Neology | Marketing Communications

I’ve been rather entrenched in the social media world lately, and have come across a few articles suggesting that in today’s social media world, brand messaging is no longer relevant since the customer is now dictating the message. In one post, the author goes so far as to say “Marketers are recognizing that they are not in control of the conversation, much less the message.”

I agree that with so many more people in an organization now communicating to potential customers via social networks, it is more difficult to control the message. I also agree that one-way preaching of rigid marketing messages makes for pretty boring social media conversations (and marketing, for that matter). But that doesn’t mean the marketing message is irrelevant.

In fact, the message is more relevant than ever. Here’s why:

With so many touch points for your message, it’s now easier for customers to get confused about your offerings and why those offerings are different than the next company’s. If your message doesn’t flow from a  set of values, how can you expect the customer to understand what your product is and how it can help make their life easier (better, cheaper, etc).

This does not mean that companies must try to control the conversation. But it does mean that companies should develop messages that communicate purposefully, and that are broad enough to allow conversations to happen.