.jpg)
After 15 years in business, Sackville, NBbased SGCI recently shut down its operations and dismissed its 12 employees. “The economic downturn was ultimately the reason to close,” owner Blaine VanSnick told a local newspaper. “There was simply no hope of a turnaround in the near future. There just weren’t many opportunities out there.”xxx Meanwhile, Colour, one of the largest agencies in the region, parted company with its vice president of social media, Carman Pirie, in September. He had this to say on his blog: “It’s been a great ride for almost four years, but I’m happy to report that my friendship with the entire team there remains.”
Reached for comment, David Hawkins, president of the firm’s New Brunswickoperations confirmed that it will continue to work with Pirie “on a contractual basis” and that “the team will continue to advance social media. That’s where we are going. There’s no question we will invest in this space.”
How, of course, is the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. ForWilma Hartmann, it comes down to education and advice. “With social media, you are not dealing with an audience to which you can push a message,” she says. “You are dealing with people who decide to be consumers. So we have to be more focussed on giving. The audience is more used to value, and this value has to be free. If we provide information, or insights or even comic relief, we provide value and we keep our audience.”
In fact, says John Sheridan, the basic principles of social media marketing are the same as those of traditional approaches. The overarching goal for any advertising agency ormarketing communications firm is to deliver customers to their clients. If increasing numbers of those customers are spending more time online, and less time reading newspapers and magazines, listening to the radio, or watching TV, then you must craft a careful methodology to reach them in the way they want to be reached.
“Business is all about making money, and spending less money,” he says. “That hasn’t changed. And the advent of social media won’t change it in the future. From a business perspective, you don’t pick up a hammer and then ask yourself what you’re going to do with it. First, you must have an objective. Then you must understand your audience. Then you craft the strategies. Then you implement the strategies. And, finally you sustain – and adjust, according to your evaluations – your program.”
It’s not rocket science. But as businesses and their advertising gurus and web wizards evolve, mature and become more adept at manipulating the tools of social media, the fewer “happy boys from Kentucky” will clutter the virtual universe with their sledge-hammer pitches for dubious goods and services.
And that’s something which should make everyone – consumers, advertisers and marketers, alike – very happy, indeed.
