Engaging Consumers in the Virtual Neighborhood

In recent years, FaceBook, MySpace, Friendster and other social networking communities have entered the marketing arena. Huge numbers of consumers regularly post profiles and photos on such sites.

In fact, recent research indicates that nearly 50% of teenagers, 70% of 18 to 21 year olds, and 20% of adults have a profile someplace on the social Web. That’s not surprising when one considers that the most successful levels of engagement are built on a foundation of community.

But as much fun as tagging a friend’s photograph may be, the time comes when these sites need to be monetized from a marketing perspective. Right now, the most successful of these approaches – from an engagement perspective — is the viral download.

From a social networking point-of-view, viral downloads are successful because if someone in a community sees something that resonates for them, it’s likely their friends will feel the same way. And those friends will re-post the same message or ad or video on their profile, and so on and so on. After all, among social networking aficionados today, the most common reason given for actually visiting a Web site for the first time is that a friend had it linked it through to their profile page.

But engagement is just the beginning. Not to sound crass, but to really capitalize upon the viral buzz of such efforts you need to turn engagement into true loyalty. That means that one size will, unfortunately, not fit all brands.

To succeed, marketers need to recognize that social networking sites are merely another of the myriad touch points in their marketing and communications arsenal. The brand is still paramount. Here are seven rules to keep in mind when you’re reaching out.

1. There should be a real reason for entering the social networking neighborhood. Just because others are doing it doesn’t mean your brand should too.

2. Keep in mind that social networking spots aren’t focused on doing business, at least not in the classic sense of the word. Network members are on to those truly commercial and crass intrusions into their neighborhood.

3. Whether on TV or the Web, the brand still has to stand for something in the mind of the consumer.

4. There has to be an emotional bond created between the consumer and the brand. A pre-existing emotional bond is even better.

5. There should be a rational connection between the brand and the viral event. With apologies for mixing sports metaphors, don’t use what we have come to call “Virtual Field of Dreams Brand Planning.” Just because you toll it out there does not necessarily mean that they will pass it along.

6. Real friends don’t have to buy time with each other, so think carefully about whether you even want to offer incentives to “link up.”

As the Boomers follow their children onto the social-networking bandwagon, professional networking via these virtual portals is becoming easier as well. And, it provides opportunities for brands to “interact” with various constituencies. Various sites’ messaging systems and personalized privacy controls make following up in a relatively professional manner fairly simple, no matter what category you’re talking about.

Social networking sites offer a more casual way of making contacts without the formality of letters, the informality of e-mail, or the time a phone call during business hours requires. It’s never just a 5-minute call. “Wall posts” allow for the bouncing back and forth of ideas, or just reaching out to tap someone on the back of their mind. Done right, it can be a very powerful tool for engagement.

And remember, real friends don’t make it difficult for friends to link up. You wouldn’t want to have to make five telephone calls and exchange six emails to get together with a group of your buddies for a drink, so don’t make it difficult for folks to engage with your brand. Keep the data fields down to “need to know” instead of “nice to know” and you’ll find that you are welcomed into the neighborhood with virtually open arms.

Robert Passikoff, Ph.D. is founder and president of New York-based Brand Keys, Inc.