Now that large companies are relying so heavily on those who love the quirky attention span of those addicted to the i-device I’ve noticed a trend to just get the information out there without spending the time to create good content.
One ‘social media audience’ company has done a good job reaching their audience (18-35 women) and I would certainly write a super-positive “press release” if I were part of that company; since I’m not, however, I’m going to criticize it. This particular company is interested in advertising revenue. They downplay content, however, over audience segmentation which I think is a little strange. I have to admit that it might work. But I can’t get rid of the feeling that a lot of social content, mine included, is rather shallow and self-focused; which appeals to 5-second-scan, ADD type of viewing. This works to sell T-shirts, music, and beer (OK, maybe a bit over the line here), and has a huge audience of people who probably won’t purchase much. Audience development with SEO, Mailchimp, and other strategies seems to be the Flavor and Favor of the Week but if the content isn’t any good even a huge audience won’t do much to help an advertiser’s ROI because you’ll not get the spenders.
The most successful eyeball gathering techniques are closely coupled with some really savvy content generation that also recognizes the importance of audience segmentation using social media as the tool; otherwise it’s just a shotgun blast of money and energy that’s riding the High-Fivers going around the office excited by their latest Kick Starter program. It’s possible that more successful social media outfits will emerge that artfully recognize the importance of content and content generation.
Right now those making money using social media use the individual stage, where personal contact with the audience is possible and their advice, training, or art is sold almost on a one-to-one. A larger entity [company] has a much bigger gap to jump because personal contact between XYZ, inc, and Mr or Ms Smith is close to zip, so the media content had better be pretty darn appealing.
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