What If Nobody's Listening

[KristineS]

If you read any Marketing books or websites or blogs these days, most will tell you that Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. is the way to go if you want to get your business noticed. In part I agree, but I read an article today that made me stop and think.

In the article (http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=139550), the author, Simon Dumenco from Advertising Age, talks about the fact that we've become a nation of people who say things and that nobody really stops to listen or think about what's being said. We're all so busy looking for the next sound bite or the next sensational quote that will get us noticed that we don't listen to what anyone else is saying, or, on occasion, even take the time to read or view beyond the bit that we think will make us a Twitter or Facebook star.

If he's right, this has some serious implications for Marketing on the Internet. Instead of being about substance, it becomes about getting your name out there as much as possible, and if no one is paying attention beyond noting you've been mentioned, it really doesn't matter in what context your name is used.

I think I agree with a lot of what he's saying. I'd be interested to see what the rest of you think.

[phanio]

I agree too. In a world of so much noise - who really can listen to one single person or marketing message. TV advertising has been doing this for years - just blasting message after message but in all honesty, does anyone really listen. Think about the supper bowl ads - the most shocking ones have the most impact - it takes something very shocking to get into someones mind. I even see ads that target the Gen Y - making shocking statements - what else can they do?

I don't use Facebook or Myspace or Twitter - just too much noise. I want to get out a message that has value and I cannot do that against all the wasted noise.

Great post - thanks.

[Harold Mansfield]

I have been feeling this for a few weeks now, No one is reading anymore "Skimming is the new reading".
Everyone wants to be informed, entertained, and educated in seconds and with so many blurbs and sound bites coming at you on a daily basis (even hourly) it seems that all everyone is doing is shouting at each other "Look at me, Look at what I just said !", and it's getting pretty old. because thousands of people are saying the same thing.

In about 2 short months I have gone from Twitter being a great communication and marketing platform to now constantly asking myself "What does it do ?". It has created it's own economy, but mostly from pop up businesses that show you how to get more Twitter followers.

I don't think any one is really listening anymore, most of us are just broadcasting to other people who are also just broadcasting. I have been just as guilty and had to step back and look at what is actually being accomplished other than throwing links out there and hoping one lands in the right place at the right time.

I'd love to see some numbers of who is actually on Twitter, I am starting to believe that there are more people marketing a business of some sort, than there are real people who may be potential leads or clients and if that's true, then we are all just talking to each other.

But on the other hand, we all do something for a living, and at some point we need the services of others. If in fact Twitter is full of other business people (which it is), are any of them really paying attention to anything other than the sound of their own voice, or looking to scrape ideas to apply to their own business ?

I think Social media is a necessary evil and great for brand reinforcement, but I don't think anyone logs into FB, Twitter, My space, Orkut, or any others with their Credit Card in their hand waiting to spend some money.

Are they a waste of time ? Of course not. It's pretty much at the point where if you aren't involved in some kind of Social Media, your business looks a little less credible and behind the times, and the more you invest in a nice presence on at least one platform, the better you look overall.

I look at them like coffee...a loss leader. Every restaurant and bar offers cheap (price) coffee with free refills, but outside of specialty coffee shops, no one actually makes any money on the coffee itself , they make it on what goes with coffee, mainly deserts..but you wouldn't dare not have it, and you try and have the best tasting cup that you can offer because people expect it.

[vangogh]

it becomes about getting your name out there as much as possible, and if no one is paying attention beyond noting you've been mentioned, it really doesn't matter in what context your name is used.

I don't think the problem is with any of the social sites or the way people are absorbing content. What's happening is the same thing that happened with every other form of media. Early on a few people make use of a new medium. Because they're the only ones doing so they have great success and sooner or later they let someone know or something sees it on their own.

The next thing you know the new medium is being hailed as the greatest thing since (fire, the wheel, sliced bread, take your pick) A large number of people jump in thinking it's all they need to do to be successful. Early on that is true, but very soon it's no longer true.

Eventually it takes more than simply being there to be successful. The majority never see or accept this. They just complain that it can't work. They eventually jump on the next bandwagon. Some do get it and figure out how to make the medium work for them or at least understand why it might not be appropriate for their business.

I think the author of the article is off base to blame Twitter and Facebook etc for anything. They're just tools to communicate with other people. Neither was meant to be a marketing platform. Facebook was meant as a way to connect with old and new friends and Twitter was meant as a way to connect in real time. Yet now we have people everywhere talking about how they're both bad because they can't market effectively through them.

