We may have reached "the chicken or the egg" stage in social media marketing: does it drive your traditional marketing efforts or it is the other way around.
At one end of the spectrum, reportedly there is a "social media adoption gap" between organizations and the sales people that work for them, according to the results of a recent survey by the OgilvyOne Worldwide marketing firm.
“Our research has shown that the people on the front-line, the salespeople themselves, recognize the power and potential of social media. They are hungry for education and empowerment, yet few companies are providing the access and training they need,” said Brian Fetherstonhaugh, chairman and chief executive of OgilvyOne Worldwide.
Besides the U.S., the company surveyed sales people in the U.K., Brazil and China. Nearly half of the respondents said social media was important to their success, with two-thirds of the "most successful salespeople" agreeing with that statement.
However, 68% said the selling process is changing faster than their organizations are adapting to it.
Half of the respondents also said they beleived their companies were afraid of letting employees use social media.
Finally, many U.S. companies claim to have a social media strategy, but only 9% of salespeople from this country said their company trains or educates them on the use of social media for sales.
But is social media marketing the be-all and end-all? One marketer warned sales people not to get caught up in the social media craze, lest they let their traditional marketing efforts go to waste.
Richard Berman, president of Berman & Associates, a public relations firm, commented, "In our rush to embrace the latest apps, one would think that the conventional media has folded up its tent and gone home. Recent studies, however, report that the majority of chatter in social media is a reaction to news in the conventional media. A story I helped generate on The Associated Press appeared on more than 50,000 websites on the first day it was published.
"The AP was founded in 1846 and still carefully researches each of its stories. Few blogs have such resources or objectivity, and therein lies the reason that conventional media is still the most credible, trusted source for news. Therefore, in building a media campaign, I tell clients to approach the mainstream media first—success you have there will soon trickle down to the blogosphere."
Berman's message: it is not an either/or between traditional media marketing and social media marketing, but knowing how to effectively leverage both.
