The famous Ice Cream makers from Vermont have taken a bold move by declaring that they shall no longer be using email marketing as a means of letting you know about their latest zany flavors. No, instead they will be utilizing those marketing dollars to concentrate on an already successful social media foray. In fact the last email invited subscribers to connect with the brand through either the Facebook or Twitter social networks. This isn’t exactly as bold as one might think, given that Ben & Jerry’s Facebook page is currently over 1.3 million “fans” strong.
Alright, go ahead and ask. What does their move to social media and away from email marketing mean for your business? A little more than nothing, but less than everything. Far too many marketers could see this move as a signal that their business should follow suite and make the jump to social media exclusivity without first questioning if what is good for Ben & Jerry’s is good for their business.
There are of course, naysayers who pretend not to notice that the times, they are a-changing, and are not open to social media at all. This is why careful inspection of marketing channels and preferred client touch points is necessary before abandoning programs that still provide a good return on investment.
Here are some observations about this move to social media exclusivity
Upside
- less expensive, but only if the ROI is equal
- more real time as people expect a higher volume of activity via social channels
- increased interaction because “no reply” doesn’t fly here
- more likely to be viral and have one too many effects
Downside
- short visibility window per post
- more content may need to be penned more frequently
- monitoring methods generally less mature than email marketing
- potential backlash from those who do not like retweets/likes from brands
- alienates social media holdouts who still like ice cream
Want to find out more about how social media, social networking, and social marketing can fit with your marketing efforts? Join us for one of our upcoming social media seminars, give us a call, drop us an email or maybe even connect with us in the social sphere.
