Thoughts on: The Buzzword Social Media Is DOA In 2010

The Future Buzz blog is a true inspiration to read, Adam write a lot of sense. What's more it's refreshing to read a blog of someone who share the same view on the internet.

A previous post Social Media - Its so old school resonated in the post The Buzzword Social Media Is DOA In 2010.

How refreshing to hear other people have the same outlook on social media. That's social media is a passing buzzword and phase:

'It’s a buzzword not just because it’s overused, but because it has become too generic to describe anything in a meaningful way. When all websites and all media are social, social media as a term ceases to be relevant. It’s too bland and undescriptive, and has come to describe the internet as a whole.'

Couldn't agree more with that. I have used the word 'social media' in this blog, but only as people are familiar with that it means and therefore enables the translation of understanding of the topic. But after all is is all part of the online marketing mix.

In 2010 I think we will see a another .com bubble bursting and reality setting in around this year's hype of social media. Not all of the business models are sustainable - how can Twitter continue on investment funding and not make money?

Welcome to the new world of socialnomics and the new opportunities for 2010

Social Media Marketing - it's so old school, but everyone's jumping on the band wagon

I have lived and breathed the internet for over 12 years. It's been the early adopters on the internet that have participated in customer lead content, using forums and blogs to influence the outcomes and opinions online.

New social media sites have taken it to tipping point
The new social media sites have taken customer lead content to the mass market, so that it has reached critical mass. Using Twitter or Facebook anyone can make their opinion count, as it's so easy to use and accessible.

A great example is the power of the people buying the Rage Against the Machine, making it the Christmas #1 over the X Factor winner.

The other example in 2009 is the BarackObama Whitehouse campaign - as they had key political bloggers as part of the reporters on the campaign. Some of these bloggers had a bigger audience than some of the newspapers, that's how influential they are.

Wake up and smell the coffee
Anyone who or company says that social media is a passing phase, think again. It's here to stay, and it will only grow in influence, as internet access grows and as more people join the sites.

The same techniques and objectives that have been in place for managing online forums, blogs and reviews still applies then as it does now. There's nothing new there, just the volume and opportunity that have increased.

Every company, how big or little needs to be embracing the change. Every person needs to be using the technology to grow their personal online brand reputation.

It there was one recommendation I would give anyone for 2010, get online and start growing your company and personal brand.

Identify where your customers are online and start engaging with them. Work out what your optimal online marketing mix is, then remain committed.

Book Review: Inbound Marketing Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs

I decided I should start reading some of the books that have been recently published to see what advice is being given about social media.

Inbound Marketing - Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, £8.43 from Amazon

This book is very much aimed at the beginners in the social media world and working through the functionality of each site. People who should read this book at the decision makers or leaders in the business who are responsible for marketing and business strategy.

The premise of the book is around creating your website as a hub for information using blogs, whitepapers, videos and interviews. So it becomes a destination for up to date and relevant information users, who, potentially could be your customers.

It talks through practical examples of how other companies have used the social media sites, also how to employ a PR agency to support the work, even down to the resource that you need to support the growth / change in marketing.

I usually find these books a hard read, having to wade through the egos of the authors. This book was refreshing and a great change to most books.

I have certainly suggested that this is a must read for all my new clients - as it succinctly brings the user up to speed, so they are informed enough to talk through strategies and application of social media in their businesses.

Fractured Websites - promoting content where your customers are

The Idea

Earlier this year I presented at the Art of Digital along side representatives from Tate Galleries and Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. At the time they both commented that there was a trend to develop content where your audience resided on the web.

Fractured Websites

Since then I have seen this trend increase in pace and grow. But what on earth am I talking about?

Previously in online marketing, it has all been about creating your website as the hub of information about your brand and presenting relevant content for users online. Therefore it's been about driving traffic to your website and achieving your goals online that way. Whether those goals were increase brand awareness, increase in online sales or enquiries.

With the growth of social media, more people are spending time online reading reviews, blogs, participating in conversations about topics and brands. This has required a totally different approach to online marketing - the fractured website.

Imagine taking a hammer to a mirror and smashing it, the analogy being that you take your website and break it down into smaller pieces and position these pieces of content where your audience are online.

It's then being strategic about what content you put where on the web, to drive interest and engagement with the brand.

Examples of Fractured Websites

There are other examples of fractured websites that I could include, but some of the top ones would be:

Tate Galleries collaborated with Google Street Maps earlier this year, so if there's a painting in the Tate galleries of something on Google Maps, information is shown. With the aim of increasing the reach of art and culture to the online audience.

Dell produced Small Business Guides to Social Media Facebook page which had over 34,000 fans at the last check. Their aim was to associate the brand with providing an online resource for one of their target audiences.

Neither of these highly successful collaborations would have worked if they had placed the content on their websites. They have only worked as they have understood how to embrace the change, and take the content to the audience.

Moving to a Fractured Website Model

With the growth and adoption of social media, this trend is here to stay, so businesses need to react, evolve and adopt new strategies to maximise this opportunity.

Companies need to realise that driving traffic into your website, is an old school way of using the new technologies.

So to embrace the new marketing model of fractured websites, you need to start thinking in a different way:

• Understanding where your target audiences are residing on the web and which social media sites
• What technologies / software /resource - do you need - a blog, twitter account, Facebook business page, forums, reviews etc?
• What fragments of content do you need to place where
• How should you link up all the fragmented pieces
• How should you start thinking about engaging with customers?

Let me know if you have started thinking about how you could embrace this change in marketing or if you have already taken the plunge!

Look forward to hearing from you