Social Media Trend 2009: Optimize
Client-side marketers are optimizing social-media efforts this year, says Karen O’Brien, Partner, Interactive Services, Crimson Consulting. I asked Karen to describe the social-media trends among her big-brand clients.
Optimization is a big trend, she says.
Companies are optimizing social media by:
o setting standards and goals about how many members, RSS subscribers, friends, etc. they’d like to have on social-media channels
o setting standards and goals about conversations they want to target on social networks
o consolidating multiple presences on social networks, such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace (often, big companies have several profiles on various social networks, each profile representing a different product line, brand, or service)
“From a customer standpoint, it’s confusing to see a bunch of different [presences] unless they’re clearly labeled,” Karen says.
About 70% of consumers consider social-media sites to be sources of information that will influence purchasing decisions, according to research data in MarketingSherpa’s 2009 Social Media Marketing & PR Benchmark Guide.
Now is more important than ever to optimize. Make sure your brand is not only meeting its goals, but also consolidating its social-media presence and clearly labeling each one.
Natlie, great post. Advertisers often fail to realize the advantages of new and hip marketing outlets until it’s too late. Well, it’s never really too late with things like social marketing. However, there is something to be said for staying on the front end of innovation.