Lewis Says Social Networking Not a “Meaningful” Online Marketing Tactic
March 5th, 2009 by Bob Bly
In an interview with DM News (3/2/09, p. 10), Kent Lewis, President of Anvil Media, said that current social media platforms and communities do not have much of a chance to become a meaningful part of the overall online markeitng mix.
Lewis explains: “Users have demonstrated time and again that they not only ignore advertising in social media, but eschew it.” He cites as proof that Facebok generated only $2.50 in ad revenue per user per year.
Why is Lewis so negative about marketing with social networks? “Social networks are seen as personal collaboration and communication platforms, not information or research tools,” he claims, though here he cites no research to back up this assertion.
He believes we should concentrate our online marketing not on social media but on search engines, because they “effectively connect buyers with sellers” and “advertising is welcomed.”
Do you agree with Lewis that social networks are an insignificant part of the online marketing mix today?
What do you think are the most effective online marketing methods right now? Social networking? Organic search? Pay per click ads? E-mail?
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 9:03 am and is filed under Online Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Social Networks are very young. We’re going to have to give them a chance. They might be very good ways of creating a following…for some businesses. Twitter, for example, has some accounts with tens of thousands of followers. Ultimately, those followers may become customers.
March 5th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Also, does the fact Lewis cites — that Facebook has miserably low ad revenues vs. Google — really mean that social network marketing doesn’t work? Word-of-mouth marketing works really well offline, and there’s no ad revenue there either, right?
March 5th, 2009 at 10:27 am
If someone responds to an ad on Facebook, buys the product, then tells 50 of their friends about it, is there any way to track that?
It may be working in the word-of-mouth sense right now.
I’m not sure of the most effective online methods, but yesterday we got a new client from New York city (we’re near Toronto) from an ezinearticles article I wrote that she saw on about.com
Also, I guess email marketing works well judging by all the products I’ve purchased from Bob.
March 5th, 2009 at 10:40 am
If you’re a known name in your niche, and trusted, I believe there’s more potential for gaining sales leads from the social sites than if no one knows you.
As an unknown, I’m becoming known through networking on Twitter and Facebook. But I’m really not generating current sales through them.
Facebook is more difficult than Twitter because of the private nature of it. I gain Facebook connections from my Twitter leads. At Twitter, they get to see all my updates before deciding whether or not to follow me.
Using the search features to qualify your market through Twitter and Facebook is time consuming and, in some ways, hit and miss because you can’t pinpoint them as easily as you can with data cards.
I kept an eye on a block of time during which I gained four hundred followers – after following many and gaining their attention. These are ones that I felt reasonably certain I was able to target appropriately.
The carry down on who actually checked out my link in my profile when deciding whether or not to follow me back was 2.5%.
This market is actually easier to do this with than some – or that’s what I imagine. It’s the Christian market, with guides aimed for Christians and churches. So, I have a broad range of who would be qualified for me to target.
None of my sales have come from Twitter. But I have gained a few partners, a few publishers are talking to me, and a few professionals who can direct sales to me are talking to me.
So far, I’ve found it more valuable as a professional networking tool, and with the chance of gaining future sales.
My next steps are freebies to my followers and creating a hefty item they can opt-in for. I have a newsletter already, but I don’t believe any subscribers have come because of Twitter either.
I have another Twitter account as copywriter – and haven’t pushed that any, but feel that it’s been very easy to make professional friends there. Some of those carried over to facebook, and I’m betting I would be able to partner up with a few if I desired it.
Twitter seems to have more value because it’s more versatile, especially with the addins. You can make sub sites and get into other media with it.
These are my observations on just doing it. I haven’t followed anyone’s program. I’m sure there’s better ways of getting quicker and more productive results while still maintaining a personal connection with your audience.
March 5th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Although I’m not on, nor plan to go on, facebook, I’m surprised that it’s generating only $2.50 annually per individual. Obviously, the cash burn is serious and I would suppose they have a pretty big war chest to keep going. But how long. No company can survive without making a profit. Isn’t that something we learned from the dot.com bust?
Twitter I don’t get at all. It sounds like what it is – a bunch of people twittering away their most valuable resource: time.
March 5th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Kelja: based on my limited experience with Twitter, I have to agree with you. Why do I want to get e-mails from people on Twitter telling me what kind of sandwich they are eating for lunch today or what movie they saw last weekend? Another example of mindless gab online.
