Social Media: The Jelly to Traditional Media's Peanut Butter
About six months ago, everybody talked about social media as the almighty game-changer. I would read 12 posts a day on Twitter, its benefits, and my least favorite: "Twitter do’s and don’ts." I’d see countless posts per week on how to make the perfect Facebook fan page or why lifestreaming was the future of media. Most importantly, I’d read doom and gloom posts about every other marketing industry (TV, radio, newspaper, etc.) dying and social media taking over the earth in a “building personal relationships is the only way to win for the rest of time” industry takeover.
But guess what…that hasn’t exactly happened.
Sure, Twitter and Facebook are thriving (and, more importantly, evolving), but do you know what concepts and posts I’m seeing more and more of NOW?
Posts based on concepts like these thoughts from Louis Gray, guest posting on Brian Solis’s blog, PR 2.0:
“I believe that social media activity, be it Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, YouTube, blog comments, Flickr, SlideShare or any other service, is part of the infrastructure. It is quickly becoming part of everything we do – both for our work lives and for personal lives. While, right now, it may seem brand new, and exciting, so too did e-mail and e-commerce just a decade or two ago, if you remember. Now, both are just part of getting things done.”
Lately, more and more of the marketing/advertising/social media thought leaders are recognizing that social media isn’t THE future; it’s PART of the future.
Another example comes from Mitch Joel’s recent post on his Six Pixels of Separation Blog, where he states:
“They may not all be relevant to us today, but who knows if something you read in a newspaper or saw on a billboard might not become something you need/want in a couple of weeks? It's important to remember that Mass Media and Social Media do not fulfill the same needs. They are dramatically different.
Everything is ‘with’ not ‘instead of’.” (His emphasis, not ours.)
Now, does it help to be working with people who know how to utilize social media tools? Of course. But there’s a more important element to consider here. Are you a well-rounded marketer? Is your team or your agency well-rounded in traditional marketing strategies as well as versed in the principles and execution of social media efforts?
As Mitch said, “Everything is ‘with’…not ‘instead of’.” It’s time to recognize that social media WITH – not instead of – the right marketing research and marketing strategy can lead to amazing results, but trying to push forward using solely a social media approach will leave you (or your clients) desiring a bit more.
The bottom line is this: traditional marketing isn’t dead or dying. It’s evolving. Products and services still need to be sold, and utilizing social media to build relationships and help facilitate those sales is a great way to accomplish that goal. But, as I’ve seen other people mention, when you boil it down to its core, social media is still just media. Make sure you understand the principles and strategies of traditional marketing or you’ll be doing yourself and your clients a disservice.
In Mitch’s words, “It's important to remember that Mass Media and Social Media do not fulfill the same needs. They are dramatically different.”
We’d say we agree. What do you think?
Think traditional media is too slow to keep up with social media? Think it’s about time the hype over SM died down a bit? Think there’s more value in focusing on one niche rather than trying to fill more than one marketing/media role? Let us know what you think in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Photo "PB&J" by .res.
