Social media marketing: Should we or shouldn't we?

Is social media marketing another fad or is it the real thing? It is certainly something for real --absolutely no doubt about it-- but the fact that not everybody uses it correctly, does pose question marks.

For those who are wondering if they should play in the social media marketing game, this interview with Sandy Carter, author of The New Language of Marketing 2.0 [is marketing still in version 2.0, by the way?] is worth reading.

Sandy lists the many benefits of participating in social media marketing, three of which stand out:
a) Speed/ Nimbleness - companies will increasingly be forced to be nimble and be proactive;
b) Access to insight previously unavailable, because of all the types of 'conversations' that take place in these social networks
c) Cost

In the course of the interview, Sandy also highlights the three main challenges for corporate blogs. Lack of honesty, not really listening to the audience feedback and consistency are the biggest problems, she cites.

Based on our experience with companies wanting to "start a blog as it will boost SEO", we believe the three reasons cited above are really a consequence of a bigger gap: not defining / understanding clearly the objective of blogs and the rules of that medium. Once again, we think it is because the medium and method take precedence over the market. As Sandy says, "The best way to communicate isn't about using new media types to be hip and cool; it is about understanding your customers and how you can immerse yourself into their conversation."

Another thing about social media marketing that Sandy mentions as well in her interview: "I do not advocate for just using social media techniques however, but rather combining them into your marketing mix (which) allows you to optimize the places where you can maximize their impact.".

Everything ultimately does boil down to optimizing the marekting mix!