The Tiered Approach: Who Social Networking campaigns reach – and who they don’t
Facebook users generate over 65 billion page hits a month. Obviously, social networking has become more than a trend – it is now reckoned to be the critical backbone of Web 2.0 strategies.
Building social networking strategies is necessary for successful online marketing. However, as many companies are finding – one size doesn’t fit all.
For the generation that has grown up online, social networking is a big part of their lifestyle. This younger, technology-savvy group is almost constantly plugged in and demand instantaneous communication in the form of texting, online paging, and instant messaging.They buy as much as half their durable goods online and are drawn to websites that provide a kind of open connectivity and personalization that Social Networking sites like Facebook and MySpace offer – and they are open to marketing from those sites.
On the other hand, there is a large population that is less plugged in. This customer demographic tends to be over-30. A Social Networking campaign may never reach them because these are the people who still prefer email, phone calls, and even in-store visits. When they do use social networking, they may tend to a service like LinkedIn. Yet, online campaigns may still be quite successful at building this traffic. Tools like SEO, email newsletters, and online coupons and promotions on the website itself may help you capture this additional audience.
