Shut up and Socialize

advertising clutter

This post was originally published in September, 2009

Several months ago we moved from the quiet suburbs to the faster paced, and much noisier, city. Lancaster isn’t a big city, but when we first moved in we would often lay awake at night hearing traffic, sirens, loud music, and shouting. It was new, and it made sleeping difficult. Six months later and we’re now sleeping as well as ever. The difference? We’ve become accustomed to all the sounds around us, and while they are still there, we don’t hear them anymore.

This is why marketers and advertisers are at a crossroads. The statistic that is frequently tossed around is that the average American is bombarded with about 2,000 to 3,000 ad impressions each day. That includes radio and television commercials, print ads, direct mail, billboards, online advertising, storefront signs, ad related text messages, and even telephone marketing. Now, just stop for a second. Think back over the past 24 hours. Can you remember even one of the ads with which you were confronted? And even if you can, how many of them did you act on?

If you’re like me, you probably can’t remember a single one. Why? Because we engage in passive filtering. We are so accustomed to the clutter that our brain tunes them out. The latest numbers show that even online banner ads have only a 1% click-through rate (while banner ads on social media sites only have a 0.02% click rate). What’s a marketer to do?

And then we engage in more active filtering.

• Don’t want radio commercials? Subscribe to satellite radio or listen to your MP3 player or CDs.
• Don’t want television commercials? DVR your shows and watch them interruption free.
• Don’t want online ads? Change your browser settings and activate your pop-up blocker.
• Don’t want phone solicitations? Get caller-ID and sign up for the Do Not Call list.

As a result, marketers and advertisers need to find new and interesting ways to get their message across. The days of merely shouting louder than the competition are over. For most of us, “noise” is a turn-off; we tune it out.

Enter social media.

• If you blog properly, you aren’t hard selling your product; you’re providing interesting and useful content that, hopefully, brings people back for more.
• If you have a Facebook business page, you aren’t hard selling your product; you’re creating a viral online community of people who already like your business/organization, and many of them are willing to tell others about you.
• If you’re using Twitter properly, you aren’t hard selling your product; you’re engaging other community members in a dialogue about life (yours and theirs).

And IF you are doing these things right, you WILL sell your product. People appreciate not being sold to and talked at. They want to be valued as members of a community. This is what marketing in social media is all about. Community first, sell second.

So stop shouting, turn the noise down, save yourself some money, and explore the value of social media. Join communities of people who have something in common with you, whether it be geographic, demographic, or even a common interest or hobby. Make friends first, and perhaps they will come to you when they need whatever it is you are selling. If you only make friends for the purpose of selling, you aren’t really a friend, and you’ve already lost the battle.

What are your thoughts? And more importantly, what types of marketing and advertising messages do YOU pay attention to? What types turn you off?

Tagged as: advertising, blogs, Community, facebook, Social Media, Twitter