Next Generation Internet Marketing

How Social Networking is Changing the Advertising Landscape

May 20, 2009

There seems to be a belief that keyword focus, meta tags and search engine optimization are the most fundamental starting points in an online marketing campaign. True?

The truth is that these three instruments define a website through mysterious algorithms known only to high level search engine employees. In the end, the algorithms target potential users who, if interested, have an opportunity to click on a banner or text advertisement which takes users to a website that presumably fits within their internet searching demands. It is an effective tool with adequate reporting that enables a thorough statistical analysis of marketing results. Marketing teams then pore over those reports and click through rates making subtle adjustments while their respective organizations continue to leave money on the proverbial table. The reason is that this is where the typical small business stops.

Demographic Shift in Social Networking

Things change rapidly on the Internet. According to John Sutter at CNN, the largest new group of Facebook users in 2009 are females over 55 years old. Twitter has emerged with publicity from athletes, celebrities and many notable politicians. Other websites such as MSN, Linkedin and Bebo also continue to advance their social networking angles in attempt to capture as many users in their network as possible.

The reason for this fundamental shift comes as wireless telecommunication technologies merge with the Internet to maximize information accessibility. On a large scale, people now have the ability to interact with each other in a way that is different than filling out website forms and sending emails. Consequently, has shifted in an effort to capitalize on the sheer volume of users that frequent these social networking websites.

Advertising Challenges and Social Networking

There have been some documented challenges in trying to advertise to social networks according to Glen Allsopp at Plugin HQ. Wal-Mart, for example, had an ill-fated attempt to advertise on Facebook as their pages soon became a collection of comments aimed at labor policies. Titleist similarly used resources with a marketing campaign that didn't adequately provide a call to action for users during a campaign in which a fictional golfer was to introduce their latest golf product.

Like any marketing attempt, simplicity and focus cannot be understated. Advertising on social networking websites requires a firm understanding of the target demographic, a focused campaign that adequately communicates value to the target audience, and a call to action that tells the users how to take the next step, regardless of what that step may be.

Is Creating a Social Networking Presence Really Important?

There are many factors that go into a successful campaign and knowing what to avoid is as important as what to do in terms of opportunity cost and dollars spent. Each industry is different, but one common bond holds true throughout: research and continual evaluation of results are vital to creating a successful campaign.

Let the numbers do the talking and disregard any previously conceived notions of what social networking is. It isn’t just teenagers talking about music anymore; social networking is here to stay and is only beginning to unveil the advertising potential that was once restricted to conventional marketing, SEO and organic keyword usage.

Creating a presence should not only be seen as vital to nearly any business, but it should be considered a starting point for each and every marketing campaign. It should contain a message that reinforces brand value with a focused approach that targets the specific demographic and has a call to action which can allow for quantifiable results.

This is only the beginning of the social networking advertising industry, and some early birds can still catch a worm before saturation becomes a factor. Just be sure to remember who you are talking to.

Allsopp, Glen. "2 Social Media Marketing Failures." Internet Business ~ PluginHQ. 3 Aug. 2007. PluginHQ. 21 May 2009 <http://www.pluginhq.com/2-social-media-marketing-failures/>.

Sutter, John D. "All in the Facebook family: older generations join social networks - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 13 Apr. 2009. CNN.com. 21 May 2009 <http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/13/social.network.older/index.html?iref=t2test_techmon>.

The copyright of the article Next Generation Internet Marketing in Corporate Marketing/Branding is owned by Jeremy Small. Permission to republish Next Generation Internet Marketing in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.