Comments on: Get the Message!

By: Jeffry Pilcher

Jeffry Pilcher — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:48:41 +0000

Of course people don’t like ads. Everyone says that, not just Gen-Y. But you don’t see advertisers giving up, do you? Why? Because ads continue to prove they generate sufficient results.

More importantly Robert, if “throwing ads at someone” is your idea of marketing or selling, you’ve got it all wrong. Ads do one thing exceptionally well; they build awareness of a company or product. They do not sell anything, and almost never trigger action.

When a new opportunity (like social media) comes along, it requires new levels of creativity. You can’t just foist the Old Model on top of the New Way. Ten years from now, people will look back and laugh at the suggestion that social media couldn’t be an ineffective sales vehicle. It’s hard for us to see how now, but in retrospect, it will seem so clear. If everything is moving online like people predict, then there has to be more to online social media than customer service and “engagement.” If not, then in what channels will customer acquisition take place?

By: Robert Rubin

Robert Rubin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:59:17 +0000

Nice article and analysis of Marshall McCluhan. I understand Jeffry Pilcher’s post above but if Gen Y is telling us anything about social media is that they do not like advertisements always being thrown at them. The social media revolution if in fact it is real may not bend to the traditional ROI concept of advertising. For example, Twitter seems to be taking over but it has yet to turn a profit. The model may ultimately fail on an ROI basis.

The use of social media is also good for customer support and referral networking etc.. so I would not sell it short. I think for now marketers must follow a composite path of reaching out to customers using the latest technology and somehow sell something. Putting it in a black and white ROI model as suggested may be missing the boat so to speak.

By: Joann Marsili

Joann Marsili — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:53:46 +0000

There are multiple parts to the sales cycle, beginning with the piece that marketing usually is responsible for: awareness and willingness to engage with the product. THIS is where social media belongs. You may be able to drive traffic for a particular promotion, but at the end of the day, no one will buy from you unless they trust the product. Engaging prospective customers through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other forms creates the initial awareness and engagement layer for the sale to be made. Do not discount the opportunities that present themselves for people to self-qualify themselves due to their interactive with you through forms of social media.

By: Jeffry Pilcher

Jeffry Pilcher — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:55:58 +0000

Financial institutions’ social media initiatives would be more effective as “marketing channels for selling financial products and services” if only more financial institutions actually included a product or service offer as part of their promotions. “Make-a-TV-spot” competitions, “Savings Challenges,” “Fee Revolts,” “Share Your Dream” campaigns, and “Pay-It-Forward” projects don’t sell anything. Admittedly, some of these initiatives aren’t so much marketing as they are part of Corporate Social Responsibility programs. But they are widely heralded around the web as the projects that have been most successful (at generating engagement).

The social media “experts” have said you shouldn’t try selling stuff in the social media space. Most marketers take their advice and never bother. The message to the rest of the world takes away? “No ROI” = “No, social media doesn’t work.” But it all starts with “no product offer.”