Marketing is difficult in the details, but it boils down to a few things. Getting the right message across to the right people at the right time. Social sites like Twitter and Facebook have a lot of people and some of those people are the right ones. Since they spend considerable amount of time at those sites you can catch them at the right times.

You still need the right message. And if those people are only interested in sound bites at the moment then you need to get your message out in sound bites. You can still pack substance into 140 characters. Most of the people who say you can't also can't pack substance into 140,000 characters.

The problem isn't the medium. The problem is too many people try to get something for nothing.

[Harold Mansfield]

VG, what you said is so true. None of these were marketing platforms, their purpose was to grow users and build a base to advertise to..just like any network T.V. show.

I doubt seriously that the creators of FB and TW were concerned (in the beginning ) with anyone's business other than their own.

I can compare this almost exactly to the Limo business in Las Vegas. The strip is saturated with Limos and every driver is looking for his own little hustle to make some money, especially when it's slow.
The minute word on the street hits that there is a little corner of the Las Vegas strip ( A special event, Convention, or what ever) was unmanned for a while and some lucky drivers who were lucky enough to know about it, or be there at the time made out like bandits... the very next weekend (or day) every driver who is free rushes over there and the whole place is saturated with Limos, Town Cars, Limo Buses, Stretched Hummers, Navigators, Escalades, Shuttles, Cabs and Rickshaws (we used to have pedicabs here :)) and no one makes any money.

The internet is the same way.

[Spider]

The trouble is, we connect with likeminded people. Our friends are similar to ourselves and we are similar to our friends. Thus, if you are a marketing person, there is a good chance you have more marketing friends than would a doctor. And a doctor has more medical friends than the marketing person. Thus, we find ourselves talking doctor-stuff to our friends (if you are a doctor) or marketing (if you are a marketer.) I have wide variety of friends in different businesses but my common link is that they are likely to be Toastmasters or into personal development.

So, I think the commonality - the advertising to other advertisers - is in our own narrow-minded approach to social media. In fact, we don't see it as social MEDIA, we see it as social MARKETING.

I am not seeing the problems you guys are describing because I go through my news feed and comment as much as I can on other peoples' posts. I then get to converse with people who are not my friends but are friends of friends and who are thus less likely to be like me. And more likely to want what I am selling. (Can't say I have concrete evidence of this yet but I am very new to social media. The fact that I am not suffering the same thing you folks are suggests to me that I may be on the right track.)

[vangogh]

I am very new to social media

You may be new, but you've been learning quickly. :)

eborg what you describe in Vegas is exactly what I'm talking about. Had those first few limos branded themselves well they might still do good business at that corner. People would have been talking and tell friends "xyz limo" will be there. All the newbies who show up oversaturate the market and just get somewhat jaded insisting no one could ever make money at that corner.

[Patrysha]

See the thing is if you market to a tight target market and are willing to be yourself, then someone is bound to be listening and you'll find someone who will find your message resonates with them. Of course, you hope that is a great big crowd, but if you put the emphasis less on marketing and more on serving...those who need to know about you will.

You rise above the noise by providing value to those who need to hear your message, that's really what social marketing is about - no different than it ever was.

[Spider]

Spot on, Patrysha!

[vangogh]

Agreed. Which is why I think it silly for people to blame the medium as if that somehow is completely changing human behavior.

[KristineS]

Patrysha you're exactly right, and that's what I always preach as well. It's about adding value and not about getting noticed.

Still, I think the article is interesting just as an example of social behavior if nothing else. I think there are a lot of people on the social media sites who are interested only in what they have to say and in finding people to whom to say it. I won't say that's a fault of the platform they're using, but they must be getting a reward out of it in some way. Otherwise they'd move on to something else.

I also think the platform does in some ways reinforce the behavior. It isn't the fault of the platform, but the platform does tend to reward the outrageous and the prolific.

[vangogh]

I think there are a lot of people on the social media sites who are interested only in what they have to say and in finding people to whom to say it. I won't say that's a fault of the platform they're using, but they must be getting a reward out of it in some way. Otherwise they'd move on to something else.

Some people are always like that. It really has nothing to do with the medium. Social sites are still very new too so people haven't completely realized who is legit and who isn't. Some tricks are still working at the moment.

Also there are always people who manage to get some reward even though they add no value. All of us can be quite gullible at times and fall for things we later realize we shouldn't have. Crappy products and services sell all the time. I don't see why it should be any different with Twitter or Facebook.