Hell yes. I thought about this again this morning. If the objectives for social are fuzzy for companies that just ties the results back to search. Because as you have so succinctly put, search ain't goin anywhere, which I have tried to tell people.
I actually had a guy tell me how much he'd rather use twitter, linkedin and RSS for networking in lieu of his traditional sales efforts- so I asked him hows that working for him in regards to sales and efficiency. I still haven;t heard back.
The point is, we're no where near where we need to be. Traditional methods of marketing and digital marketing ARE NOT DEAD and social shiny tools are still shiny and still have yet to be proven out across the board as effective for EVERY business regardless of size and budgets.
Great POST Ken.
Ken Burbary
· 3 months ago
Marc, I think the biggest challenge that individuals and companies face right now is understanding what combination of channels they should use. It can be overwhelming, especially given the nature of how quickly things adapt and change. The example you gave demonstrates this. He's chasing shiny objects because he isn't sure what role they play, or feels pressured and is jumping into channels without a strategy.
I think therein lies the real opportunity and demand for strategists right now. Every company will have a unique mix, and continually validating and optimizing that mix will be required, eh?
dirk shaw
· 3 months ago
hey Ken,
I too agree. Marketers still need to focus on the mix and what role each plays..
Social is not a silver a bullet.
dirk
joshklein
· 3 months ago
I think your point about Myspace is of particular interest to the digital marketing crowd. We tend to assume -- especially in agency-land -- that people are using the same tools as us; that Myspace went the way of Friendster (or that no one watches Nascar). It's always important to take a step back, put down the iPhone, and look at the actual numbers. Of course, having that vision of the future of digital ain't bad either.
Ken Burbary
· 3 months ago
I had the same reaction when doing the research. When was the last time you had a conversation about Myspace with anyone? Yeah, it's been that long! :) But as I wrote in the post, the numbers are still quite substantial for some properties.
All Comments
I actually had a guy tell me how much he'd rather use twitter, linkedin and RSS for networking in lieu of his traditional sales efforts- so I asked him hows that working for him in regards to sales and efficiency. I still haven;t heard back.
The point is, we're no where near where we need to be. Traditional methods of marketing and digital marketing ARE NOT DEAD and social shiny tools are still shiny and still have yet to be proven out across the board as effective for EVERY business regardless of size and budgets.
Great POST Ken.
I think therein lies the real opportunity and demand for strategists right now. Every company will have a unique mix, and continually validating and optimizing that mix will be required, eh?
I too agree. Marketers still need to focus on the mix and what role each plays..
Social is not a silver a bullet.
dirk