No one likes to hear they are out of time.
Unfortunately, time is running out for businesses that haven’t fully integrated social media into their communications mix.
Businesses are in grave danger of not only becoming laggards, but also getting lapped on the next generation of media technologies. Some companies have been experimenting with forms of social media for the better part of a decade now.
Today, technology firms are building new tools with sensors, location data and mobile networks access that are empowering incredible one-to-one communications. These contextual outreach tools come in several forms, from marketing automation to mobile apps and location-based marketing programs.
Major brands like adidas and CARFAX are using next generation solutions to increase sales, strengthen brand loyalty, and reduce operation expenses. Meanwhile their competitors continue to waffle, broadcasting messages with tweets and Facebook messages, failing to build online communities.
You can see that even the social network broadcasters, while flailing, have at least made a worst case scenario entry into the media form. Many claim that social does not deliver ROI, and in return those that follow can claim the businesses who don’t engage fail to offer anything of interest. Yet they have a toehold, a minimal entry from which to begin should they choose to invest in larger engagement or custom content for their stakeholders.
Social media is tough for brands because it requires a deft personal touch that contradicts the way marketing worked in the industrial era of business. It was called mass communications for a reason.
Fractured media began occurring in the form of blogs and social networks at the turn of the century. As the first decade closed the web 2.0 revolution had come and gone, and mass communication properties were weakened, or worse were going out of business. Social media offered people something a little more personal and unique to their interest levels, plus they could talk with like-minded individuals.
Now with contextual media, brands and willing customers can finally engage in one-to-one or one-to-a few communications. Let’s not kid ourselves. For any company of significant size and scale this takes work.
Contextual marketing is a different type of strategy that heavily relies on data and algorithms to build microniches. It does require human guidance. Managing a database intelligently and creating the right content and deals for a micro niche audience requires a deft touch that in many ways is the exact opposite of mass communications.
The good news is that these new marketing technologies are imperfect at best, and in some cases, are in their earliest phases of development. There is still time to catch up in social media. Some brand might even leapfrog social.
What do you think? Has time run out for brands to get their social acts together?