Branding with help of Social networking

Achieving brand presence on social networking sites like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn has become a heightened priority for most consumer brands. But do brands really belong there? These sites were designed for people, not products – to foster sharing, communications, relationships – and are highly personal to their users. Whether people actually want to “befriend” a brand remains to be seen. At first pass, it seems people are less likely to interact with brands on social networking sites than other online venues, despite some valiant efforts by brands like Intel, Pepsi, Target, and Tide. Over time however, these hesitations may fade, as brand presence becomes more commonplace, more rewarding, and more accepted. Those individuals that do opt-in as brand buddies clearly expect something in exchange for their friendship: financial discounts, inside information, sneak previews, competitions or incentives. In short, they want more out of the relationship than just being “friends”. Befriending a customer has a price; the question is how high is it?

As brands become more sophisticated in this space, expect to see more experimentation as they try to define what works for them. A good example is the site Generation Benz, by Mercedes-Benz. Essentially creating their own social networking site, Mercedes-Benz is tapping into its own community to target prospective customers and learn what they value. This interesting spin on the social networking phenomenon is capturing for Mercedes a passionate, engaged audience that will help shape the brand’s future.

There is no question social networking is here to stay – what remains to be seen is how businesses will penetrate and weave this social fabric into their media mix to gain access to a more connected and expressive consumer. In coming years expect to see more and more befriending as brands and consumers seek to define the rules and boundaries of social networks, and as importantly determine the metrics for measuring success in this new medium.