Report: Social marketing is still a good investment

Although a recent comScore reports indicates that social network adoption is tapering off in North America, the social platform is still a good investment for marketers. Once social networking became mainstream, it was inevitable that the consumer base would eventually reach the tipping point and new user sign-ups would taper off.

by Kristina Knight

But, just because there aren't as many new users does not mean that marketers should move on. On the contrary, because the majority of consumers in North America are using social networks daily or weekly, this is the right time to invest in a social marketing campaign.

According to a new report from Datamonitor, consumers are turning to social networks no just to chat with friends but also to stay up to date on the latest news headlines, trends and entertainment information rather that waiting for the evening news on television or the morning newspaper. Because of this shift, some ad dollars should be set aside for an innovative social campaign on highly trafficked social sites.

When social networks first became popular, it was kids who drove the high adoption rates. Now that social networks are coming into their own, adults are also signing on to create profiles and "friend" one another. Still marketers wonder exactly how to appeal to the mass of people on these networks, people who come from all financial, ethnic and age demographics.

The key, no matter which demographic is targeted, is to create something different. Traditional banner ads, an ad "copied" from a newspaper ad or a video commercial that is identical online as well as offline don't work in this space. Consumers want to be engaged and aren't willing to sift through a full :30 commercial. They want fast, fun and friendly. In a social environment, who would want anything else?