I have been thinking a lot this past week about social media, online brand marketing and “socializing with your fans.”
My main thoughts have been:
1. Why do some companies and brands attract more fans than others?
2. Is social media just like opening up a retail store on a busy street? You can either have walk-in paying customers or have thousands of people simply walk by, just looking through your window?
3. Why do some small isolated companies have passionate, completely obsessive fans on a wide geographical scale when other international brands have pseudo fans that just cannot be reeled in to become a part of the company’s “family?”
4. Is a “fan” a good thing or should we just focus our time and efforts on paying customers rather than those that just “walk in and read the magazines in the bookstore?”
5. Is there too much focus on getting followers and building out brands and companies through social media networks? Many companies haven’t made up their minds about their offline brand, let along their online.
6. Some companies and brands don’t even have to try in order to create a following. They simply are just themselves, offline, online and in person. Is being just you the best way to market yourself? Warts and all?
7. Do consumers react better to honesty and openness? Can only small companies and brands translate well to fans by opening up and showing anything and everything about their company and their products and services?
8. Has the traditional sales model changed? Is there a sales cycle anymore? Do consumers only buy from people they like? It doesn’t matter how good the product is, if you don’t like the company or the salesperson you won’t buy it. Does this apply to music in relation to fans not just becoming hooked on the sound? They have to like and connect with the band or the artist as a person as well.
It’s terribly easy to get completely caught up in building an online following while losing some of the reason your built up your business or brand before social media “tools” came along. Social media is just that. It’s a tool that you can add to your belt of other on or offline marketing and communication tools. Social media shouldn’t change how your package your company, your products or yourself.
If you come across as pushy online and aren’t pushy offline what do you think will happen to your image? Be real, be you, just be. Marketing yourself online and growing a following comes easy when you don’t have to think about it.
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