Means of delivery different but message unchanged
The excitement created by the so-called "new media" is keeping marketers and branders awake at night.
As they explore this new uncharted territory, marketers all over the world are asking themselves questions that would never have entered their minds just ten years ago: "What is our Facebook strategy for driving customer loyalty?" "Who should be managing our brand's Twitter account?" "How do we use YouTube to create the next big 'talk-of-the-globe' video?"
Social media have become Goliath to every marketer's David. In case you've been sleeping at the wheel, here are a few facts:
n The number of people on Facebook is now larger than the population of the United States. If Facebook was a country, it would be the third largest in the world.
n Twitter doubles its population every 90 days and reportedly has more than 55 million monthly visits.
n Twenty-five per cent of all Web searches end up at YouTube, making it the second largest search engine in the world.
Publishing magnate Rupert Murdoch is quoted as saying that these changes represent the biggest shift in communications since the invention of the printing press 500 years ago. Clearly, social media are not simply a fad. They're here to stay, and are fundamentally changing not only the way we communicate with consumers, but the way consumers communicate with each other.
--Fundamentals have not changed
In the midst of all this excitement, it's important for marketers to sit back, take a deep breath, and remember that "how" we communicate with customers may be changing dramatically, but "what" we communicate should not change.
In truth, the means we use to communicate with our consumers has changed many times over the years (remember how excited advertisers originally were about TV?). However, the essence of brand building hasn't changed in decades. Know your target audience intimately, dig deep to understand the target's functional and emotional needs, and make sure your brand responds to those needs better than the competition. By doing this, you gain loyal brand users. Then, you must never give those loyal consumers a reason to switch to another brand. It's really that simple.
--Relationships - a constant
"Relationship" is the buzz word I hear more and more these days when it comes to social media. "We must build a relationship with our consumers using social media," cry the marketers. But building a relationship between your brand and your consumers has always been at the core of good brand building. Building relationships is something marketers should be doing day in and day out. That hasn't changed. How you choose to build that relationship is what is evolving.
If anything, the onslaught of new social-media outlets has made building a relationship with your target market not only easier but also less expensive. After all, we don't need to lay down a million dollars to send out regular tweets. But the fundamental nature of your brand's relationship with customers hasn't changed at all. It's still about delighting your consumers every time they come in touch with your brand.
With so much new-media terrain to explore, there's never been a more exciting time to be marketing a brand or business. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social-media sites are all great tools to further your brand's positioning in the marketplace. Just don't let the excitement of that steer you away from the true essence of brand building. Stick with the basics and you can't go wrong.
Brenda Bence is managing director of Brand Development Associates International. Previously, she spent 20 years with Procter & Gamble and Bristol-Myers Squibb, managing dozens of brands in 50 countries on four continents. She may be contacted at brenda@brendabence.com.
