next step for observant marketers is to
better utilize the consistent engagement
social media offers and the personalization it affords marketers when determining how a product or pitch applies to
individual customers.
Once these factors have been determined, marketers can establish profiles
and online accounts to drive Web-based
interaction between brand and consumer.
Accounts can then be established and
contacts made through friends, and
through their friends, and their friends,
and so on — all within their chosen
Web-based or mobile forum. Think of social media platforms as the gap filler: the
introduction, followed by the handshake,
or the difference between being poked by
a stranger or receiving a hug from an old
friend.
Integrating the positive aspects of the
current social medium to meet consumers
in a context that is appealing and unobtrusive initializes trust and, in effect, turns
Facebook, You Tube Help Sell and
Build Brands
Trust in direct response marketing
and social media is a silent challenge. It
is silent because unlike previous methods
of product introduction, trust is initially
established without any noise, yelling
or street-corner sign-wavers. It is a challenge
because in order to be
successful and create
interest in the social
media context, marketing companies must
present an appealing,
entertaining or comedic
persona or story without appearing pushy or
irrelevant. Failure to
embody this present day
social ideal results in
the use of spam filters
and detrimental remarks
to family, friends and
social networks.
Thankfully, there
are multiple types of
Internet- and mobile-based social platforms
that offer unique tools
and resources to assist
direct response marketers and potential clients, based upon each
group’s needs and interests. Web sites
like Facebook, Foursquare and You Tube
are preferred environments that not only
promote positive relationships, but also
present the prospect of positive word-of-mouth, immediately accessible and/or
comedic marketing.
Facebook allows users to become
“fans” of or “like” a product, business or
group page. Once a user becomes a fan of
something or someone, that information
pops up on all their friends’ Facebook
pages, instantly instilling curiosity, inter-
est and desire, simply because it is viewed
Facebook page — a type of digital evolu-
tion to word-of-mouth marketing for DR
marketers.
Flynn describes Allstar’s use of Fa-
cebook, Twitter and You Tube as an
“integration of those services in different
capacities across our brands to engage
with fans and attract new ones.”
“For example, we’ve built successful
Facebook communities for our Snuggie,
Bendaroos and Topsy Turvy brands to
engage consumers as well as to manage
Topsy Turvy connects with more than 1,500 consumers on
its Facebook page on a regular basis, ensuring high levels
of engagement between the brand and its consumers.
the cold-call or the commercial break
into a warm smile and removes the physical space invasion or time interruption
often felt by the consumer.
customer service and satisfaction,” Flynn
says. “We have also grown the Snuggie
Facebook community from 70,000 to
more than 240,000 fans this year,” she
says.
Facebook and Twitter give brands a
forum for building positive relationships
with consumers while they participate
in social gaming and stay up-to-date on
individually relevant news and information. The driving force that brings people
to sites like Facebook is video or media
platforms such as You Tube, which offer
quick, entertaining commentary that can
be accessed from almost anywhere and
does not require the consumer to be at
