According to eMarketer, ad spending on social networks will take a 3% hit in 2009. They point to the downfall of Myspace as the culprit for the drop, and are quick to say they believe the slow down to be short lived. But will it? As marketers run with the herd, many are demanding they have a social network option on their marketing plan. Many are doing so without really having a strategy or an end goal in mind. The shiny new object is Facebook and Twitter, and many marketers are flocking there not really knowing what to do when they get there. I often tell my clients that it is important to have a measurable goal in mind when using any medium. And clients will eventually expect a report that details their return on investment. You can’t really do that if you don’t know what or why you are investing in Facebook or Twitter. It sounds really simple, but you’d be surprised how many marketers are using social media because it’s where the pack is running. Do your homework, have a strategy with a goal in mind, and for goodness sake, nobody wants tweets about how well your marcom meeting went unless there’s a really good reason for it. I think more and more marketers are becoming aware that they have to have a plan and the days of experimenting with new mediums are soon coming to an end. Which may be why some expect the numbers to take a hit.
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