Despite the growing popularity of online social networking, these social networking sites remain largely untapped by online marketers. And, it appears people like it that way.
According to a survey by media research form IDC quoted in this Dec. 5 article by eMarketer, people don’t want brands following them around in social networks trying to strike up conversations. IDC reported that just 3 percent of social network users polled said it was appropriate for publishers to use their contact information in order to serve them targeted advertising.
With a slowed economy and the lukewarm reception for even targeted advertising, eMarketer projects social network ad spending will slow even more than other forms of online ad spending.
But (and this is a big but), email marketers who understand and respect the culture of the social networking environment can be both welcomed and successful there. Instead of intruding on your customers’ and prospects’ social spaces, you can be invited in and introduced to their friends. If you haven’t already checked it out, download the white paper “Email Marketing Goes Social” by logging in to our preference center. It will give you lots of tips on how to get started. When you play by the community’s rules, you become part of what makes it valuable to its participants rather than the noise that detracts from it.
