Firstsearch Home Page The Social Media Experiment

Marketing in a Recession and the Social Media Is Twitter a Blueprint for the Future Let's deal with the recession first, we will come out of it, we always have, the illusionary bubble has burst and we will start again but in the meantime business will feel the pain Because of the recession there is less money to be spent on advertising and marketing, however spending on these business tools must continue. The question is how to get the customers into your shop profitably One thing that will be very evident as we go forward is that the marketing activities of the past will not be the marketing activities undertaken solely in the future This is not only one of the side effects of a recession; it is the reality of living in the 21st century Consumer Buying Behaviour is Changing Traditionally business placed advertisements in the newspapers or on the radio, and once a year placed an advertisement in the back of a telephone book. This was considered all the external marketing required to the attract custom Nowadays, customers obtain information about where to shop from many channels, but before they buy retail they increasingly seek information about the products online They are no longer reliant on the traditional media and increasingly use the Web and the Social Media The old communication models are being superseded by the new Customers are already online and businesses must follow To quote Tom Agee, a senior lecturer in the Department of Marketing at the University of Auckland Business School writing on the New Zealand Marketing magazine "Major advertisers, which are still spending on TV, need to take a lesson from cannier marketers and / or those with smaller budgets. They've discovered that the Internet, social media and mobile technology offer better value for money and effectiveness that can be more accurately measured, instead of using reach or TARPS as the main measure for mainstream media Social Media The words "Social Media" appear more and more in conversation, so let's try to define it and how it impacts upon the businesses in the main street People by nature are social animals. They talk to each other, discuss things, such as, what did you do, we did this, we are going here, do you want come, who has what and where, have you seen this, this is available at this shop, where do you get that. This is all part of living and being in a community and happens as part of normal life Today this conversation also occurs online, Social Media is being online Business and the Social Media In the past, reference in day to day conversation would have been made to the topics, articles and advertising produced in the traditional media but as this media is being superseded by the online community, the question is what will enable businesses to inject themselves into the online social media conversations How can they become part of what is the topic of conversation, because businesses need to be part of the topic of conversation, it is part of the process of making a sale, if no one knows, no one buys Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, and others, all part of Social Media, most people have heard of them but what is their target market, the social aspects of a persons life, not really geared towards Business Social Media Marketing agencies have tried to promote their clients products via these personal social groups with limited and sometimes disastrous results. The launch of a well known drink product in Australia was seen as a blatant advertising, as hi-jacking the purpose of the social conversation and the campaign suffered Twitter, a Blueprint for the Future Then appeared Twitter. I have a Twitter Account (user name: firstsearch). Because I am curious I wanted to know, what is the big deal with this new media? I sent off a few short messages (tweets) followed a few sites and thought; so what is the big deal? It seemed so different, not how you would usually do business, but then a light bulb came on. It's all to do with community Commonly the term community refers to people in a geographical area. However the rapid evolution of social interaction via the Internet means that communities are no longer bounded by geography. Communities are global But a community can also mean people who have a common interest which could be semi-permanent, say members of a tennis club or individuals acting independently but coming together for a common cause say shopping at a particular store. The beauty of Twitter is that is allows a community to flourish, a Twitter user follows the people, or interests, or businesses that are of interest to them In the Tennis Club example used above, if the members were Twitter users, the Secretary could post one message and all followers would see it. And within the group one user could contact another for match. Tournaments, events can be easily communicated. Players from another city can link in, a network / community comes into being But Twitter is More a Business Tool than a Social Tool A business that has specials or discounts such as airline flights, as a Twitter user can promote their products. Others users who have an interest in finding this information follow them. They can follow other users and find information about accommodation or entertainment or tourism activities Is what you do in your business or have for sale, of interest to the buying public Try it, sign up www.twitter.com, follow a few users. Only by using it will you obtain an understanding of how it can assist business. Ron Jones of Searchenginewatch.com has written some very excellent papers on the subject as has WebProNews So let us now bring this discussion back to a small city in the Central North Island (or any business community anywhere), how can this social media assist the business people get their message out Suppose a group of retailers in town were Twitter users and people in the city and elsewhere followed them. Now we have a business community with the ability to advise many people online within a social media setting What would these business people put in their tweets, information about their business of course, what they have for sale, how they can assist, so the people following can obtain knowledge of what is available and the services offered. Simple really and it doesn't cost a dime. Air New Zealand is a Twitter user as is Telecom, Vodafone and Tourism New Zealand. See tweets about the All Blacks. What's on in Wanganui with eventfinder, Motel and dining out. If the bigger companies and interest groups such as surfing and astronomy are already on board, it would seem to suggest they see the marketing potential, so why not market the businesses of a town on Twitter, after all a town or city is the sum total of its businesses. If they suceed, the town suceeds, if the city prospers, they prosper Tweets Tweets are limited to 140 characters, not a lot of space in which to tell the whole message. The up side is that the Tweet can direct the follower to the website of the business which should have all the relevant information However even with 140 characters a business owner can write about today's discount or special and so engender interest at shopping at their store And the time it takes to do this, a few minutes Advantages of Twitter The strength of Twitter as a business tool to reach the buying public can be gauged by the demographic of its users. The largest audience group on Twitter is aged 45 to 55 years of age, followed by the 25 to 34 crowd. The smallest group is aged 12-17 the next smallest 18-24, these age groups are surpassed in numbers by 55 to 64 and the over 65 age groups (Feb 2009) These are demographics of the buyers who have the money, who research online, they are participating in what has become known as Web 2.0 Web 2.0 The World is now at Web 2 level, there is more to come Web 1.0 was about hoping people would pay a visit Web 2.0 is all about going to the customer The message given by the consumer today is: we are online As Web 2.0 takes hold many companies will have to alter their online strategy Yes the recession will end but it will not be business as usual. Business people are entitled to advertise where ever they wish but if they by-pass the Social Media, they run the risk of by-passing an increasing number of their buying public. In some way Web 2.0 is allowing Businesses to be their own advertising agency, going direct to the consumer. Twitter provides a gateway to potential customers Want to know more, in Wanganui. I am willing to meet and discuss Working with Twitter may just be what your community needs Try it, sign up www.twitter.com, search for firstsearch, click on follow, send a few tweets and another way of reaching your customers will unfold In Wanganui, have a Twitter account, tell us that we may follow and build a network of Wanganui businesses using the Social Media to promote their businesses and city. Search Twitter www.search.twitter.com Find: firstsearch Alma Motel and Stonze Restaurant: almamotel Mobile Marketing Developer: goldienz What's on: eventfinder Contact Firstsearch