DISQUS

Dirk Shaw's blog: Social media is A tactic, not THE tactic.

  • Donna · 5 months ago
    Dirk,
    I'm a marketer with 15+ years of experience, primarily in the building controls, energy management, and utility industries. I'm now doing marketing with various entrepreneurial clients around the country, and I'm consistently finding a few things:

    Marketing managers/directors @ small firms or non profits (and even ad agencies/marcom firms) don't have the time to get to know and stay on top of social media tools. This is especially evident within the segment of people who have been doing this for 15+ years.

    There are a lot of people/co's that think that social media will save the day. As you've pointed out, you still have to implement the foundations of marketing: knowing who your customer is, and targeting your message to meet their needs. Sadly, this isn't happening for a large # of firms.

    Great blog, thanks!
  • dirkmshaw · 5 months ago
    Hey Donna,

    As a customer of many large companies i experience first hand the issues with execution. Healthcare is another place that knows a ton about me yet fails to deliver any useful.

    Thanks for commenting.

    dirk
  • ericbrown · 5 months ago
    Amen.

    I'm a fan of social media. I really am. But...just like anything else, the use of social media is a tool in the toolbox...not the only tool.

    How many times have I heard people/companies talking about their 'strategy' of using social media. Wrong....your strategy should be something like 'reaching new users', etc. The social media is the tactic of how not why.
  • BrentP · 5 months ago
    preach it, brother.
  • simonwww · 5 months ago
    Good thoughts. With all the buzz going around, people have easily been forgetting that social media is just one of the newest ways to market. People should take into account all forms of marketing in order to use their resources best. In addition to the videos you can put up for free on YouTube, Vimeo, AdWido, and other sites, people should definitely be considering the traditional forms of marketing as well.
  • dirkmshaw · 5 months ago
    Hi SImon..

    I totally agree. The eye has come off the ball. Only 11% of internet users are on twitter. Not critical mass enough drop everything else.

    dirk