By Kaitlin Villanova
At the Integrated Marketing Conference, industry executives agreed it is important to get involved in the virtual community but let your consumer decide which is best rather than imposing what you think, they think, is best.
The next day, while perusing the NBC website, in hopes there was an episode of The Office episode I had inadvertently missed, I came across a tiny but appropriately placed link proclaiming "social networking coming soon." As a bright-eyed marketer and someone engaged in the community of social networks I wonder- where this will all fit in?
A recent Adage article on the consolidation of social networking explained the new aggregators like ProfileLinker or OtherEgo and how they allow for more simplified multi-social networking. I have to say, I think of my personal account on Facebook and Myspace very differently from my business profile on LinkedIn and my sporadic engagement with my favorite celebrity blogs.
Back to my original point, I wonder will these network-created social networks be stale and overly-monitored by network staff? Or will they allow for the consumer to make connections with those with common interests?
When discussing this topic with one of my colleagues, he introduced me to Cymfony, a marketing influence analytics company that interprets the view of the brand in traditional and social media like blogs and social networks. This interpretation provides consumer insight and allows the brand to develop stronger bonds with influencers.
It is up to marketers to decide which option works for their organization. You must determine if you trust your consumer enough to give them free reign to comment on your product or service in your domain. Or or does your consumer trust you enough to engage in social media regarding your product.
It all comes down to customer loyalty!
Technorati tags: social networks Cymfony social media
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