Creating a GlobalBuzz

I attended a webinar last night that really spelt out the power of Social Media and how the world of marketing had changed. In the old days it said, people had three methods of getting the attention of their potential customers.

i) The 'bought' some advertising or a space at an exhibition etc
ii) They 'begged' the Media for attention
iii) They employed sales people to go out and 'pester'

It went on to state that while these methods still worked and had their place, in the 'new' world, there were other, more effective (and potentially cheaper) ways of getting your message across and making those all important sales.

The basic premise of this 'new world' was that you did not buy, beg or pester your way to exposure (and thus sales) but instead you had to 'EARN' that exposure.

The presenter went on to explain that this 'earning process' was based upon another statement, one that he holds to be very true indeed:-

'On the Web You Are What You Publish'

This basic truth is supported by the fact that these days information, news and gossip all travel via 'Word of Mouse' (and thumb if you include the mobile phone) . This is where the Web really has changed things, as now it is so very easy to share things with others, which in turn means that news etc can spread very very quickly, the number of people being 'aware' of something potentially mutliplying at an incredible rate.

BUT, and it is a big but, that information / news has to be worth sharing, it has to be worth person A telling person B about. That is the trick and the fence that so many fail at.

One of the biggest changes that business has to get it's head around was that it was no longer any good to talk about products and service, but instead about the issues that were facing it's customers and how they could be solved. You did not now just go in and sell, you had to talk to people in their language not yours.

The biggest issue for many marketing executives will however be the issue of 'losing control' of the marketing methods, of taking your hands off the reins and letting the horse go where it wants to. The best example of this was that of the Grateful Dead pop group. They made the decision to allow their fans to record their live performances, even it was said going to the length of giving these 'recording fans' the best seats in the house. Their music was thus shared on the Net and viewed by thousands who otherwise may never have heard it. The end result, the group became the one of the most popular touring bands of all time. Plus remember they did not have to buy, beg or pester, they just 'shared'.

Views were also expressed about measuring ROI on Social Media and how this was basically a bad idea, it just being not compatible with the medium.

To see the Tweets on the webinar search for #GlobalBuzz on Twitter.

The 'Creating a Global Buzz Webinar' is available on line now too.

It was really good and I would recommend that all online marketers have a look, it certainly gave me some inspiration.