At the risk of being branded a heretic or fired from the agency, I have to say it: I loathe social media. Why? Because it’s just media. And since when was media ever interesting? It sure wasn’t when media professionals started talking about it all the time.
People are interesting. Their stories, hobbies, ideas… all interesting. Real stuff is interesting. Brands can be interesting. Even ads can be interesting. But media? Remember how former United States Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) described the internet? Media is also a tube. A channel. A conduit though which interesting things travel.
Ted Stevens does not travel this tube. Neither do marketing professionals who can’t shut up about integrating social networks like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and blogging into advertising campaigns. Face it. You’re just not cool. Neither is your ad campaign in Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace.
After all, look at what happened to MySpace after NewsCorp bought it. It became so uncool that it’s relying on intervention from Sacha Baron Cohen’s character, “Bruno,” to attract new members. This move has AdAge wondering if Sasha’s ‘Meinspace’ can save MySpace from “cultural irrelevance.”
Guess what? Being irrelevant is not cool. Advertising intervention from some guy who wants to be Andy Kaufman is not going to stop MySpace from getting punched in the Facebook.
The big secret to Facebook’s success is that the company hasn’t really found a way to become attractive to advertisers. Advertisers have a talent for pushing their way into social networks and scaring away prospects, like turning the lights on cockroaches. While there’s a virtual member exodus away from MySpace, Facebook was dubbed, “the largest social network in the world,” in April of 2008.
If it’s news to you, as a marketing professional, that people don’t like intrusive advertising on their social networks, please find another job. Social networks are not simply a new medium for placing ads or direct job postings. Members of social networks place personal and professional information within these channels. They are generally less accepting of blatant advertising.
Thus, the standard ad models, like contextual search, pay-per-click and standard ad units are not appropriate in this arena.
As an advertiser, to appear cool, you first have to think a bit like The Fonz (before he jumped the shark, of course). You’ve got to be laid back, not pushy. Pop your collar and they’ll come running. This new approach is based on conversation rather than push. Social networkers see themselves as co-creators of content, and therefore have a strong sense of ownership within these sites. This means advertisers, business professionals, marketers, and the like need to participate in and contribute to relevant discussions.
Think of it this way: Infomercials are not cool. Despite what you think, your sales pitch is probably even less cool.
Facebook won’t be around forever, and neither will Twitter. As soon as advertisers get involved, their audiences run to better networks, with less invasive advertising. So, when in doubt about how to get involved, play it cool. Contribute to discussions. Contribute to communities. Become a trusted authority in your field, and make something of these social networks.