It’s time to bury the myth that social media marketing can actually help brands achieve their marketing goals. The “so called experts” should be called out and so should marketers who followed their foolish, self-promotional nonsense.
There is a difference between social media and social media marketing. Sure, everyone and their mother are using social media, but they aren’t using it to talk with brands, As the Type A Group says “social media marketing — the idea that consumers want to “join the conversation” about brands and spread their enthusiasm for furniture polish and frozen chicken wings all over the web so “you don’t have to pay for advertising any more” — is about as dead as dead gets”.
Facebook, the shining star of social media marketing, has evolved into nothing more than a website drowning in traditional paid advertising. You can’t find a “brand conversation” there with the Hubble telescope.
Again I quote from Bob Hoffman:
The problem is that the evidence that social media marketing has been a mass delusion is piling up and reaching a point at which it is becoming hard to hide from. To wit:
– A recent report published in the Harvard Business Review says: “Across 16 studies, we found no evidence that following a brand on social media changes people’s purchasing behavior….nor does it spur purchasing by friends.” (This study, by the way, had some serious flaws of its own which I discuss here.)
– In a study by Duke University, the American Marketing Association and Deloitte, over 88% of senior marketers surveyed said they could find no measurable impact from social media marketing.
– A study by Forrester Research reported that only .07% — that’s 7 in ten thousand — of a major brand’s Facebook followers ever engage with one of its posts.
– Coca-Cola’s Global marketing chief Marcos de Quinto said, “Social media is the strategy for those who don’t have a…digital strategy.”
The silly idea that people want to go online and have conversations about their toothpaste or their tires only makes sense if you understand the fantasy land in which marketing people live — an alternate universe of meatballs who are “passionate about brands.”
Now where I disagree with Mr Hoffman is that there are some products/brands that people like to follow. For example, I am a huge fan of Trek Bikes as I ride 100 miles a week and I always want to know what’s new in the world of cycling so I follow them on facebook. The same can be said for my car brand, Subaru. Brand’s also have to be diligent to listen to what customers and prospects are telling them on social media as the platform is a good platform to vent against brands that consumers believe don’t listen.
Really a topic of debate that social media is good choice to invest or not, Yes we all know that the thing called social media markting is a paid activity but with the help of this “If done in a proper manner ” can achieve a great response from the business niche.
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Good day to Mr – A Marketing Contraria,
I read with joy and with great enthusiasm your above blog “RIP Social Media Marketing”. In the interim I am a Director of a Company called ” iSearchPlant (Pty) Ltd” just to give you some background information. In relation to the facts that you have so eloquently placed in your blog I want to highlight something interesting. I am precisely sitting from you on the other side of the Globe in Southern Hemisphere. (South Africa to be exact and I have read your blog I guess soon after you posted it. Do not get me wrong this is not an attack of a personal nature I just want to highlight something. Because of social media I was able to get your blog on Tumblr Yes? No? As a matter of fact, and in line with social marketing the concept is totally approached incorrectly by the above mentioned companies directly or indirectly either way. They are listed on the Stock Exchange and the matter of the fact is they are here to stay. Whether you like it or not. Social Media Marketing is a developing platform that will see many startup companies like my own company being a Hugh success. We see Problems and identify solutions and assist therefore through targeted augmentation solutions towards our clients that get their Plant, Equipment or gear as a matter of fact more work. On top of that our company have a hands on approach. Sure we do use Mail Chimp and sure you get the odd client that unsubscribes from the Mailing list. However that their choice. This gives us , me the opportunity to identify that client and go see that client and have an in depth discussion and find a solution towards his / her particular problem. So NO! Online Marketing has become a door opener in a sense. And my suggestion towards you will be to get with the times and doing so understand the new psychological understanding of how online marketing can rather assist you. Its not dead – it might just be misused by some. For instance someone that keeps on calling a customer every 10 minutes. Form experience in the 90s I watched a training video on this. Social media yes is in your face. But the nice thing is – Wait for it – You have the option to follow the link. So think about it. Its not dead. Its just mismanaged by some and those that mismanaged it must rather go for training don’t you think?
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So strange. I was simply looking for data about this stuff and got your blog. You should accomplish something right. A debt of gratitude is in order for such post and keep it up.
Some Social Media sites are still alive and good for Digital Marketing. But it was a Good Article shared by you.
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Some Social Media sites are still alive and good for Digital Marketing. But it was a Good Article shared by you.