Comments on: Is Social Media the ‘New Age’ of Branding?

By: Mr.Social Media Branding

Mr.Social Media Branding — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:20:14 +0000

Great Read. I actually have some more information about this topic on my website check it out. http://twillooo.com

By: ses5909

ses5909 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:24:08 +0000

While social media can definitely help market a product if used correctly, I think something else it can help with is Personal Brand.
Take the username I typed in for example, ses5909. If you google it, you will come up with about 20k results, all tied to me. I didn’t set out to brand myself but it happened. With social media, in order to really see the benefits of it, you need to give of yourself first and eventually the rewards will come in.
More and more companies are looking to hire Social Media Experts to help promote their product. It is a tricky to get into and if you don’t know what you’re doing it could backfire on you (Sony experienced this a bit with their fake bloggers).
Another thing that may be worth mentioning is that Social media is not a science and it can take a while to see the results.
Sorry my thoughts are a bit disjointed, I enjoyed reading the post!

By: Valeria Maltoni

Valeria Maltoni — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:37:17 +0000

Hello Tanya,
Welcome to the conversation and thank you for the input and kind words. The photograph you picked for your blog is eye-catching!
Being able to navigate interactions has always been the hallmark of great communicators. Now we have the tools to make that very fast, quasi-instant.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 17:21:27 +0000

I loved this statement: Social media does not outright solve many problems your brand, or your business for that matter, may have.
I think some people forget that social web isn’t some miracle solution. All marketing efforts begin with the brand.
When it comes to your brand, you have to think of the bigger picture. Social web is a symptom of a bigger movement. We’re coming into a time where interaction and transparency are key. Exchanging and sharing are the only types of communication people are interested in. If your brand doesn’t “get it,” if it isn’t about these things, it’ll be impossible to use social web effectively.

By: Valeria Maltoni

Valeria Maltoni — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:55:15 +0000

Good to read your take, David. I think joining should be done with care and in the manner that works for the business. A model that works for someone else very well, may backfire for you.
Anyone found out the painful way?

By: David Reich

David Reich — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 18:41:19 +0000

You ask a good question here Valeria. I agree with Brandwise above. I also think social media is exciting and fascinating, full of unexplored possibilities for marketers and for business in general. But jumping into it should be done for the right reasons, and in the right way.

By: Valeria Maltoni

Valeria Maltoni — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:19:20 +0000

Brandwise:
I still remember my TQM training. That was quite a few years ago! That is an astute observation and something that comes up quite a bit in conversations with people who have been blogging for a long time. It’s a way to communicate and share information, not a program.
The biggest outcome of this new crop of tools I hope will be an increased awareness that listening is good. I put forth the concept of ROI = return on involvement. All of us who have been blogging see it… as for measuring it in traditional ways. I’d be curious to hear from other marketers.
Have you found a way to present a compelling measurement?

By: Valeria Maltoni

Valeria Maltoni — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:09:21 +0000

Mack:
That is what we talked about today at DMAW (Direct Marketing Association of Washington, DC) with a great group of smart marketers. It’s really hard to explain what it feels like to blog. It’s best understood when you do it.
I gave away one copy of The Age of Conversation to illustrate the point. It’s like winning a free something, except for to get the full benefit, you need to read it/get involved.
The other point you make is right on target — everyone is rushing to make a buck before building value. Someone very smart told me recently that marketers should not be out there selling, that’s what sales teams are for…

By: Brandwise

Brandwise — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:54:10 +0000

I’m a fan of social media. But I think you have a point here.
Social media is a bottom-up deal: It came about organically, as the tools became available, and works well when you’ve got something valuable to propagate.
That doesn’t mean social media can be forced into place by everyone. If you’re selling a commodity, for instance, social media may not be for you — unless you’ve found a particularly clever or entertaining way to engage people.
Social media is in danger of becoming a mantra. It reminds me of the heady days of Total Quality Management. Everyone wrote a TQM book. Perfectly workable management structures, evolved over many years, were upended to accommodate new TQM programs. People who hardly understood business positioned themselves as new-style management experts.
Whatever happened to TQM? Its better features worked their way into the mainstream. And that’s what will happen with social media.

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:41:53 +0000

“Well, call me ambitious, I’d like to ask an even bigger question …. how is social media appropriate for your brand? That’s what you want to know before you take action.”
I think social media is like social networking for marketers: if they are going to use these tools, they have to use them as we do, and for the same reasons. Taking a tool that’s being used to create and share content and build communities, and trying to use it as a selling tool, isn’t going to work.
But as is human nature, we want to put our best interests first. Sometimes that can backfire.