Participation of social networks continues to drastically grow, though more slowly than the previous years, as more people continue to communicate and connect with other individuals online. Currently, it is said that over half of American ages 15-34 are actively using online social networks. They are spending on average more than seven hours per week on websites like Facebook and MySpace and driving growth of overall time spent online. Americans that are 35 and over, this statistic drops, but still represents ten of millions of people.
The fact of the matter of this is that social networks are not fading and are going to be around for a while. Social marketers need to be aware of this increasing value and consistency for Americans within social networks. They need to understand that in these networks consumers are becoming experts on understanding what is spam, purely commercial compared to truly genuine.
Commitment is what it comes down to for social marketers. When someone is truly committed to something they are sincere and genuine. This is what consumers will latch on to; I like to call it the “hook line and sinker”. Maintaining a time consuming and robust existence on these social networks is task, but by putting forth the effort your audience will connect with you better. Therefore, don’t skimp on the time commitment, it is important in connecting with and reaching these growing demographics of social networks.
By: Matt Hite
Marketing Manager
Yovia.com
As an intern here at Yovia it’s interesting what you can learn about the internet and advertising. The reason I say all this is because in school we cover how the internet plays apart in advertising. Although, I think the material we actually cover hardly scratches the surface dealing with internet advertising. In my classes we briefly discuss how the internet works, what banner ads are, and the internet’s advantages versus other media.
I think the thing that really hits me the most is how in internet advertising you can see exactly what your viewers are doing. For many other types of media such as billboards, the radio, television, direct mail, and others all have room for error to creep with their numbers. These media can be tracked to a certain extent, but only with the internet can you really see what’s working and how to tweak and fine tune your campaign.
For example, Google Analytics can tell you where your people are coming from, how long are they staying on your site, and more. Basically from here you can figure out what your true value proposition is to your viewers.
For some this might seem like a basic topic, but for others the reason I say all this is because I believe experience is key in internet advertising. As you get your hands more and more soaked within internet advertising not only do you learn from your mistakes, but you learn what people are catching on to. The founder of Younglife Jim Rayburn said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, earning the right to be heard”. I believe that is the definition of good marketing, and social marketing is just that, earning the right to be heard.
As technology is ever increasing and resources like Google Analytics are playing apart in the internet, it will be interesting to see how advertisers capitalize on all this especially within social marketing.
By: Matt Hite
Marketing Manager
Yovia.com
This week as I was surfing the net and working I learned about the website Ning.com. I crawled through the site for a while, trying to understand how it completely works and the advantages it has if any. As I was in class I pondered more on the whole concept of Ning. It blew me away as I thought about how useful a tool it is.
Currently as the internet is now and becoming more of a social place having user engagement is crucial to a site. Ning hits on this factor because as people surf a site where Ning is applied it makes a website more personal, adding to the equation of allowing the site to increase in their page views.
Imagine a store that used Ning were people who were interested and somewhat brand loyal in the product could comment on things and engage with other users who shared common interests. I know I often use a site that already has some value to me, but if Ning was applied the value might increase because I might be able to gain more information and see how other real people are interacting.
It will be interesting to see as the internet changes how the role of Ning and other social sites will play apart in the adaptation to the constantly changing realm of advertising and marketing. Is Ning just another social site or the future of social marketing?
Matt Hite
Intern
Yovia.com
There are thousands and thousands of social media sites, but the question for many is how to choose the best ones? Social media sites that are ranked the highest are where marketers should focus on social marketing. These crucial sites are the ones that will drive the most traffic to your site quickly and effectively. Your voice in these places will have the most impact as long as it its relevant. Don’t just promote your marketing message, actively participant in the community. With more people, more networks, and more options to choose from, the highest ranked social media sites will work the hardest for you. Websites like compete.com and alexa.com can provide you with this information to understand the possible volume of your voice. These sites are useful because they go into depth with analytics, but more importantly provide basic traffic ranking and numbers. This might seem like a basic topic, but it is crucial in the realm of social marketing and letting your voice be heard.
By: Matt Hite
Intern
Yovia.com
Should you control social marketing? This is a question for many today because of different issues at hand. The biggest issue within this is the spam and irrelevant information that are being posted. Users are getting tired of clicking on pages that bring them to something of complete irrelevance. For example, although Facebook might have slightly less traffic than Myspace, they have created more value in their network by reducing the irrelevant links. Facebook’s network can be seen to many more closely nit and organized. Although Myspace is trying to head in this direction and cut back on this factor, their system and customer base is now use to this spam that is sometimes present. Ebay is heading in this direction on controlling social marketing and someways people are saying this can be seen as bad, but in reality I believe it is helping to increase the relevant information within their site. More importantly, this is helping ebay’s well known image of a unique marketplace for everyone to buy and sell. Like with many social networks such as Ebay people want to interact, but if it is full of junk and irrelevant information this could cause its social network to be a river hazards and people might not put their boat in the water.
It will be intresting to see how Ebay does in the next few years with social marketing. Will increasing their control hurt them or will it help to stimulate a better social network. Linking is crucial in a social network, but will cutting back on the links hurt them. It will be interesting to see how controlling social marketing will play into effect.
By: Matt Hite
Intern
Yovia.com
This week I read a few articles about how people see social marketing. One article said, “Social marketing, as with any marketing , is always going to be trial and error. However, with social marketing you can be a little more proactive in your approach by being a part of the social scene that you are trying to engage.” Another article I read stated, “marketers just don’t get the new technologies and the fundamental changes in the ways people interact with brands.” This led me to think about how as social marketers relevance is huge. You can’t talk to a young kid about something that would go right over his head. The message on what your focusing on is king in this aspect. For social marketers to get things right they must realize this and concentrate on their target audience. To engage these people you must put them and the message at the forefront. Your content needs to connect with the right audience, community, network, or etcetera where they are at other wise you could be talking to no one. You could be just wasting your time and money.
By: Matt Hite
Intern
Yovia.com
http://thenextweb.org/2008/05/15/social-media-marketing-might-have-a-limited-future/
http://socialmarketingjournal.com/2008/05/15/should-you-spend-more-on-social-marketing/
