social networks marketing A waste of time
Interestingly, on social networks where marketing messages are currently most obvious, identified as MySpace, Classmates and Facebook and Twitter users are less willing to view them. On sites where marketing is less obvious, as on LinkedIn, there is less resistance to the showing of ads.
Obvious marketing messages on social networks are jarring, they distract from the environment. Marketers must realize that the more marketing crowds out interaction on social networks, the more consumers will push against it.
"Recognizing the rapid growth of social networks and social networking audiences, advertisers have focused on creative engagement and how to apply their brands within a new environment," said VP/Group Director-Digital Media Measurement Drew Lipner of InsightExpress.
"The broad and exciting acceptance of social networking also reinforces the distinct need to develop targeted and relevant campaigns for this channel with the help of advanced measurement tools."
google adwords advertising not working. i don't know even one person that can prove me that google pay per click ads working . I want my money back.
When Social Networking Is Not Working
Fredric Paul, 05.26.09, 09:36 AM EDTSome clear-eyed perspective on Web 2.0 tools, care of 28 small-business owners.
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Are social networking "tools" good for business or just a giant time suck?
Ian Boyd, creative director of Cosmic Planet, a digital creative studio in San Francisco's Presidio, said his office calls it "Social Notworking," because while he believes he needs to use Twitter and Facebook to stay in the mix, he's never gotten a single customer out of it. Just as important, Boyd says, while he's spending all that time networking, he's "not working." Where Web 2.0 does come in handy, Boyd concedes, is in helping existing clients stay up on his company's activities.
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Boyd's comments came at one of a series of Money Matters Town Halls put on by Intuit, with sessions for consumers and small businesses. I attended the afternoon session, moderated by small-business columnist Gene Marks and Intuit CEO Brad Smith, and attended by 14 San Francisco Bay Area business owners, with between zero and 20 employees each. Their technology skills and usage varied widely, but they shared several key viewpoints.In Pictures: Seven Cheap Ways To Get The Word Out Locally
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For one thing, they all said that their primary source of new business was word of mouth and personal referrals. And while Smith described social networking as "word of mouth with a megaphone," the attendees all made clear distinctions between real-world referrals and ones made through online social networks.
It wasn't that they weren't sophisticated about online options. Almost all of the attendees' companies have Web sites, and an impressive two-thirds said they'd updated those sites in the last week.
Caryl Lyons, the manager of events management company Roar Events, for example, uses Twitter to post comments about hotels she visits, but keeps Facebook for personal use. Her tweets automatically update her Facebook status, but Facebook updates don't show up on Twitter. She's also on LinkedIn, though that takes up less of her attention.
Does all her social networking actually make a difference? "I think it does," she said. "The people that follow me have an interest in hotels and events, and they get good information."
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Caanan Meagher, who owns pedicab company KwickCart in Silicon Valley, says his drivers use Facebook to let potential customers know they'll be at local events, and even make prebookings using the service.
Even longtime painting contractor Bob Watten (Watten Painting), who doesn't think he'll find clients online, keeps a presence on LinkedIn.
That's the key, said Marks: "Go where your customers are."
Or where your prospective workers are. Cheryl Fields Tyler, who runs Blue Beyond Consulting, an eight-person management consulting firm, uses LinkedIn to source associates, employees or contractors to match clients' particular needs. But others prefer to use more personal methods to fill out their small, close-knit staffs.
Marks added that technology also makes it possible to hire contractors, and even full-time employees, who work in remote locations. That can often save big money compared with local workers, and it can put you in position to hire the person you really want rather than the person who happens to be close by.
E-mail marketing was perhaps the most popular online marketing method. Patty Styka, whose Elegant Lagoon Cruises runs an electric-boat charter service in Foster City, Calif., said she regularly posts announcements on Yelp and Smalltown, while Lulu Lopez, relies on e-mail marketing to promote her Italian restaurant (Campanella, in Newark, Calif.), sending missives promoting wine pairings, birthday and holiday celebrations, and even just regular old follow-ups and thank-yous. Cosmic Planet's Boyd has done a number of HTML e-mail campaigns for his clients and is now looking into doing e-mail marketing for his own business. But as Marks pointed out, doing your own e-mail marketing takes a lot of time, from writing the e-mails to working with the address database.
But search advertising doesn't seem to be popular at all. Restaurant owner Lopez used Google AdWords but stopped when she didn't see results. "I'm spending money and not getting anything back." Yet the business owners weren't holding on to print media either: Only one or two were advertising in the Yellow Pages.
All of the business owners complained that the economic situation has made it more difficult to get paid on time, if at all. Smith suggested that one solution is to accept credit/debit cards, even for business-to-business transactions--the 3% to 4% fees are a small price to pay to get your money right away. But Marks cautioned businesses to use a separate bank account for the cards, lest the banks swipe cash to cover a disputed payment.
Finally, on a positive note, 80% of the attendees said they plan to boost marketing spending this year. Sure, it's a small, unscientific sample, but it seems like a recession-busting sign to me. Even more amazing, Watten said he expects to get additional painting work based on federal stimulus money!
When Social Networking Is Not Working - Forbes.com
