The primary difference between traditional media and new media is that the former is channels for brand communications and the latter for consumer conversations.

Brands are struggling to come to terms with this new reality that consumers now have as much freedom, control and influence as brands do, to communicate and be heard and that the consumers' voice and content are far more credible and potent than a brand's.

Brand led push marketing is yielding ground to consumer generated brand content on social media. Some brands have learned this the hard way.

In response, brands are busy formulating social media strategy of placing banners, posting videos, creating social media IDs, and blogs, forming groups and communities on social media platforms. The strategy even extends to seeding content, bloggers, forum activists and hiring of specialists to manage on-line reputation.

Will this guarantee social media success?

Consumers are unlikely to start a brand conversation or create a brand content on their own. They would do so only in response to a brand stimulus. While the conversation and content are not in the control of the brand, the stimulus is. By providing the right stimulus brands can influence and lead social media conversations.

We do not live in two mutually exclusive worlds called offline and on-line.

See the full article http://pratapsingh.typepad.com/pratap_singh/2009/09/marketing-priority-for-social-media-success.html

Pratap Singh,
Member of ADVBOUCLE's Marketing Consultants Network