Now, here is the $64,000 for all those people using social media out there (which is everybody nowadays). Is it a functioning marketing tool in and of itself, or is it merely a supporting character in the greater marketing machine? The question is more nuanced than many would initially believe, not to mention the differences that exist based on age of target demographic.
Many of the big brands are able to supplement their marketing muscle with Twitter posts and Facebook activity, but it by no means is the number one strategic objective for them. Oftentimes people will follow them because they already like the brand or product. However, for smaller brands, how can you create traction on the various social media tracks?
Fortunately or not, people love a great story and especially in cyberspace, the lifecycle of news stories is increasingly fleeting. So, the easiest way to get some quick traction and many friends and followers is by… saying something stupid. This is the great paradox of social media management. The easiest way to gain scores of followers would also be the dumbest and most detrimental thing for your company’s marketing and branding.
The other way is far less sexy and takes a lot more time. You just have to keep plugging away, curating and creating content and conversing when you get the chance. Otherwise, hope a big Twitter or Facebook presence plugs something great that you did in the real world and then it will translate to the land of social media. So, to get back to the first question: I believe that social media is a supplementary tool for marketing, but most definitely a necessary one to use.
What do you think?