WalesCymru.com

Thanks to the web, people (aka your customers) are becoming better informed, smarter and more demanding of their favoured brands. They are using social media to do this and creating in the process something that is being termed ’socially networked markets’. As these markets organise themselves, companies that have traditionally served the needs of these people (your customers) face a real choice - join this conversation or risk missing out on perhaps the most exciting opportunity your business has ever had.

But how do you join this conversation? Is social media marketing the answer?

If you read the latest blogs by Windchimes, Doc Searls or Brian Solis or the Cluetrain manifesto you’re likely think, probably not; and here’s why.

Social media marketing is not …

Social media marketing is not about “delivering messages”. It does not involve “talking to” an “audience”, or “driving the conversation”. It does not include “demographic sectors”, “surveys”, “positioning”, or “announcements”. In short, it is not social media + marketing.

Social media is about conversations between people as equal partners. It’s about an open and frank exchange of experiences, ideas and personal opinions; and it uses a language that is natural, open, honest, direct and funny. It can be critical and shocking and is sometimes offensive. In other words, it has a human voice that is unmistakably genuine and can’t be faked.

Compare this to the vast majority of company communications, including your own marketing material, where the voice is usually a soothing, humorless, monotone that is both contrived and artificial, and has been selected and carefully managed to ensure a consistent “tone” across all touch points. It is a style of communication that has probably severed you well up to now; but to quote Dylan, “the times they are a changin”.

With over 500 million users on social networks, socially networked markets are the new markets; but they require a new form of customer relationship and a new tone of voice.

It will be the nature and form that these new relationships take that defines your profile in these socially networked markets, and is why “relationships are the new metric” for the return on your marketing investment. While the voice in these socially networked markets is unmistakably human. Do you speak it yet?

Credits: Thanks to Windchimes, Doc Searls, Brian Solis and the Cluetrain manifesto for the inspiration and some of the words

Today sees the launch of a new VisitWales UK Marketing Campaign which aims to promote Wales as a leading ‘unpackaged’ destination. The £2.2million TV, Cinema and Web campaign is fronted by Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, who gets to try out four distinctive flavours of the modern Welsh tourism experience (now that’s a job I’d like).

The series begins with Rhod visiting Aberaeron’s Harbour Master Hotel, where he quizzes the owners on their local credentials.  Next it’s on the National Botanic Garden where Rhod’s raft building skills are shown up by a group of children, who seem happy to have been dragged away from their X-Boxes and PlayStation’s to appear in this commercial. He then goes coasteering with TYF Adventure to prove you can indulge in adrenaline activities on the Welsh coast at all times of the year. Finally, he enjoys some wine tasting and a gourmet cookery lesson from Hywel Jones, Llanerch Vineyard’s Michelin Star Chef, where he learns that Welsh food is far more than lamb and leeks.

The main 40 second advert will be aired on TV this winter and will also be shown in cinemas for the first time; while the four 90 second web films can be accessed on the visitwales.co.uk website, as well as on YouTube and other video sharing sites.

The campaign will run from January to March 2009 and aims to generate 200,000 enquiries, comprising 100,000 brochure requests and 100,000 online enquiries. If my maths are correct, this prices each enquiry at just on £11 each - now that’s what I call a decent pay per click rate. Let’s hope that the interest and business this generates is well worth the investment.

These videos are now available at the VisitWales “Holidays unpacked” marketing portal: http://www.unpackaged.visitwales.co.uk.