The Challenges of Social Media in 2010
2009 was the year of the consolidation of the social media with everybody, from celebrities to politicians, from small business to big corporations, having a presence on social networks. Twitter became the favourite of celebrities that have been using it as a PR tool. This micro blogging service has also called the attention of advertisers and marketers. For them, Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the social networks are promotional platforms that could be used to build brand awareness and increase conversion rates.
From a business perspective, it would be helpful to know how effective this online ubiquity is to generate leads and increase sales conversion. Having presence on the social networks could increase your website traffic but are you targeting the right audience? If your company is providing a B2B service, do you need to have a presence on social networks used mainly by the youth that want to exchange ideas and trends?
The key issue for social marketers during 2010 will be to learn how to use social media as a part of the marketing plan. Any kind of presence online should be part of the company’s integrated marketing communications. Internet marketers should be able to integrate social networks into business functions and to measure the benefits and return on investment generated by them.
Another challenge for 2010 will be to develop brand awareness strategies that don’t seem intrusive. We should acknowledge that people don’t use Twitter or Facebook to look for adverts or to buy products. So how do marketers and advertisers get their messages across without annoying or alienating prospect customers? How do we engage people in a sustainable way? A marketing message should be a captivating and intriguing whisper. We could also use social media to learn more about our target audience. Marketing is not just about talking; we should take some time and listen to what our audience think and take their opinion into account.
The potential of social media is as big as the challenges. Creativity, planning, measurement, analysis and specialization are the main ingredients for a successful campaign. Put your shoulders to the wheel and success will be at your fingertips.
