Response Magazine - February 2011

Investment Community Leads the Latest Upsurge in Social Media Buzz

Are you still questioning the value of social media marketing? If so, either you haven’t been paying attention to business news during the past two months, or you just don’t see eye-to-eye with the investment community.

Goldman Sachs is seeking investors for Facebook and put a stunning valuation on Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild of $50 billion. That came on the heels of Twitter’s latest valuation falling just below the $4 billion mark. And then, in late January, professional social media hub LinkedIn was given a $2 billion valuation while preparing to possibly go public.

Yet, even with these heated valuations making big headlines, the social media space still leaves many marketers skeptical. How do we use it? How do we measure it? Is it a brand play? Or are their direct response opportunities beyond just starting a conversation? Valid questions, all, but ones whose answers vary depending on the product or service you are marketing.

This month’s edition of Response features several opportunities for readers to consider these questions and get involved in the debate. The cover feature on Nutrisystem shows how the company has built an incredible online community of its weight-loss believers and is expanding its strength on Facebook and Twitter. Deeper in the issue, health care marketers discuss how social media can work to reach baby boomers, while the hows-and-whys behind the social media success of the Snuggie, Shake Weight and Sham Wow makes for a compelling story.

Certainly, it’s hard to place a value on how many consumers “like” your product on Facebook or follow it on Twitter. But with a plan in place to maximize the conversation around your product or brand, it’s very clear that value is growing. Response believes in the power of social media. One needs to look no further than our presence on Facebook and Twitter. If you haven’t liked or followed us yet, please do so now:

» » Response»Magazine on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Response-Magazine/

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» » Response Magazine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/responsemag

» Response Expo on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Response-Expo/184922062720

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» Direct Response Marketing Alliance (DRMA) on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ DRMA/134816256566893

» DRMA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thedrma

We’ve been using Facebook and Twitter for some time now to expand our cover-
age of the DR marketing space, while also giving you the inside scoop on the latest
highlights of Response Expo (May 3-5 in San Diego) and other DRMA events. Join
the conversation, share your feedback on how we’re doing, and make suggestions about
what we can do to better serve you.

Who knows — maybe we’ll even figure the big secret about how to measure our social media marketing efforts. If we do find that “big answer,” we’ll be sure to share it right back with you!