David Simond's Word of Mouse discusses Conversational Marketing, a new breakthrough of online marketing. Through this form of advertising, marketers draw on the the power of the Internet social networks, such as Facebook and Myspace, to connect to consumers and promote their products and services.As expected, there are pros and cons to this new trend.
Pros:
- It's cool to become friends (or fans) of my favorite bands and organizations on Facebook because I get updates on what's new (e.g. new music, latest fashion, upcoming events, discounts, and freebies). I happened to be a fan of AMF 300 Shady Grove, a local bowling alley. It is just notified me about college night on Thursdays from 9:00 PM to midnight. College students who show their college ids can play unlimited bowling for just $10, eat for $5, and drink for $3.
- It is also good to show what you're a fan of. Not only does it serve as a conversation starter, it also come in handy when friends and family need hints on finding me gifts.
- I find the Fandango scenario kind of creepy. Imagine you purchase movie tickets (via Fandango) while signed into Facebook, it automatically notifies your Facebook friends via news feed as to which movie, what theater, and what showtime. If the "not-so-desirable" someone decides to come along or show up unexpectedly, it's not easy to say "no". In fact, this is also true with online Blockbuster Movie Rentals. When you add a movie into your queue, it notifies your Facebook friends via news feed which movies you are interested in seeing.
- I also find the status update on Facebook creepy. Sometimes it feels like someone is watching what I put out there. For example, if I update my status or information page about liking Starbucks, there would be abs on the right offering free $25.00 gift card (which is usually a scam attempting to solicit personal information.
For the article Why Conversational Marketing Requires Fundamental Business Change, Vicky Tamaru identified three requirements of conversational marketing to be effective. These include on-going, two-way, and authentic conversation with the customers. However, I feel that these are general marketing strategies for most businesses. In order to retain customers, a business must maintain good relationships with them and earn their trust and loyalty.
Sources:
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Tamaru, Vicky. "Why Conversational Marketing Requires Fundamental Business Change | Branded Entertainment." Business Resources, Advice and Forms for Large and Small Businesses. Web. 02 Feb. 2010.
"Word of Mouse." Economist.com. Web. 02 Feb. 2010.
I find it very creepy about the amount of information facebook discloses to business that have ad spaces on facebook. Though it is one of the major ways facebook makes $$$, it seems as if there is somewhat an invasion of user privacy. It's a very grey area
ReplyDeleteI suggest that we be very careful with what we publish via Facebook. Believe me, someone is always watching and monitoring. Especially now that Police Departments are using Facebook as a resource to assist them in suicidal investigations. So whether we read the fine prints or not, we actually agreed to everything Facebook is doing.
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