Facebook Business Marketing is SPAM

Earlier today I posted a link on my Facebook profile, hoping to spark some discussion.  Well, I got a little more than I bargained for — and from some unexpected quarters.

The take home message from this link is simple: Social Media Marketing is Marketing !

That means, social media is just one tactic for getting your message to your audience – your target market.  Other tactics include traditional media, non-digital word of mouth, and promotion.  But, that also leaves the 3 other P’s — product, pricing, and place (distribution).

I was hoping to strike up a dialogue among the academics and practitioners on my Facebook about the importance of KNOWING marketing, not just technology as a “social media marketing” expert.  Instead, I got a negative reaction against Facebook business marketing.  Here’s my response to that complaint:

I’m not disagreeing with you. If done right, social media shouldn’t be such an invasion of you social media conversations. Social media should be as natural as other forms of Word of Mouth — which we, as consumers, find valuable and not something to be avoided.

I’m just saying that many of these companies using Facebook are NOT doing it right – that’s why you feel the way you do. And don’t forget, social media is bigger than Facebook, it includes blogs, Twitter, etc. As part of my current research project, I spoke with a company who is getting great results from their Social Media Marketing — of course, they’re not using Facebook but mostly blogging. Their blog is on Corporate Social Responsibility and highlights responsibility among companies it hopes to attract as customers. They engage these companies (as well as others) in the dialogue and invite them to contribute to the blog. This has been very successful. Another informant discussed book marketing through Social Media Marketing. This has been very successful because they crowdsource elements of emerging books, build trusting relationships with prospective readers, offer free elements, such as free chapters, etc. A similar tactic has worked for a “friend” using Social Media Marketing as a major element in marketing her “art”.

However, companies placing Facebook ads are interfering with the conversation and threaten the future of the medium. I would deem these Social Media Marketing efforts as being done wrong.

Its kind of the difference between product placement and push advertising. They are both advertising, but one is more likely to generate natural attitude change through generating WOM and creating positive associations that build the brand image. Push advertising is viewed less favorably and isn’t as good at accomplishing this goal.