I have been in advertising and marketing for 25 years. I have watched some major changes turn our industry on its ear. The Internet, targeted cable advertising, and social media have all brought about significant movement in the way we advertise. The problem is, change brings about the snake oil salesman.
Snake oil salesmen in the guise of television salespeople selling clients 200 spots for cheap prices, 195 of which run when no one is watching. Or the “social media expert” who read three books on Facebook and creates a fan page and twitter page for you but has no clue who your clients are. SEO “experts” who drive unqualified traffic to your site, if any at all, and none of that traffic buys a damn thing. Or my personal favorite, the award winning agency who creates stunning graphics and an amazing website but has no clue if the message will work and nothing sells.
The fact is, it doesn’t matter what the tools are. It doesn’t matter whether you call it public relations, social media marketing, branding, advertising or marketing. It doesn’t matter what looks cool or wins awards. The only thing that matters is SALES.
High priced motion graphic television spots, really cool websites, and a wild tweaked out Facebook fan page isn’t worth the paper they were designed on if they don’t sell your product. What it comes down to is what it has always come down to, find your customer base, provide them with great customer service and speak to them, with your marketing, in a way that they will be moved to buy. David Ogilvy said it best “Creativity without direction is art, creativity with direction is advertising.”
I have had clients tell me they need to be on Twitter. When I say why, the answer is always “Cause everyone else is.” Advertising is about standing out not fitting in. While I wouldn’t advocate avoiding Twitter, you should know why you are there and who you are going to talk to. The new metrics in social media is numbers…I have 3000 followers or fans. AWESOME, but are they buying? What is better 3000 fans who just watch or 300 fans that purchase?
Many will say, “But the 3000 may purchase with enough posts and information.” Not necessarily. If you are selling maternity wear and 2900 of your fans are adolescent males, they are probably not going to ever be your customers.
Advertising and public relations are full of generalities. Sex sells. There is no such thing as bad PR. It doesn’t matter what you say about me as long as you spell my name right. These are complete and total CRAP. Sex doesn’t sell, emotion sells. Making someone feel something sells. Do you think sex would sell Depends? There is no such thing as bad PR, really? If your day care center has teachers molesting the kids and it breaks on the 6pm news, I guarantee you … you will close. And, as for spelling my name right…I never want it spelled right in a story that is about a plane crash’s debris pattern.
Social Media has become one of those generalities. Social media experts are a dime a dozen. I have been called one. I am not. I am an expert in advertising, public relations and branding. Social media is just a tool to be used for an overall marketing program. You need to have a social media strategy. But it needs to be just that, a strategy. And by strategy I don’t mean just get on and post.
The best thing you can do is make sure that whoever is handling your social media is doing it in a way that makes sense for your overall marketing strategy. And, more importantly, whoever is handling your overall marketing strategy is doing it with goals and with an understanding of the basic fundamentals of marketing. The companies that have a clear marketing strategy with an understanding of their customers and provide great customer service will be in business for a long long time. And that is what really matters.
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