A few days ago, my co-worker, who is the head media buyer now, asked me a really good question. A client of ours is interested in investing in a third-page ad. If you have ever bought ad space before, you know that third-page ads usually come in 3 shapes – horizontal, vertical, and square. All of them are priced the same (usually), so the choice of which version to recommend comes down to a lot of other factors, like what you are going to need to promote in the ad, how the publication places different types of ads, and what kind of ad would be likely to pop the most. We leafed through the publication, discussed it in detail, and made a decision.
All of that work, conversation, and strategizing revolved around a single ad placement for a single client in a single publication. In the grand scheme of things, it might seem like the ramifications of our decision would be pretty small. However, when you place ad space, this is what you have to do if you want to do a good job.
So it is with so much that an agency does. We proofread everything we do. We make sure publications are going to pick up our news releases. We learn about all facets of our clients’ businesses, to the best of our ability, so that our conversations and recommendations can be grounded in their world.
I would wager that companies who work with agencies would say that they appreciate this kind of eye for detail. People like to have someone they can depend on in areas of detail and footwork.
And yet, for some reason, so many people, so many companies, rush right into Social Media as if no care was required. Instead, an air of “I got this” fogs up the room as different people note that “My teenage son/daughter/niece/nephew does this all of the time. How hard can it be?”
A campaign of one
When you buy ad space, you look at the overall circulation, and then you look at the sub-groups within that circulation. Are you reaching the groups of people you need to reach? Have groups of people been qualified?
In Social Media, everything is about 1. You are looking to connect with 1 person at a time. You are looking for 1 really great connection. You are communicating so that everyone feels like he or she is your audience, alone. Does this not also require some planning, some care? Is this not perhaps a different kind of operation that requires a different kind of precision? Would you try to buy media space just because you read a publication? Why then do people and companies attempt to use Social Media marketing with the validation that they have a personal Facebook account that they use at home?
It’s Different and the Same
Suzanne Vara and I often chat about how Social Media marketing and advertising are really not the separate planets that people would make them out to be. Yes, of course Twitter is very different from a print publication or an industry vortal website. Yes, of course Social Media is more dynamic and more “wild West.” Even so, marketing, in the end, is marketing. It still takes a plan. It still takes measurement. It still takes time to make decisions. Maybe it’s whether to use a person’s picture or a company logo as the avatar versus what kind of third-page ad to buy. It’s still a decision. The care must still transfer.
Just something to consider before closing your eyes, plugging your nose, and jumping in.
For many a weary year, I lived and breathed in The Ivory Tower. Academia was a good match for me in a lot of ways. Verbosity is often appreciated, as are ludicrously long words. If you use words that would score well in Scrabble (well, other than cheating words like “ef”) you get magical academic-geek kudos. Very valuable.
Ok, it’s time I let out an ugly truth.
Lately, I have seen a lot of people in different contexts online asking, “What do I get from that” or “Is what I will get out of it really worth my time/money/effort?”
What can I get out of paid sites like Third Tribe or 501MissionPlace? I’ve seen these questions a lot, not just in regards to these two websites but in terms of books you have to buy, webinars you have to pay for, and more. I am not made of money. I like money. I like it best when it is in my pocket. However, one must sometimes look at money not as a collector’s item but as something you can use to buy important things. When people in the business world create an opportunity online and then ask you to pay for it, there is usually a pretty good reason for it. Even so, it’s easy to say, “Okay, what will my x dollars give me?” Well, again, that all depends on you (unless the resource you have invested in is just awful, which may happen, but seldom). What have I gotten out of the things I have paid for in this space? Information I wasn’t finding anywhere else. Contact with people whom I probably would not have been able to intersect with anywhere else. Networking opportunities. Education. A chance to broaden my horizons.
Wow. The tenth #30Thursday already. Every week that I do this, I become more and more astounded at the brilliance that is out there just waiting to be read and shared. This week, great ideas seemed to be a common theme, along with some interesting and detailed evaluations of our world as it is today. I feel privileged to have read all of these posts. I hope you feel the same way!