Brian Feener

Social media (or social networking) can provide the same benefits and present the same risks as any other marketing initiative. In the same way that a telemarketer or television commercial can present a message and provide a call to action, social media is simply another arena to communicate an idea. Whether that idea is specific to a campaign, promotes the organization’s core values, or whose purpose is organizational awareness, the central idea is the key component to any social media venture.

Social media is unique from many other forms of marketing because it allows for unfiltered, self-perpetuating customer responses to the messaging. Those customers often are tied to the success and failure of the products, whether it is by emotional, financial, professional, or other means. Many times, the responses are written with candor, humor, or additional insight, engaging other readers and responses.

Give-and-take between the content provider and the content consumer, whether monitored, filtered, or otherwise, is what drives social media. Otherwise, it is simply another web-page.

There are two keys to always remember about the messaging.

1. Consistent and relevant messaging are the vital to realizing return on investment. Erratic posting schedules, off-topic banter, inconsistent messaging, and other ills will almost surely guarantee that the programming with not be successful. Furthermore, adhering to consistent and relevant messaging will not guarantee returns.
2. Social media will not fix a weak marketing message. Social media is not a “purple pill.” Giving a campaign the aspects of social media will not guarantee returns.

Enlisting the help of a 3rd Party site is worth the time and effort to upload and update content when:

• There can be a positive return on investment, including, but not limited to contacts, revenue, page views, or brand image.
• The overall image of the brand is improved.

To the peanut gallery: Thoughts?

We are currently in the 4rd generation of internet content, not in the second, like everyone likes to say.

1st Generation Web was content creation that was very top-heavy.  The biggest stories, few writers, all professional.  You had to go out and find it and it wasn’t easy.

2nd Generation Web was portals such as AOL, Yahoo and the pre-2000 ESPN http://web.archive.org/web/20020827230635/espn.go.com/main.html.  You still had to go to specific places for specific information.

3rd Generation is niche and (useful) search.  The Google, Blogger, and Wordpress explosion.  The first instance of it being really easy to find something that you’re looking for.

4th Generation will be (is?) niche and aggregation.  Where as people were patient enough to wait for content, with so many channels out there to tune into, why not just wait for the content to come to them.  Whether pushed to their RSS feed, a non-customized page, or their phone, people will get content delivered to them as quickly as its produced for instant (or time shifted) consumption.

How does this change your strategy?