The “Avatar” Phenomenon: This Is How It Works Now
[101] Most of the marketers I know, especially the old-schoolers (like me), struggle with social media. It’s vague, confusing, seemingly unscientific, hard to control. How do you even approach it?
I can’t tell you the number of meetings I’ve been in where I’ve heard “we need to have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, maybe start a blog.” And my question usually is, “for what?” You can do that stuff, the cost of entry is low and it’s not too hard. So what can it hurt? But it’s not going to mean anything unless you have something people want to talk about. And you very likely have to launch or support it in “traditional” media.
The fact of the matter is, social media happens whether you do anything about it or not.
I’m a little late writing about it, but I think it’s important to look at the Avatar phenomenon. The New York Times says Fox spent about $150 million to market the movie. You can bet 95 percent of that was not social media. (OK, I have no clue, but certainly 85 or 90 percent.) It was a huge traditional media push. But here’s what happened next: It was getting more than 3,000 tweets an hour around its opening day. Its Facebook page picked up more than a million fans. And as of early this month it had grossed over $1 billion, putting it into the top five movies of all time.
But here’s what I specifically saw and experienced: Natalie and I both went to see it over the holiday; we had to buy tickets hours in advance, and get in line an hour before showtime. We were both impressed with the movie, and each did a quick post about going on our Facebook pages; no big review, no gushing praise, just that we went and thought it was outstanding and worth seeing. So everyone in both our networks saw us giving it two thumbs up. It got posted on some other friends’ Facebook pages, with a few comments going back and forth, so their friends heard some of the conversation, too. So several scores of people, at least, got the positive vibe about Avatar from just us two. And at least some of them probably were influenced to go see the movie.
And by the way, reviews are social media, and people pay attention to them — even reviews from strangers. (Online retailers, take note. Build some review functionality into your site.)
So my point is this: In many or even most cases, traditional media is still going to be the cornerstone of your marketing. Do what you can in social media, too, including adding some buttons on your website for easy, direct Facebook and Twitter posting. But don’t have a cow worrying that you’re not being social media-cool enough. If your product is great, your buzz will be great, too. Plant the seed, water it, and watch it grow.
OK, so a colleague chastened me in private (kindly) about this post. Evidently, my intended meaning is not coming across clearly. Let me clarify: If you’re a marketer, you ABSOLUTELY should be integrating social media into your mix. Definitely, positively. If you don’t, you risk getting left behind at best, or becoming irrelevant at worst. Irrelevant=out of business.
The reason I ask “for what?” is not to say “why the heck would you do that?” but rather, “what do you hope to accomplish?” Because, like any other marketing communication, to be effective, social media efforts need to have an objective and a strategy. They may be long-term objectives and strategies. But you shouldn’t start without them.
The other point that I was trying to make is that regular people — like Natalie and me — are participating in the conversation, even if in a small way, and that it does make a difference to your business.
I observe and engage with different camps. There’s the social media enthusiasts, experts, evangelists, whatever you want to call them, who live and breathe this stuff, and make it happen successfully. (My aforementioned friend is one of the best I know.) And then there are legions of marketers whom I hear saying “I know I should be doing this stuff but I just don’t have time or money and management won’t approve anything that doesn’t deliver results *now* and I’m not even sure I understand this stuff.” Some of my efforts here are feeble attempts to bridge the divide between the two. I bet a lot of marketers are stuck in the middle like me.
So, for heaven’s sake, get started already! Make sure you have a good, solid Facebook page and LinkedIn presence. Start a blog (get outside help with content if you need it). Assign someone to represent your business on Twitter. Get reviews or some other customer engagement functionality onto your website. Think about a YouTube channel (you can get all kinds of uses out of short video, from your website to email marketing to (choke!) PowerPoint presentations).
Don’t fret. Get started. Get help if you need it. But just do it. Along with your traditional media. Sooner than you know it, your brand will be glad you did.