Is There Value in Social Networking?

Brightkite, a mobile social networking service and GfK Technology, a market research company, recently teamed up to conduct a survey on what people think about social networking. 87% of the 1000 people questioned say they prefer to deal with people face-to-face rather than through technology or smartphones. The results were reported in  USA Today (Many adults say they’re not sold on social networks).

How the questions for this survey were structured dictates how the responses are being articulated and thus reported. It’s safe to assume the headline for this story was crafted to get readership, no doubt. 

Social networking is all about people interacting one-on-one. Too many people get hung up on the technology that allows the social part of social networking to take place. And the fear of technology could be what’s driving the results of the survey. 

Most social media marketing guru’s know that the old school way of “pushing” products and services to consumers is no longer effective. Social networking tools allow companies and organizations to “pull” consumers in by allowing them to engage in conversation about products and services. This fosters community, albeit through technology, but also develops relationships. If you are a consumer products company social networking allows your customers to have an experience with your product through other like-minded people. This has the potential to drive you to a store to experience the product first-hand. If you are a service company the same applies.

Smart companies are finding ways to utilize social networking tools. Perfect example, United Airlines and Jet Blue both announced the use of  Twitter to promote discount air fares. Is this valuable to potential passengers of United and Jet Blue? You bet! Is it valuable to both airline companies? Certainly! And let’s not talk about how the use of  Twitter extends the brand of both airlines to the flying public which ultimately impacts the bottom line. 

So, in spite of what the suvey says (can you hear Family Feud gameshow host Richard Dawson?), there is value to social networking.

How are you integrating social networking tools into your marketing strategy? What kind of results, if any, have you been able to measure since launching your social media strategy?

Hit me back with your comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts.