives in this dawning era of the "consumer voice" may be as pure as snow. They may very sincerely see Social Media’s rise as an exciting opportunity to engage in a dynamic, mutually-beneficial dialogue with their customers and prospects. They may see Social Media as a means to gain instant and actionable feedback on their offerings. They may genuinely wish to hear the good, bad & ugly aspects of their image and products.
But ultimately marketers are always, always, always trying to "sell more stuff." Which is why bleeding-edgers will always, always, always suggest that marketers "just don’t get it." These hard-liners may not readily admit that "commercialism" is at the heart of their beef with marketeers, but my humble opinion is that the evangelists can confuse "profit-taking" (good) with "profiteering" (bad).
Here’s my question: Is selling stuff bad? Is making money bad? As long as the corporation is not exploiting its workers or cheaping-out on product quality and service, isn’t it OK to cheer for good ol’ Capitalism?
When people buy stuff, companies make money. Companies that make money employ people. People who have jobs also tend to have healthcare, savings, homes, puppy dogs, etc. It’s also usually the people with jobs who purchase computers and broadband Internet access and digi-cams and camera-phones: the gear that makes Social Media so fun & funky-fresh.
Marketing motivates Sales. Sales create Profits. Profits = puppy dogs. Remember that, the next time you’re inclined to scoff at the intentions of a marketer making a sincere attempt to "get it." After all, who doesn’t love a puppy?
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I like to think that using social media is like selling by attrition. Of course social media is about “conversation”, but then if somebody wants to research a purchase or just mess about with creme eggs on YouTube, they will be engaging and observing all types of conversations. They might then actually buy something eventually (be it online or offline)
I like to think that using social media is like selling by attrition. Of course social media is about “conversation”, but then if somebody wants to research a purchase or just mess about with creme eggs on YouTube, they will be engaging and observing all types of conversations. They might then actually buy something eventually (be it online or offline)
Todd,
Bravo!
Jesse
PS – I happen to love puppy dogs in general, but as a Boxer owner, the pic you chose really struck a chord!
Richard – You raise a good point about why PR is so hard to measure. How do we capture all those many touchpoints and point out how they led to a purchase? A debate for the ages.
We aim to please, here at PR-Squared, Jesse.
Do we really have to apologize for living in a capitalist society where corporations must generate profit? You don’t want to know how much our puppy cost (more than the new VW Beetle my brother bought in 1973). Social media does sell. During the whole Dell exploding laptop fiasco I was soothed by the company people responding on the Dell blog. Nike and many other brands depend on that good feeling you have about the company and the people who wear the product. Companies will not cut back on their branding budget – they just need to direct more to social media. My nephew was the most recent winner of Project Runway. I marveled at how the Blogging Project Runway team boosted recognition and involvement in that program to make it a hit.
I do not think that social media is just about people talking about brands. I think a good part of social media is about conversations that have nothing to do with companies or brands. People talk about the weather, politics, their children, love, sex, and their favorite vacation spot. That is actually one reason why conversational marketing works so well, the people who are really successful realize that it is more important to build a relationship and connection than it is to sell the brand all the time. Tim Jackson from the MASI Guy blog is one such person http://pr.typepad.com/pr_communications/2006/11/blog_reader_res.html.
While I do not disagree that marketing is in the final analysis about selling stuff. The approach you take to get there can be either through the sales model or the marketing model.
As a marketing professional, conversational marketing or social media is nothing new to me because the marketing concept is all about listening to customers to understand their needs and wants and attempting to satisfy their needs and wants efficiently, and profitably. That means I have to listen to customers if I want them to buy stuff, that means I have to converse with them.
So to answer your question, can marketers ever get social media, I answer yes, if they practice real marketing.
Bravo, Mr. Cass.
So the question becomes: how many marketers practice the trade with the thoughtfulness with which you (rightfully!) ascribe?
More than people think? Less than people think?
This really is a great post and great discussion.
As to “how many marketers practice the trade with the thoughtfulness with which you (rightfully!) ascribe?”
Not many.
The difference is often in understanding qualitative vs. quantitative results. It’s easy to see on blogs, for example. Do you want numbers (lots of hits) or dedicated readers who contribute (fewer hits, but better readers?)
Many marketing folks get caught in the number of widgets instead of how passionate their widget buyers really are. You can make money either way, but when start thinking about all those other crazy factors: sustainability, market share, brand value, yadda, yadda … suddenly selling numbers alone just doesn’t matter too much.
Less than I hope, more than I imagine I suspect.
Marketing is practiced at the behest of senior management.
It is to company leaders we must look if marketing is truly going to make headway.