THE POWER OF THE OPT-IN USER: Why a brand’s Facebook Fan and Twitter Follower is the “new” marketing gold

It is common knowledge that traditional advertising (think TV spots and print ads) doesn’t have the power it once did so I won’t waste anyone’s time talking about pros and cons, but what I would like to pose are thoughts on levels of engagement and relationship…

In the old days, you bought TV spots that hit your target—Oprah or Monday Night Football—to reach your target (NOTE: by no means do I intend to diminish the hard and amazing work our media partners do—we all work together to make stronger programs) but with DVR and heightened consumer aversion to ads it is very easy for your sweet spot to ignore you if you aren’t talking to them in a variety of places and ways.

Enter social media—the power to not only reach out to your target but if they OPT-IN (i.e. by becoming a fan on Facebook or following your tweets on Twitter) the opportunity to speak to a captive, active audience.  They are consumers that have CHOSEN to engage with your brand.  By becoming a fan or friend, they are telling you that they actually want to hear what you have to say—you now have a community of brand loyalists!  AND, if you engage with them correctly (this deserves an entire blog entry—stay tuned, but basically always be authentic and offer something of value in each communication) they will share their thoughts, ideas and could even help steer a marketing plan down a new, more consumer-centric course.

So you have an engaged audience (your updates, links, photos, videos will pop up in their feeds) who have actually told you they like you and want to know more—what brand could ask for more! But like with any relationship, make sure to spend as much (if not more) time listening as you do talking… it will only reinforce your community’s value to you and will surely help them make a decision in your favor at the checkout counter.