There’s no doubt that social networks (SN) are here to stay… people have always gathered in communities and today’s social networks are just another form, made possible by sophisticated technology. There are now thousands of social networks, from simple blogs about just about every subject ever conceived, to massive online communities like FaceBook, MySpace and Twitter where registrations are growing with unprecedented speed.

FaceBook grew from zero to hero in the space of a few years. Currently it claims to have 200 million active members, 100 million more than a year ago. Twitter has tipped and is currently a hot subject. In its many forms, the evolution of SN is continuing at breakneck speed.

Like almost everything else that surrounds marketing today, it is technology that is creating tremendous opportunity for marketers. With evolution of such magnitude (a single place where so many consumers of every demographic are grouping on a virtually daily basis) comes, potentially, one of the greatest marketing opportunities ever presented - a perfectly targeted audience.

Such rapid evolution has however made it even more confusing for those looking to access new opportunities. As well as new frontiers, there are questions around how you deal with and integrate the current SN platforms and what their real value is. MySpace, the original stellar online attraction, has experienced its first year of negative growth. Some reports say people are tiring of FaceBook (not helped by recent changes to ‘policy’ which questioned the integrity of the FaceBook model). Word also has it that between 20 and 50 percent of Twitterers are not Tweeting.

So how do you begin to make sense of all this and what should you do?

Unlike the traditional marketing ‘gathering place’ (generally communities which have been formed around trade and commerce), digital social networks are a hybrid of a meeting place and a medium. For marketers who are not used to having to wait to be invited in, that can pose a challenge.

Marketing used to be as simple as either promoting a product in an existing trade related environment or blasting a message out to anyone with ears on the basis that they could be inspired enough to buy. But SN is different and if not handled properly might not only be a waste of time, but potentially harmful. Even the likes of Telstra have had backlash from the social networking community for ‘try-hard’ tactics.

But try you must. Because if you don’t, chances are your public will do it for you. At Synchromesh, we have had a number of recent examples of clients whose customers and even employees have created their own unauthorised company sites - some clients have found pages under their brand on FaceBook; we regularly find tweets on clients (and their products) published by customers (appearing on Twitter); and often there is video content on YouTube which is drawing tens of thousands of views. And none of this is in the control of the client.

From a marketing perspective, the challenge is not so much to reach, but more to talk to your ‘public’ in a way that they will readily understand and accept. Overt, non-benefit based advertising will often be ignored and rejected.

The opportunity is to identify initiatives that offer value and then activate the strategy in a way that does not bombard the audience - you don’t want to become that ex-boyfriend/girlfriend that will just not go away. Successful SN marketers understand where their brand fits in and are sensitive to when they need to ‘back off’.

Which begs the question, is SN a marketing or a CRM tool. The answer is of course that it is both, you simply need to ensure you have your strategy right before starting your conversation. And therein lies the secret to SN - conversation. No one is interested in starting a conversation with a dinner guest who is just about to fall asleep. So to use that analogy, if you want to drive your brand into SN, be prepared (and geared up) to stay awake - you will need to chat … otherwise you will just become the one that others talk about (not to).

If you’d like to further investigate an SN strategy for your brand (or campaign), contact your Account Manager or email us at future@synchromesh.com.au