For years retailers have been told that social networking is the future. Company's have been bullied in to thinking that just because their is a huge future in social marketing that it was an absolute obligation for them to market there. It seems that everyone is so worried that they might miss out on the future of marketing that they jump all in like a 2 year old a ball pit; sure their might be better ways to spend your time but what if? Has this become a fear based culture where company's are so worried that they might miss out that they will allocate funds so miss-appropriately?
The truth is that it appears that marketing firms have fallen victim to the very product they peddle. Image. Is it not amazing that social media markets have taken their large patron base and used it position themselves as the future of marketing. It seems that the 'buzz' on Facebook is that it's the new marketing Google.
The issue really is that a ton of company's are not fitted for social networking, or at least not right to allocate such large funds (up to 30 percent of their budgets) to marketing through these channels. The article Consumers force retailers to adopt social strategy states that company's are so scared that competitors are jumping in so heavily that they feel obligated to do so as well. So my question is this, is it so easy to demand from marketers when they are the ones who are supposed to know what the market wants. Is it putting a gun to the marketers head, or simply Dennis the menace tricking his neighbor.
Well put. Just because there is a big market out there does not mean that you can conquor it by just throughing something against the wall. Too many companies think that if they are first or if they make a marketing statement customers will come running, hardly.
ReplyDeleteWay too many companies will believe a slick web site crafter and get a bunch of money for making a site that is eye catching and will pull in customers, but no money back guaranty for sure. A modern carpet bagger so to speak.
Most of these early efforts really are amateurish, even though a lot of money has been throuwn at them. Social networking does not always equate to tapable markets.