Justin Taylor

Archive for July 14th, 2009

There are those out there that say over and over again. “Where’s the proof that Social Marketing really works?” I believe that people do want more hard numbers to back up the fact that social media marketing really does work… so they can at least feel that the investment turns a tidy ROI.

But I think there is another important part of social media that may often be overlooked and can’t as easily be measured.

Social media sites are places where people can vent about good or bad experiences. If a business is not involved in the social media circuits and they aren’t tracking what is going on there, then they can easily lose referrals, lose ‘prestige’ as a business and flat out lose customers all together. If only, because you aren’t there to defend yourself or at least build a relationship. Social Media has a huge impact on your PR… which is a big part of Social Media Marketing.

The era we have recently entered is really the newest version of ‘Relationship’ marketing. 40 or 50 plus years ago, companies were founded on exceptional customer service. It was expected. You went to the gas station and you had full service; check the oil, check the tire pressure, wash the windows, etc. You went to a store or any place else and the customer was king. The phrase, “The customer is always right” was coined during that era.

But that was lost over time and the face of corporations became automated telephones, machine operated service centers, lower wages, high inflation and the need for just making a living. Technology came along to make our lives easier and instead depersonalized most of it. Instead of improving everything, it made it worse; maybe because of greed or the quest for lower costs vs. quality or perhaps a number of other reasons. We someone forgot about the customers.

All of that is changing now though, people want that relationship, they want to feel listened to and respected. They want quality customer service. They are also very impatient and want instant gratification.

So we have an entirely new area of marketing, Relationship marketing and Social Marketing is only one piece of that puzzle. The next time someone says, where’s the proof, just remember that information about what people are saying or thinking about you or your business can truly make or break you and also don’t forget that as time goes on, ‘Relationship Marketing’ will become more and more important.

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