Is Social Media replacing Push Marketing?
Recently I attended a conference on social media. Their promotional materials stated that within three years social media will replace push media. I thought to myself, wow this sounds familiar. Some 10 years ago I remember hearing that because of the Internet brick and mortar stores would be replaced by Web sites. Why go to the grocery store when you can shop online in air conditioning and have your Ben and Jerry’s ice cream delivered?
Well, my Randall’s is still open for business. I have a feeling that push marketing will still exist for years to come as well.
The basis for my argument is simple. Were newspapers replaced by radio? Did radio go out of business because of television? Did the major networks shut down when cable stations like CNN and ESPN started broadcasting? Why hasn’t satellite radio finally done in that persistent radio that survived television?
Believe me, I understand social networking. I see the need for it and I participate in it. I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Although sometimes I wonder why people care what I am “doing now” when I post on Twitter. Sometimes it seems narcissistic. Who cares what everyone else is doing?
But these on-line communities are powerful. They connect people to people and businesses to their clients. Businesses can hear directly from customers and respond to their needs immediately. People can find valuable resources through other people in the form of business leads, new employees and find out about new products on the market.
But, like the fact that I still want to browse through the grocery store in person so I may get a chance to squeeze the fruit I am going to purchase, social media will not replace the desire for people to congregate in person. One of the people that hosted the social media conference I mentioned earlier was recently at a pub that I frequent. I got into this discussion with her. She is still convinced, I think because she is so close to the technology (she had her laptop with her at the bar), that social media will replace push marketing. How ironic that she was there to socialize with many of her technology buddies in person at the bar!
So what about push marketing versus social media? Well, my argument is to remove the word “versus”. They will co-exist like grocery stores and Web sites, like Twitter and bars, like radio and television and, well, you get the picture. We will still have advertising, direct mail and billboards we will just have to make room for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.