Social Media Marketing’s Dirty Little Secret

For the past couple of years people have been telling you “it’s all about the relationships” and “it’s all about the conversation” whenever you’ve brought up the phrase social media.  It’s almost like a Pavlovian response.

Say “social media” and see if you can go 2 minutes without someone bringing up the word “relationship.”

The thing is, there are so many different arenas people talk about using the catchall term “social media” these days.  For some, using the 21st century tools is all about connecting with old friends and making new ones.  They’re what I call Socializers.  They log on to their computers and go to Facebook, Twitter, and the blogs they frequent in order to connect to other people.  They actually use social media to be – ready for it? Social.  Socializers seldom see themselves as getting on the computer to be sold to.

Then there’s the business people.

There are marketers, advertisers, PR, researchers, and content producers.  There are small business people and representatives of huge, multinational corporations.  There are consumer-packaged goods suppliers, service people, agencies, internet businesses… a veritable host of business people who are here with the Socializers on the Internet because it’s part of their plan to make money for their business or their clients.

That’s right.  They’re here to make money.

Let’s get down to brass tacks here, shall we?  As a consumer, customer, or user of a service – we’d all like to think that the companies we’re doing business with value us.  And by value us? I don’t mean value our wallets and bank accounts… we want them to think our opinion is important.  We want them to tell us that we are not merely potential profits – but that we are valued as individuals.  And that they are listening and care what we have to say.

Only let’s rewind a bit, shall we – so I can help you to understand where I’m going with this.

Let’s go back to the days when the guy trying to make the big sale – be it the marketer trying to land the big account or the lawyer trying to land the big client – was often found out on the golf course.  Playing eighteen holes (and probably losing convincingly) with the guy who can ‘pull the trigger.’

Why did that guy go out on the links with Mr. Potential-Client? Not because he was sitting around thinking “you know, I’m bored here in the office… I think I’ll call John Doe and see if he wants to go play golf with me and work on my ability to slice when I’m ahead in the game.“  But because he hoped to get Mr. Potential-Client out there away from it all and to corner him into saying “yep… the account is all yours.“

I mentioned this to my husband (yes, I mention pretty much everything to my husband… he’s one of the smartest guys I know – that’s one of the reasons I married him.)  His immediate response?  “Yeah, it’s not like some guy over at -Big Computer Hardware Supplier- said to the VP of Marketing ‘Hey, if we’re not using those seats in the luxury box at Sunday’s game? I know an IT manager and some of his engineers who are a blast to hang out with – we should invite them!’ because honestly? No one is clamouring to hang out with engineers at a football game.”

The marketing guys? They’re being social because it’s part of their job.  It helps them make sales.

photo by Photo by Frank Ockenfels 3 - Property of AMC

Right about now you’re thinking to yourself “well yeah, of course.”  Because if this was an episode of AMC’s Mad Men? You wouldn’t blink at Don Draper and his coworkers taking clients out for a good time in order to keep the account.  There’s no disconnect there.

So back to the 21st century.

You’ve logged on to your favorite social network.  And there’s a guy there trying to sell you something.  “SPAM!!” You cry… “Don’t try to sell me anything unless you have already built a relationship with me!” you angrily blog.  And somewhere a marketer rolls his/her eyes and thinks ‘are you crazy? Unless you’re a potential customer, I’m not wasting my time on you.’ But Heaven forbid she should admit that.  Because then “they just don’t get it.“

Now put yourself on the other side of the table for a minute, will you?

If you went to your boss and said “We don’t think this lady is ever going to buy anything from us – but she’s got a blog – so I think we should give her tickets to the luxury box for Sunday’s game.  I mean, maybe she has friends who will buy something from us.“  Well, let’s just say that it sounds as ridiculous when I type it as it does when you read it.

If you’re wearing your Socializer shoes?  You probably don’t want to be marketed to.  But try to bear in mind that someone is paying for all of this and if it’s not you? Then it’s someone who is hoping to profit off of access to you.  Either they want you as a) a customer, b) a source of data, or c) someone who connects them to either A or B.

I know.  It’s not what we as Socializers want to hear.  We want to come on the Internet and hang out with our friends.  But face it – if you went to meet your friends at the local coffee shop, you’d have to buy something at some point.  The business owner can’t afford for you to be taking up space without contributing to the bottom line somehow.

Sure – even in the non-virtual world – customer feedback is important.  But feedback is only useful if it helps the business to increase their profitability.

So that’s the secret.

Everyone but your Farmville friends? Is here to do business with you.  Because no matter how fascinating your blog or your Flickr stream is? Those box seats for Sunday’s game are going to someone who is likely to spend money with the company.  If the company wants to stay in business that is.