Why Social media is much more than an add on.

First it was dismissed. Then the hype built. Then it was discussed in earnest. Finally it took its place on the media schedule. Now many rave about it. And despite the misguided hype of many, social media is growing. Facebook grows by more than 5 million new users per week. Twitter touts an increase of unique visitors by 1,382 percent year-over-year, making it the fastest growing site in the Member Communities category. Meanwhile, Facebook just out paced Google.  The trend Forrester suggests that digital ad spend in the US will increase from 12% to 21% in 2014 and social media spend will go from $716 Million to $3.1 Billion in the US by 2014. We all know that South Africa lags the US but in terms of digital ad spend, this is a view on the trend we could expect to see in the next 2 to 3 years. Value in its own right Does that mean that social media will continue to be an “add on” to traditional media? Or is it possible that at some point marketers will start to see the value of social media in its own right? The typical “carpet bomb” approach to marketing done the traditional way is as follows. A company who sells ‘kid snacks’ brands is trying to reach moms. They would find out who has the biggest number of moms, apply traditional demographics and broadcast marketing, oh and add on a Facebook Page and maybe a Twitter feed. And sales roll in. Right? Wrong? Social talks loudly What the brand has missed out on by applying the traditional marketing approach is addressing the specific behaviors of consumers – and their intricate relationships online. It’s called the “social graph”. It’s the social in social media that talks (very loudly) to the fundamental human behaviors of communication, sharing and collaborating. And social networks represent a different and changed way of communicating, organising, recommending and deciding. Tap the behaviour Tapping into that behaviour means that you need to know more than demographics and broadcast profiles – you need to know the specific behaviors of your customer base. Where are they online? What are their social behaviors online? What social information or people do they rely on? What is their social influence? Who trusts them? How do they use social technologies in the context of your products? Technology makes social media social There are a myriad of different social platforms and all have their merits. Each one evolving daily. Take for example the fact that “Facebook” will now spread beyond its closed garden with its Open Graph Protocol, (Facebook will be shutting down its Facebook Connect product. In its place, Facebook has launched a new protocol and API called Open Graph, which is based on OAuth 2.0.) The fundamental purpose of Open Graph is to make integrating external content with Facebook as simple as possible and as a result what you have is a more social web. But knowing how to leverage these tools is critical and makes all the difference as social becomes more important in any marketing strategy. Pay off for going alternative Is there a return for such an “alternative” marketing approach? One - a dialogue with consumers. Sounds good doesn’t it? Two - participation with your brand (by customers ) at a fundamental level. Sounds even better, right? But even more importantly is the sense that when you first understand your customers, your marketing efforts will naturally unfold. When you understand specific behaviors of consumers - and their intricate relationships online - you no longer look at social media as an “add on” channel to your traditional “carpet bomb” campaign. You use social media to understand your customer better, to tap into understanding their behaviour better, you make your marketing budget work long after the spend and ultimately sell to your customers more effectively.