The Way I Explained Social Media To My Grandmother
I was recently speaking to my grandmother when the topic of Facebook and social marketing came up
. My grandmother, who has never used the Internet, no less Facebook, asked me to explain the concept of social marketing to her. Since my grandmother does not know very much about technology, I decided to liken social marketing to something that I knew she had experienced in the past: a 1950s Tupperware party.
At the time, I thought that the Tupperware analogy was just a quick and easy way to explain social marketing to my grandmother. Upon further reflection, however, I have realized that the analogy is, in fact, quite relevant. Successful Tupperware party hosts were able to do three things really well: get people to the party, separate the influencers from the friend collectors and motivate people to buy - all three of which are anchors of a solid social marketing strategy.
Getting people to the party
In the 1950s, getting people to the party involved talking to friends and neighbours where they socialized: at schools, grocery stores, community centres and neighbourhood parks. This concept holds true on the Internet, except community centers and neighbourhood parks take the form of social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, where people congregate and socialize online. However, just like in the 1950s, simply showing up at the park and yelling out the details of the party is an insufficient and ineffective way to market.
You need to build relationships with the people, get to know them and what they like and then once you've established some trust, you can invite them to the party. The same way you don't have a "neighbourhood park" strategy, you also shouldn't have a "Facebook strategy". The strategy, quite plainly, is to find interested people and get them to join the party, regardless of where you chat with them.
Separating the Influencers from the Friend Collectors
I imagine that there was always that friend at the Tupperware party who would bring 10 people along with them, who would eat all of the sandwiches and leave having purchased no Tupperware. This person is known as a "friend collector" and has neither the ability nor the motivation to help the party host maximize Tupperware sales. As such, it is important to separate the influencers from the friend collectors. Social networks can give marketers great data to identify people with many online connections. But collecting a lot of friends online does not mean that you have any influence over those people. It is important to identify the consumers with true influence and the friends that trust them. In order to effectively weed out the friend collectors today, it is incumbent on marketers to use new technologies and techniques to assess influence online and focus marketing dollars accordingly.
Motivate them to buy
The best Tupperware party hosts knew that getting the right people to the party was just the beginning. They had to find ways to motivate people to buy. First, they would create the image - by presenting an immaculately clean home and by dressing in their finest clothes. Second, they would offer the guests something for nothing - often a warm drink and some sandwiches to enjoy during the party. Third, they would find ways to weave the benefits of Tupperware into ordinary conversation. Finally, they would demonstrate the products and ask for orders. The really successful hosts would also make sure to invite past customers that would be able to speak to the quality and value of the products. This process employed by the best Tupperware party hosts can be replicated successfully by brands today using social marketing. Yes, maybe the tactics and names have changed to things like nurturing programs, contesting and promotions, online ratings and reviews and social listening programs, but the process is remarkably similar.
So what is the moral of the story?
Social marketing does not have to be overly complicated. The same rules that made Tupperware hosts successful in the 1950s can be applied today to make brands successful in the 2010s. It is important to keep in mind, however, that it is not just as simple as using Facebook or Twitter to reach a large audience. It is about reaching the right audience: those people who are going to become loyal customers and brand advocates.
So it begs the question, is your social marketing budget focused on identifying and empowering your brand advocates, or are you just giving away free sandwiches?
by: Steve Irvine
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