Brand and Business

This morning I wrote on Twitter, "I love social media. And sometimes I wonder if it lures us into a false sense of productivity. What do you think?"

Replies so far:

@brandologist not if you have the right passionate people behind it!
@brandologist I am too busy replying to things to answer that question =)
@brandologist at times I feel I've done a lot, but then I realize the value add wasn't completely there. still learning but 09 will be my yr
@brandologist amen !!!

The first response made me scratch my head. The second made me giggle. The third hit the nail on the head.

The last response came from Kyle Lacy who spoke to Element Three yesterday about Marketing 2.0 (social networks, search, blogging, etc.) and how important it is to consider social media as part of the overall strategic marketing planning. Notably, he said that what we think of traditional marketing tactics and "Marketing 2.0" should not be separated from one another, that all tactics should be considered as part of the mix. Personally, I think that the right mix of social media in your overall plan plays a role in developing a brand identity.

As with everything, the key to using social media is to think strategically – not as an excuse for laziness, whether that laziness is about doing what you think is cheap or "free" because of the economy or about finding ways to distract yourself from what is important and maybe more difficult than blurting your latest thought out to the masses.