Business monitor JAN:Layout 1 21/12/2009 14:16 Page 21
BUSINESS MONITOR
Tweet your
way
to
success
More and more businesses are jumping on the social networking bandwagon as
a means of growing sales and raising profile. This month, marketing expert
Paul Clapham explores the phenomenon
T
he media world doesn’t change very often, but McCann survey, in almost half of the businesses OK, so, yes, it’s the real deal. But what can you
when it does the change tends to be major. covered the IT department proactively blocks access actually do with it? Businesses that are already
We are in such a change now, thanks to the to popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter, actively using social sites quote a number of
explosion of use of social networking media and it rendering staff incapable of monitoring what is benefits. The big one is PR and profile raising and
is apparent that a lot of businesses are off the pace. being said about their brands or discovering what there’s a fairly large use of advertising. Interestingly,
Since the fifth anniversary of Facebook earlier this real, live people actually want. Businesses clearly surveys and trends analysis don’t feature as a big
year there has been a lot of talk about the extent of need to accept that, whilst plenty of use will be purpose. That surprises me because here are
use of social networking sites (plenty of it personal, it genuinely has a commercial benefit. millions of people actively telling you what they
bemoaning that there’s too much). The classic Senior marketing people clearly lack understanding think, describing hopes and fears and wants.
comment is that students live their lives on them. of social media and are consequently reluctant to Correctly approached, this has to be the best
But it goes far further than students. Use of sites apply its potential to their brands. 67.5% of those available form of free market research known to
goes across all social groups, income groups and surveyed thought that the sites were used more by man.
age ranges. If you think that this is restricted to the the under 25s. However, according to figures from More important, this is word-of-mouth advertising
youth market you’re wrong. Bear in mind, too, that market researchers Nielsen, the age group making (perhaps that should read word of mouse). I have
those very students will soon be your business the most use of Twitter is 35 – 49 year olds (42% never met a businessman who didn’t want more of
customers. of traffic) and almost two thirds of them only access that and there it is available on a plate. We all now
Earlier this year, a study into the impact of social it at work. Facebook’s figures show that 25-35 year have the opportunity to influence millions of people
media as a business tool by McCann Erickson the olds use the site as much as 16–25 year olds. on a global basis at the click of a button.
global marketing services agency, demonstrated But come on is it really a business tool? Despite the What are the impacts of this? The first one that is
that almost two thirds of marketing specialists above, 76% of marketers think social media has a widely agreed is that you can communicate far
(65.6%) were not up to speed with social media or place in the commercial communications mix. Since more often with customers than traditionally
how it works as a marketing tool. It is also worth the figures are contradictory, it appears that a lot of thought wise. The 2009 reality is that mobile phone
pointing out that the marketing people surveyed them mean, “yes it’s got a place, but not here”. A calls, text messages, e-mail and now social network
were in the larger businesses. warning: I recall being told by an advertising old sites have made us into communication junkies. Not
Let us be very clear: this is not a fad. Of those hand that in the 1950s a number of agencies went only can you communicate more often, you should
surveyed by McCann’s 86% of respondents realised to the wall because they didn’t believe this new- do.
that social media is here to stay and set to grow. It fangled idea of TV advertising would work. The second impact relates to other media. The
is also moving rapidly from private communication A recent article in the Times Business Life section average family now spends more time online than
to a business tool. I see a lot of e-mails from PR recommended that businesses should avoid Twitter watching TV. This may be because people prefer the
businesses and, whereas a year ago few quoted a entirely (they couldn’t be worried about the effect it virtual friends they have made online to Simon
Twitter or Facebook site address, now they nearly would have on their advertising revenues, could Cowell’s version of reality, but it’s a growing trend.
all do. They’re at the cutting edge of the they?). This is actually a reflection of what At the same time there is a rising generation who
communications industry and where they lead, their McCann’s found in their survey. Approaching a third get their information via the net and never read a
clients will surely follow. of those businesses which have an account admit newspaper. Equally, there is a perception that using
But there will need to be a change of corporate it’s inactive and getting on for half of them post
mindset to gain full advantage. According to the tweets once a week or less.
continued over
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