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Social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace offer a freelance artist a number of free ways to promote content and build a public image. Accounts at all of these sites are available to pretty much anyone in the world, free of charge, and it is also free to use them to send out messages or post links. Because social media are based on networks a single mention reaches not only the individual's contacts, but also the contacts' contacts. A bookmarked link, a Tweet or a status update reaches not dozens, but hundreds, thousands or more potential clients. Such a network properly used is a very potent tool in the freelancer's arsenal.
It is a very potent tool for small and large businesses too. Twitter, in particular, is a useful marketing tool because of its generally public nature and the fact that hash tags make it possible to quickly locate a target audience. The same things that would help an AC contributor to reach people interested in reading about the latest scrap booking kit, trends in exercise and nutrition, or the best places to eat in Denver, make it possible for a craft supply shop, a fitness consultant, or a new Denver restaurant to reach the AC contributor – and potentially all of that contributor's contacts.
Niche Marketing
Let's examine a scenario to see how effectively a commercial Tweet can be aimed at a target audience, without the originator having to build a following. The example is based on a real Tweets the author sent out to find readers for an article, and on a real @response designed to advertise a third party's product to me and my followers.
I Tweeted the link for my article on pregnancy, caffeinated beverages and herbal alternatives (here at AC) and I used hash tags to help people interested in the subject locate my Tweet. I received an reply not long afterwards, inviting me to check out a web site marketing what the Tweeter characterized as a potent drink, the healthiest beverage currently on the market. It was an açaí drink – one of today's biggest diet fads, that claims to be endorsed by Oprah herself if you believe the ads on Facebook. These claims have led to a law suit being filed by Harpo, Inc. for trademark infringement related to false claims of endorsements; forty internet marketing companies are named in the suit.
In this instance the Tweeter saw that my article was about the relative health of different beverages, and took a chance that people reading my Tweets would also be interested in her açaí drink. At the very least, anyone looking for mentions of my Twitter persona will have seen her Tweet. At best, she could have hoped that I would make a purchase and go on to share her link with others. She was targeting her niche.
Avoiding Açaí Product Scams
Did my Tweeter get a payoff from the message she aimed at me? Yes and no. Usually I ignore this sort of marketing unless I have a genuine interest in the product, but in this particular instance I thought maybe I might have bumped into her somewhere. So I took some time to look into this individual's other Tweets, and to actually click on the link she sent. I also did a quick search to refresh my memory on the issues around açaí products. What I discovered is that not only are claims about the benefits of these berries exaggerated, but several companies have been involved in scams where consumers were billed for products after they had cancelled a “free sample offer.” No refunds were made. (“Consumers warned of web-based açaí scams”)
No, I wasn't going to buy her product – or pass on her link. But since I noted that she was a young person and that the link she sent was for her account in a multi-level marketing network, I did let her know that the company she was representing had a record involving a considerable number of complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
I figure she's probably not so different from me. Maybe she's depending on the income from that company to pay her next month's rent or student loans. I can understand that, and I wish her well in finding a reputable company to work for. Now it's up to her to decide whether she wants to trust them to pay her commission, should she ever make a sale. It's also up to her to rethink the wisdom of getting into bed with this kind of company, and selling this kind of product.
The Moral of the Story: Advertizing Effectiveness Depends on Integrity and Quality
The effectiveness of her marketing strategy was reduced by the type of product she chose to advertise, and by the lack of integrity of the company she partnered with. Had her Tweet been an article on the commercial uses of the açaí palm tree, I would have happily read her work and shared the link with friends. She's probably have made a great deal more money writing about açaí products, here on AC, than trying to sell them!
Sources:
“Açaí palm” Wikipedia
“Consumers warned of web-based açaí scams” Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
“The truth about Oprah, Dr. Oz, acai, resveratrol, colon cleanse and more” Oprah.com
