DUKKY

Building consumer awareness of your brand or product is one of the key goals of marketing. However, as Augie Ray of Forrester noted on the Forrester Interactive blog, it is becoming more and more difficult to reach consumers via traditional media. Just think of how adept we have become at filtering out advertising that distracts us, whether it comes through email, direct mail or via TV and radio. It’s all become so ubiquitous that we simply tune it out.

Of course, overabundant advertising has been annoying consumers for quite some time. What’s new is that technologies like TIVO and ad-blocking browser extensions have given us a way to escape completely from interruptions that we would otherwise be unable to ignore.

In his post, for example, Ray cites a study by Forrester in which 21% of people surveyed said they made a point of fast-forwarding through commercials on TV. Ray even goes so far as to declare that “2010 will be the year marketing–as we know it–dies. “ Given this environment, how can you get your message out to consumers?

In this article on AdAge, Judy Shapiro says that she believes 2010 will be the year that social media really begins to shine as a way to build awareness for your brand.

Technology may have made it easier for audiences to escape unwanted advertising, but it has also created a new venue that marketers can use to connect with customers. In her article, she identifies 6 strategies that can be used to harness the power of social media to build awareness, including:

• Using social media for customer service.

• Promoting your company with multi-channel content campaigns

• Building mobile apps like the Gap Style Mixer, which allows customers to get discounts while they are in the store and to share them with friends.

• Going for large numbers of impressions using behaviorally appropriate ad networks as a base for social media-centered campaigns.

• Not overlooking real-world social networks. Instead, create programs that encourage consumers to share your products with their friends and relatives. Shapiro singles out a company called HouseParty, which connects consumers with brands for brand-sponsored product-sampling parties, as a good example of this.

• Taking advantage of the new tools that are becoming available to help you measure the success of your social media campaigns.

These are all excellent strategies, and both Shapiro and Ray are correct about how important integrating social media into your marketing campaigns will become in the next year.

Social media has an incredible potential to increase awareness of your brand, as long as it is harnessed correctly. The key to making any of these strategies work is to be respectful of your audience. Don’t shout at them. Don’t intrude. Don’t spam. Instead, give them something worth sharing and let them carry your message for you.

As Augie Ray notes, “The coming year will see advertising put under the microscope by a connected, savvy, and critical consumer.” Will your social media marketing efforts be able to withstand the scrutiny?

Dukky can help you harness the power of social media without spamming people or being intrusive. Our platform lets consumers share discounts and promotions via social media, turning them into brand advocates. The ability to integrate direct response with social media makes Dukky is an excellent addition to your social media marketing toolkit.