The book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman was quite thorough and relevant with respect to the ever-changing social media driven world we live in. While I appreciated many of the ideas covered in this book, I would like to point out some of the lessons that I found to be of greatest importance.
First, I really appreciated the section of the book relating to free and faster information. We all seem to be relying more and more on the no cost readily available information available on the web. Many of us take information from sites like Wikipedia and blogs to be true and correct. I have often wondered how accurate these sites can be. I was surprised to see that Wikipedia was found to be just as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica when tested in a particular study. I feel that this message is important because we are relying more and more on the information from our peers when it comes to news, product reviews, and even formal research. I believe this is a very powerful message as to the changing times we live in.
Another theme that appeared often throughout the book was related to how we receive information. I have been often pondered how advances in technology have drastically changed the way marketers can reach consumers (e.g. DVR, on demand, etc.). Qualman addresses these changes with such examples as e-book links, web tracking, and podcasts. I realized that while traditional media avenues have changed; other avenues have been created. Smart marketers can harness the changing behaviors of customers and tap into new advances in technology to reach customers in an even more efficient manner. While some marketers were panicking over customers fast forwarding through commercials, others were out collecting valuable information and marketing directly to customers at a fraction of the cost of network television advertising.
I thought this last topic fit well with Qualman’s theory of past and present marketer’s philosophy. Qualman points out that in the past marketers felt they knew what was best for the customers and that it was their job to educate them with exciting messages developed in-house. Under Qualman’s theory of present and future philosophy, marketers never know what is exactly right for the customer and that companies should leverage the ideas of consumers to market their products. I thought this was interesting because it shows just how much technology has empowered consumers. Companies can no longer hide behind expensive ad campaigns and false pretenses.
Qualman uses many real life examples throughout the book to drive home his points. He also mentions how marketers should focus on one salient point rather than forcing information overload onto consumers. This is certainly not a new phenomenon, but Qualman does discuss some of the new and creative avenues of delivering this message in the “140-character world.” For starters, it’s not what you say; it’s how you say it. Qualman discusses how networks like ESPN have developed creative and fun ways to incorporate advertising into podcasts. By doing this, ESPN was able to reach a large audience without the fans feeling like they were being marketed or sold to. Furthermore, Qualman mentions how news anchors like Rick Sanchez have found revolutionary new ways to utilize and grow their fan base by actively engaging in social media activities such as Twitter. These techniques have allowed him to become more connected with his fans and followers. I found it especially interesting that these same methods can be utilized by small businesses trying to attract more attention in their respective regions.
Lastly, Qualman discusses what he calls the death of social schizophrenia. He argues that we can no longer hide from our varying behaviors in different social settings. This is due to the fact that information is not only permanent, but spreading at a rapid pace on the internet. This is certainly not a new topic and most of us are ware that are lives are less and less private these days, but I believe that this is a very important topic to readdress and Qualman gives many sobering examples of how people’s lives have been severely impacted by comments, photos, and videos posted on the web.
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