Social is growing up... a little

Marketers have been approaching social with one of two lenses: 1) this is too risky, the content is too much on the edge, or 2) this is a group we cannot reach anywhere else, and it gives us a chance to speak to a new audience in a different way. Both set the Social media (primarily networks) among the fringe to either be avoided or chased.

Well, thats changing rapidly. Social networks are not just for the young people any more. Older folks, driven primarily by Facebook's growth, are a growing part of the social network community according to Hitwise. 

The way we viewed social networks over the past few years needs to be broadened. A 40 year old mother of three is not going to respond the same as a 20 year old college student, and now they are both participating. When looking at content, creating content, engaging the people, we were focused on a segment that was rather well separated from other segments; they were actively on the social networks while the older segments were avoiding them. Now, with the fluidity of information and the adoption of social networks by a broader array of people, anything we do in one segment will quickly become visible to the others. The chances of alienating your base while trying to go after the new segments just increased.

This situation is reminiscent of an Oldsmobile move in the 90's; that was a conscious effort to cater to a new demographic. If you remember Oldsmobile, you may also remember there last major campaign "Not your father's Oldsmobile." A big, national campaign. It failed to gain traction with the younger buyers, and simultaneously alienated the then current (but aging) customer base. That was an overt decision to go after one market while knowingly pushing away another. It failed.

In social, this same thing is very possible, but may be the result of unintended consequences rather than a strategic shift.

So, what is the best way to approach social? Actually, the same as it always was. Be true to yourself, your brand and your core customer base. It is not about Social media. It is about your customer. Social is another, and much more involved, way to interact with them.