The future of Facebook was discussed in Harvard Business Review this week (Piskorski, Mikolaj. March 3, 2014.) "Today, we follow Facebook and update friends on our doings. In the not too distant future, predicts Mikolaj Piskorski, Facebook will follow us and call half the planet customers...Facebook [will become] a prospective medium--a dynamic, real-time driver that will automatically gather current and future information that wearable devices will automatically broadcast about us, match it with what our friends are auto-broadcasting, and then deliver recommendations on what we should do socially." This article projects what marketing must become, a useful tool, rather than an intrusive uninvited source of promotions."
You might also be interested in very recent statistics on the most commonly used social media programs and applications, posted on DMR Expanded Ramblings: (Smith, Craig. Feb. 16. 2014).
Social media "shares", whether online or in person are trusted sources for product information. Indeed Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing communications are a powerful force, since everyone who talks about your product, "likes" your Facebook page, connects with the organization through Twitter, etc. is essentially recommending the product.
People may not always say positive things about their experience, so it is up to the organization to track and manage Word of Mouth where possible, and it is very possible with online media, through such methods as Google analytics, Sprout Social, managing the opens and responses in Constant Contact and MailChimp, etc. Recency and relevancy matter in social media and online communications, so the organization needs to be sure their "positioning" message is current, and that the WoM communications include that along with the positives and negatives from "friends", "followers", visitors and buyers.
One competitive edge that all companies have nowadays is the capability to inexpensively maintain ongoing communications with markets and customers - the key to rapid response and cost-effective innovation, which actually results in products and services that are sought after. As I've said before, I believe in
a dialogue model (through integrated and interactive messaging and
conversations), facilitating customers and partners to discover their own
reasons for using the company's products and services, and therefore owning the
results. I focus on working with partners and customers to transform their
concerns into shared goals.
This means
that the goal is to create a sort of Luke's Diner online --people want the guy
behind the diner counter to be Luke, not a faceless corporation that they don't
trust. Customers want personality, attention and fun.
Social media and marketing, which are integral to my business as well as my classrooms, must be a strategic, planned, integrated process, for any successful business. For example, consider that Facebook and MySpace connect to other media and communication tools as integrated social media, including private messaging and public newsfeeds. Blogs (web-logs or articles) can be linked to almost any type of social media, and ideally are a tab or separate page on a website, where outside links take the visitor directly to the article.
The first step in marketing planning, as well as effective online marketing, is determining the objective - is it sales, market share, raising awareness? How will those be measured? Then, the process involves much research on the market environmental factors and market segments. Who is most likely to make a decision in favor of the marketing objective and why?
Only at the end of this process, when the research has been done to identify and forecast quantitatively what will happen in the market environment, and who and how many the target audience is, can the promotional message be developed, and the best channels and methods determined for communicating with that audience.
The first step in marketing planning, as well as effective online marketing, is determining the objective - is it sales, market share, raising awareness? How will those be measured? Then, the process involves much research on the market environmental factors and market segments. Who is most likely to make a decision in favor of the marketing objective and why?
Only at the end of this process, when the research has been done to identify and forecast quantitatively what will happen in the market environment, and who and how many the target audience is, can the promotional message be developed, and the best channels and methods determined for communicating with that audience.
Which companies that you do business with do you think are achieving the goal of marketing as a relationship building tool, rather than an intrusive messaging method? These are the ones who understand the future of marketing.
Piskorski, Mikolaj. March 3, 2014. HBR. Facebook's Future.
Smith, Craig. Feb. 16, 2014. DMR. How Many People Use 378 of the Top Social Media
Youtube: Gilmore Girls TV Series (200-2007) Kirk's Town Tour - Luke's Diner
Youtube: Gilmore Girls TV Series (200-2007) Kirk's Town Tour - Luke's Diner
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