Lawrence Gee | Marketing, Internet, Creativity, Strategy

The Social Bandwagon

Being honest with your customers is key to getting the relationship you want out of them — that being long-term, loyal, consumers.  Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook were meant to give the Internet community a way of sharing ideas, creating interaction, and making connections.  Blogs and UGC (user generated content) sites like Youtube were meant to be authentic and allow individual expression.

When companies enter these communities, build product pages, and plant videos, are they still being honest with the intentions of these sites? Are companies just jumping onto the bandwagon to say that they have a Web 2.0 presence?  Alas, companies are not likely to stop strategizing and entering onto these sites but unless they create authentic connections with their customers, it’s unlikely to translate into more sales.