The Social Media Marketing Delusion…

Couple of excellent cartoons from Tom Fishburne that make very pertinent points about the use of social media in marketing…

and…

Of course, as many companies, especially large companies, don’t really understand marketing in the first place…

(…and to support my case let me refer to the great Drayton Bird…“Big is not better. It’s usually just bloody stupid”)

…it’s not surprising that they don’t do very well with social media.

Let me reiterate, social media is simply another tool, another channel, available to the marketer.

It hasn’t redefined the rules or principles of marketing.

It may have amplified some aspects of marketing (social proof, for example)…

…and it has certainly shifted power to the consumer.

But it hasn’t changed the fundamentals.

So get the marketing strategy right first…

…and then seek the best way to implement the strategy and get in front of the people you want as clients.

And well worth reading Tom Fishburne’s original posts in full…

…and…

UPDATE (22 Nov 2010):

Thanks to everyone who tweeted this post! I think that’s a record number for this blog. I appreciate you!