Where consumers gather, marketers are sure to follow, and social media is no exception. Over a mere few years, what started as a means for regular people to connect with friends, family and coworkers has become an advertiser’s dream. And that shift is leaving an imprint.
Connect authentically or fade away
Old-school marketing tactics worked initially–sort of. Consumers used to push marketing and “here’s why we’re great” ad campaigns accepted these as the same ol’ song and dance they’d gotten used to in print ads, on television and, eventually, via email. Social media simply provided a new means of offering the same coupons and deals brands had always offered.
But over time, brands have come to realize that traditional methods no longer reap the same rewards in this new marketplace. Instead of engendering loyalty, competing offers make it easy for overwhelmed consumers to jump from brand to brand when the best deal appears in their feeds–or when other consumers offer an opinion worth considering. The reality now is that social media is a consumer-run land. Brands and marketers are welcome, but only if they drop the sales pitch and behave like human beings. Consumers want brands to be accessible–and accommodating–when they have a problem. The rest of the time they want them to “be cool” and not try so hard to win over their audience.
The art of being more and less annoying
As brands and marketers ha...