March 5th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
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March 5th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
[…] Read more from the original source: Lewis Says Social Networking… […]
March 5th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Personally,I believe social networks are a very significant part of the online marketing mix–and becoming more important every day.
I couldn’t agree with you more, I don’t want to hear what people ate for lunch either–however, there are all kinds of organizations, causes, and businesses of all sizes, making very good use of twitter–passing along great information. See some examples in recent post. http://tinyurl.com/ajou5w
March 5th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I’ve developed a habit of scanning Twitter posts. I don’t want to read about the useless information either – unless this person is close friend and what they post is something I have a reason to care about.
(Doubtful it would be the sandwich, unless we’re on an eating plan together and I want to make sure the other person didn’t cheat. LOL)
But I go back to Twitter myself because when you follow the right people, it’s a gold mine of useful information. People using it to exchange information post those links. I’m sure other sites are good resources too, but Twitter is so easy to scan within a few moments that it’s not that big of a deal once you get the hang of it.
But it’s not for everyone.
March 5th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Social networking is a good way of establishing a reputation and building credibility – but ADVERTISING on social networks is practically useless.
Building relationships on them is where the gold is at – and I’m sure that if you were to track the revenue generated from relationships established through social networking, it would be much more than $2.50 per person.
With that said, if your business is looking for a place to advertise, it would be much more effective to use Google Adwords than Facebook ads.
March 5th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
I can see how Facebook is useful for someone trying to develop their credibilty and reputation. My question would be if they aren’t profitable, how long will they survive?
March 6th, 2009 at 11:43 am
I actually wrote a piece where it is my belief that the reason why most social media marketers fail is because those who use it simply aren’t in the frame of mind to buy things….they are wanting to be entertained…
….through looking at pictures…
….through spying on profiles….
….through watching video….
….ect.ect…….
I think the better approach would be to somehow integrate an entertainment model that actually engages…kind of like meeting these types in the middle…
I do agree with Lewis though…social media and traditional advertising is going nowhere.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I guess I’m the odd one out here. . . I want to hear about the sandwich for lunch. But that is because my website is about food. Trading that sandwich with a homemade calzone or soup from your freezer is my business.
There was a great Twitter/Marketing case study at http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2009/03/kogi-bbq-look-at-day-in-life-of-chef.html.
Twitter was a big part of this chef’s business and he’s looking for ways to extend that into a bricks and motor resturant.
And Facebook. . . Myspace I do believe makes some good money. Facebook never started with a business plan. They are struggling to keep people who are use to an add free site happy but add an income stream at the same time. So far they have been floating on investor dollars.
Thus Facebook losing money is an example of lack of planning not the failure or social networking or social media.
In the end I think Kent Lewis wants to control his company’s image on the web, not build relationships. And a large company might be able to get away with that, but small companies/start ups need relationships to thrive.
March 7th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Focusing on Facebook’s Ads program while ignoring the other major avenue it offers businesses, Pages, does not offer a complete picture. I have helped several businesses build successful campaigns that combine Facebook’s ads and page features. You can send messages to users who are fans of your page, and even target demographically within that fan base, similar to Facebook Social Ads. So there’s a form of permission-based direct marketing.
I don’t think Facebook is a replacement for other types of promotion. But it is not the flop that Lewis makes it out to be.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Dan: Where can we learn more about your Facebook campaign services in case my blog readers want to outsource their Facebook marketing to you? How do you measure the results? What does it cost?
March 11th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
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March 12th, 2009 at 8:37 am
[…] Thursday, Bob Bly asked his readers whether they agreed with Kent Lewis, President of Anvil Media that social media is not an effective […]
March 13th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
dianacacy, don’t feel bad. I work for a huge famous brand, and we bombed on Facebook, too. 😉
March 27th, 2009 at 1:59 am
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April 17th, 2009 at 8:33 am
I have read your article and must say that I disagree with Lewis. I do not share his point of view because I clearly see the fact that social networks is very important part of the online marketing mix nowadays!
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Lewis argues that social networking lacks the depth needed for effective online marketing, suggesting that its superficial interactions don’t translate into meaningful engagement or sales. He emphasizes that brands should focus on more substantial strategies that foster genuine connections and deliver measurable results, rather than relying solely on social media for visibility. In his view, a holistic approach that combines various marketing tactics is essential for true success.
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