Why Social Media Does Not Matter

Does it matter if your company has a social media strategy? Not according to John Jantsch. Writing in Duct Tape Marketing, Jantsch says, “We don’t need social media tools, social media plans, social media agencies…we need marketing strategies and tactics that are informed by a terribly heightened consumer expectation”. Do you agree?

Jantsch urges us to look at the basic building blocks of marketing and communication: Prospect engagement, Customer experience, Collaboration and Fusion.

Prospect engagement means engaging consumers in a dialogue. We’ve frequently advocated that in this blog. Consumers want to engage in a dialogue when they are ready. Marketing and sales must include this. Push advertising is no longer good enough.

Customer experience matters because when consumers trust a brand, they talk about it. What better from of lead generation is there?

Collaboration through the Internet allows multiple people to help perfect an idea. One of those groups of people are your customers. Invite them in. Ask their advice. You might be surprised by what you learn.

Fusion dictates that businesses must offer a seamless experience for consumers, whether online or offline. Consumers expect no less. And the consumer controls the transaction.

Jantsch urges us to stop measuring the adoption of social media and get on with measuring effective interaction. What do you think?