Marketing and networking web 2.0 to club or not to club

Last night when I was thinking about a Christmas party. I got to thinking about my days as a marketing manager and how events would be mailed out months in advance and posters put up. Then the long slow process of tickets being paid for and then nagging the lagging majority who had to be emailed for the tenth time to remind them. I remember how the benefits of the Chamber of Commerce and businessmen's clubs were so essential to businesses then. Things like tenders, medical aid, membership lists. These have all become seperate services online now and you can tender for a job as a freelancer or business and be paid online in minutes on twenty different sites. Through linkedin you can send them your resume, your client list your references in minutes. You can register, pay for and print your ticket to any conference or event anywhere in the world within minutes. You can even check out the speakers and watch videos of them in advance. Linkedin have just launched an events application. Then there's the launch of Zoopy - a social media community that makes the world a smaller place. So where does this leave those networking clubs like Rotary (who do admitedly also have charity, polio eradication and education exchange programmes to manage too) Chambers of Commerce, Businesswomen's clubs, Toastmasters etc. Who all now have websites sure. Will they be forced to adopt and join social media sites like twitter and facebook to keep up? I noticed Rotary already has a twitter account. I keep saying this because it's my job as a new media and web 2.0 evangelist, that companies and organizations will have to adopt or die, and I'm saying it again. Facebook has within it's millions of members clubs of every imaginable kind, and even those unimaginable. The news is reported and discussed in a moment now. Any disaster or travel advice is circulated between Twitter and Facebook users within seconds. So does this put people who sell this information out of business? Will people still read sector newsletters and look for recommendations from infomation services? Will marketing and PR managers be replaced by new media wizzes? Will there be no end to Facebook and Twitter growth? Hey even the WSJ newspaper had an article on twitter Want to tell us what you think, Have a burning question, or want to strongly disagree? You can do all that by sending us a comment. Wisequeen Donna Jackson Social Communications Specialist.

Comments

[Sam]

Marketing and PR managers will have to be fit in the new media areas, no doubt. This whole thing isn't really that new so we can expect some of them to not die. Adapt they will have to.

I don't yet think that Twitter can be really counted here. Facebook is a huge thing but I don't yet fully believe in Twitter as a thing of the future. Some company will soon come out and build the next thing to Twitter that will give micro blogging more sense.

[wisequeen]

Thanks for your viewpoint Sam it will be interesting to see who comes out with something better than Twitter, maybe one of the many startup techies we have interviewed on this blog!

[JuanRomero]

Amongst social media evangelists there seems to be a consesus on the "do or die" nature of social media. I beg to differ (only slightly). While for most companies, clubs, social groups etc. social media is already, well, uncircumventable, there probably will be a small space for a number of companies that consciously choose not to be accessible by our young communications channel to preserve some sort of (perceived) exclusivity. However, I don't think that it's generally a good thing to advice a company not to use social media/new media/web 2.0 (whichever term you prefer).

I think that social media channels will get pretty crowded pretty soon. Therefore I wouldn't bet on traditional media or traditional marketing and PR (or costumer service for that matter) to disappear anytime soon. Moreover, social media complements traditional methods and channels beautifully, adding a new layer, with a lower threshold and higher potential for dialog, so I see synergy ahead rather than competition.

I think that the low threshold and low complexity of twitter is precisely what makes it powerful, since it's exactly this simplicity that's one of the main advantages of new media.
Essentially, i think that twitter is the prototypical new media web app and due to its perfect timing and nice momentum I'm guessing it will be alive and kicking for quite some time.

Thanks for your insightful post :)

[wisequeen]

Well thankyou Juan I liked your "adding a new layer" idea as I feel the oldboys club and social media can and will live side by side happily in the future. Twitter makes it easier, but it is by no means complete I think we will see new innovation in micro blogging soon. They're working on it.

[Anita Bruzzese]

I'm always amazed at the number of business people I meet who not only don't know what LinkedIn is, but have never heard of Twitter. These are people who are considered at the top of their game, but just don't think any online networking "applies" to them. My question is: Can you afford to stick your head in the sand in this economy? That sort of unsettles them, and many of them are now being more diligent about keeping up with the online market.

[Edgar Garcia]

I've noticed another new trend with companies adopting a Twitter persona, particularly media companies. Case in point, the Chicago Tribune's @ColonelTribune, @RedEyeChicago, and the Chicago Suntime's @Suntimes have linked news sources from each other and have retweeted as well. It amazes me when one newspaper entity gives recognition to a competitor and Twitter helps facilitate this much more. They're definitely not just an RSS feed of just their articles. They also interact with us.

Its all about adapting to change, these marketing and PR managers basically should probably become more of media wizzes and everything will be great. You, Donna, and Sarah Evans (@PRsarahevans) are great examples of the emerging media wizzes, utilizing the new tools as they come out.

[Edgar Garcia]

@JuanRomero I agree about your assessment regarding Twitter personas, but in the three cases I mentioned, they all interact closely with their followers. You get to know them if you interact with them. The other "Twitter company persona" that kinda falls outside the personal issue is @pandora_radio (her name is Lucia as she signs every DM response I have gotten). She's Pandora's SM expert/blogger. I rarely follow a company account, but I do my research first and if they are people first and company second, they'll get my follow.

Britney Spears should take some notes from @wilw and @feliciaday when it comes to Twitter and Facebook.

I only recently followed MC Hammer, and it was at the insistence of @Shavar (Dudley from Diff'rent Strokes, and Weasel from Family Matters)

Excellent response, Juan!

[wisequeen]

great debate Guys! this is what I like, people with opinions who know their stuff.

[JuanRomero]

"people first and company second" I will quote the heck out of this ;)

It seems like marketing was all about professional, impersonal brands just a minute ago and now it's about talking to the people. If social media leads to a decrease of poorly targeted advertising and to a increase of good costumer service, I will be happy and companies' wallets will be less strained.

[Liz S]

I'm not of the mindset of replacement of x by z but rather, a fluid evolution. Because "old media" is the foundation for new, there will always be a place for those tenets to be put into action. The idea of a new model being forced on the old makes the assumption that the new model is already proven and therefore, superior. I think that SM is still new enough that we're on the course and not the road as of yet. The future is now but the past isn't dead yet. Time will tell.

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