Social Media Marketing

We don't deny that there is a huge social media movement. What we question is the (current) frenzy to drive it into business settings. We would like to hear from you on your thoughts.

From our perspective, social media is the modern version of the old party-line telephone. Everybody can check in and catch up on the latest gossip, friends can keep in touch regardless of distance, and people can express their opinions to a wider audience. The issue to be debated is how this medium can really benefit businesses.

We are users of Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Linkedin and others social media sites. We honestly cannot assign a single lead or order to our social media efforts. Living in the Obamaconomy it may have been useful to let our clients know that we are doing well in a less than stellar economy. But is the hype really worth the time commitment?

Brand development and PR are our top reason for using social media. All of the "experts" put forth theories on how to monetize social media sites. Has anyone truly found business success on social media sites? Does the average person really care about your latest office move, product launch or self promotion? Are social media sites really driven by self absorption and an overstated sense of self worth?

Stepping back it is easy to see social media sites as a place for people of common interests to congregate, then entice business owners with the opportunty to "get in front of the masses", and then sell advertising space. Our company, and clients, spend a lot of time on social media marketing. We have not found any overwhelming endorsements for the business use of social media. We are hoping that all of our efforts will deliver a measurable benefit in the near future . . . otherwise social media is just a new version of the old paryt-line telephone line. What are your thoughts on social media?