Social Media: Commitments not Campaigns

Thursday, March 18th 2010 Aliza Sherman spoke with the South Dakota Advertising Federation in relation to Social Media and targeting consumers through this tool. Sherman defined social media as “a set of tools that facilitate social interaction about friendships and relationships.” This refers to a wide variety of online sites and tools that include but are not limited to social networking sites, video sharing, RSS feeds, blogs, micro blogs, and more. The issue today is how marketers can reach this mass audience effectively.


Sherman mentioned the problem with social media is the word “media.” Rather than thinking about online social tools being a new media, marketers need to treat it as the social web or social communications. To connect with consumers through these social communication sites, marketers must put aside the traditional use of demographics and focus on psychographics. Marketers need to understand “Measurement 2.0." The new measurement is moving towards understanding reach, engagement, influence and reverb (retweet/share). The time of reaching large audiences is leaving and now marketers must focus on reaching a quality audience vs. a quantity of consumers. Sherman stated that we must connect with hearts and minds rather than ears and eyeballs. For this reason “demographics suck” and “psychographics rule.” Today, in order to connect with people, we must focus on behaviors and not cut and dry data.


The new way of reaching people is through social ads on sites like Facebook. These ads can be changed, moved, and updated instantly. It is no longer a matter of placing a TV spot and letting it run for six months. Today “it’s not about campaigns, it’s about commitments.” People stop clicking on a social ad in a matter of days and at that time it must be changed. It is time for marketing communication specialists to get involved in the conversation instead of directing it.

I look forward to moving into this new exciting world. I, as a heavy internet user, find myself constantly using all kinds of social media and welcome ads that pertain to what I am trying to find. As a future marketing communications professional I look forward with excitement for the new tools available and the constant learning and exploring that is in the world to be done. Web 3.0 will be an interesting place to live and work.