In the many client meetings I attend each week, I often hear the phrase “we need to get on YouTube” or “we need a MySpace page”. Getting a brand into these popular online properties is often seen as akin to getting past the velvet rope that separates the popular kids from the rest of the world. But uploading brand content to these and other social networks needs as much of a strategy and objective behind it as any other marketing initiative.
Knowing the target audience is crucial in determining if these networks are right for your brand—does your product appeal to that younger, more internet-agile consumer? How often do they watch video online? Do you know what they do when they go online? Taking a strong look (ie. research) at how your consumer behaves within this medium is just as important as understanding how and why they read Women’s Day or watch Desperate Housewives.
Because most of the social networks require constant supervision and updating (more so than many websites or microsites that a brand would launch), having plans, and funds, in place for ongoing content development often resembles the plot points of a television or movie script. Telling a story, creating character, working with the variable ebb and flow of entertaining commentary can make or break your presence—the more you plan and create, the better you will be.
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