Internet Citizen Marketing: The One Strategy for Web 2.0

We’ve been overexposed to advertising.  We hear them on the radio, watch them on tv and see their glittering banners on the Internet.  We go to their websites, browse their portfolios and read their testimonials. We walk away with no more confidence in their offerings than before we started.  Enter the Internet Citizen Marketer.

Internet Citizen Marketing?

One of the mantras to success in the last decade was to “have friends in high places”.  Today it may be more relevant to think about “having friends in many places”.  IM (instant messaging) and social networks on the Internet have made it possible and enjoyable to interact with friends on a daily (if not hourly) basis.  We share all kinds of information, from important life-issues to trivial matters.  Very often, without even realizing, we endorse brands by giving a quick review or recommendation to our friends.

Who is the Internet Citizen Marketer?

You and me. Anyone who has a camera phone, owns a blog, uploads photos, writes reviews, leaves comments, participates in a social network etc, is a potential marketer for your brand.

Why Internet Citizen Marketing Works

The most obvious reason is because Internet Citizen Marketers do not market brands, products or services for a living.  They have no agenda or incentive besides sharing their experiences with like-minded people.  Consumers will have increasing faith of your products after reading about them multiple times, from different sources.

Another reason why Internet Citizen Marketing is becoming more effective is the breaking down of barriers between people.  Consider how common it is to go online, meet a total stranger and add him or her to your network of friends.  In fact most successful social networks encourage you to tag or bookmark another user based on common likes and interests.  Generally, people put more weightage on the opinions of these total strangers whom they consider experts compared to (somtimes) even close friends or relatives.

The Social Networking User Behaviour Study conducted in April 2007 showed that 1 out of every 3 internet users refer to sites with user-created content like YouTube or Amazon to help make decisions on whether or not to buy something.

Another study shows that as much as up to 90 percent of consumers acquire enough information from surfing and reading reviews from other users to become reliable experts to friends and family.  Though individually, they each have a relatively small sphere of influence, the information that they share can significantly influence purchase behaviour.

The Takeaway

Most of the time, businesses hear about marketing with social mediums like Facebook or Twitter and get excited to jump on the bandwagon.  However, the most common questions asked is usually about ROI or what type of returns to expect.  Marketers will be disappointed to learn that is difficult to account for social network marketing in quantifiable terms.  When you make a new friend, can you attach a value to him or her?  You never know when friends will provide you with a referral, but it usually doesn’t happen until they know you well enough.  In order for them to want to know you better, they have to be genuinely interested in you.  Come on too hard with your sales message, and they will recognize you for a spammer.

Universal Friend-Making 101: Stop telling them about you, instead ask them to tell you more about themselves.