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PandemicBlog

Insight into Viral Marketing and Social Media Marketing from People Who Know

Social Networking is Not Just for Teenagers AnymoreAugust 13

A few years ago, the idea of gathering online to meet people who shared your passions seemed weird, because, for one thing the conception was you’d only find other geeks online. But these days, more and more people from different demographics are going online through social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook - sites where people create their own profiles, add other users to their list of friends, and share photos. But lately, online social networking has taken another step and has been moving offline into the “real world,” with people using these sites in new ways to recruit businesses, employees and in some cases philanthropic donations.

In a very short time, social networking has been redefined beyond its initial scope of just being a way to keep in touch with family and friends. For one thing, legitimate news organizations are now keeping an eye on online social networks as they’ve become an alternative source for news. Some social networks are even consistently “outscooping” traditional media outlets when it comes to the latest news. The viral success of social networks speaks to the fact that social networking has be

Social Media Marketing is a Means, Not an EndAugust 11

A couple of weeks ago I hired a contractor to build my new house. I was very excited because this will be my first house and I have the luxury of building from scratch. I interviewed numerous contractors, determined to find the right one for this job. After all, building my house is just about the most important thing to me right now. I want it to be perfect.

After weeks of interviews, I settled on the contractor that I trusted to build the house I want. About a week after I hired him, the contractor called me at work and asked me to meet him at the build site on my way home. So, at around 6:30, tired from a long day, I arrived at the plot of land on which my new home would soon stand.

There was stuff everywhere: Lumber, bags of concrete mix, tools of every kind, two large Caterpillar back-hoes, a cement truck, and a small battalion of workmen. The contractor met me at my car, a broad smile beaming and a firm handshake.

“Well, Mr. Peters,” he began, “We’ve got everything we need. All the lumber has just come in. We’ve got the cement and equipment for the foundation. I’ve got brand new tools all ready and my best team. I’ve even got an electrician and plumber with all their equipment set up as well. Yes, Mr. Peters, I seems to me that we’re pretty much finished here.”

Viral Marketing: Is it the Flu or are we Infected?August 8

Viral marketing, a colloquial name given to a subset of social media marketing, is growing like a wild weed. Traditional marketing giants like Unilever and Comcast, to name a few, are increasingly active in using the SMM tools to promote their brands and interact with consumers. One has to wonder: is it just a flu or has the virus spread so deep as to become a reality?

I firmly believe we are on the way to a pandemic (sorry for the self-promotion), and SMM will rule modern marketing. Yes, we are infected (in a good way) and there is no vaccination. However, I still feel the virus is just showing its symptoms, and a few things need to happen before it settles in and becomes reality. Let me give you the reasons why I believe we will get irremediably sick, why that is a very good thing, and what I think will have to happen for us to get there.

There are plenty of reasons to explain why SMM will be huge. I know everyone has favorites, so I will dare to give you mine:

• Word of Mouth: Every marketer’s dream (especially traditional marketers) is for their product, brand or campaign to generate WOM. It is one of marketing’s basic rules for success. The

Social Marketing and Social Media Marketing, Continued…August 7

Introduction

On August 5th I wrote a post about the confusion surrounding the traditional meaning of the term “social marketing” and the varying ways that it is currently being used in many circles. The idea for the post came from Mike Kujawski’s post entitled, “The Difference Between Social Marketing and Social Media Marketing,” so here again I give him a proverbial shout out. (NOTE: for any who want to read a fantastic post on the traditional meaning of social marketing, check this out.)

The reactions to my post were astounding, not because of their number, but because of their quality. I feel honored to be a part of this discussion, and even though it appears that I have angered some people, I think the discussion is something that should be taking place.

There were many great points made in the comments, and I have spent a good bit of time on the blogs/sites of those who commented. So that you all don’t hav

Social Marketing vs. Social Media MarketingAugust 5

I stumbled upon an interesting post today that got me thinking. The post is titled “The Difference Between Social Marketing and Social Media Marketing,” and it can be found on the blog of Mike Kujawski. It’s not a new post, but it raises one of my favorite topics: nomenclature. I found it via a tweet by the author today saying, “Wishing people would stop confusing Social Marketing with Social Media Marketing once and for all…”

Back in June, Brennan White wrote a nomenclature post about the definition of viral marketing and described our viewpoint on the meaning of “viral” in viral marketing. Brennan notes, “To me, ‘viral’ denotes the specific distribution strategy of a piece of online media.”

Kujawski addresses a similar nomenclature issue. Rather than defining “social,” however, he clarifies the differences between “social marketing” and “social media marketing.” Let’s look at his definitions.

For his definition of social marketing, Kujawski uses a quo