Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
As mentioned, television advertisements can be placed online for free via channels such as YouTube. This
opens advertisements to a new audience and allows for advertisements that can be created without the
restrictions of television. Advertisements can be extended, and now additional footage can become as
important as the original. Quality advertisements are voluntarily and deliberately viewed, as opposed to
deliberately ignored.
Tools of the Trade
As a creator of content, there is a plethora of platforms for the budding social media enthusiast.
Throughout the chapter, we have listed the URLs for some of the most popular services, most of which are
free. Instead of going back through the chapter, visit http://delicious.com/quirkemarketingtextbook. Use
the tags to navigate to the social media tools you need to get started.
Pros and Cons
Social media allow marketers insights into their demographic and the chance to engage with their
audience in a channel selected, and preferred, by the audience.
They allow marketers to capitalize on the creativity of their consumers to spread their message further,
often at very low costs.
Lastly, social media provide avenues for establishing direct, personal contact on a level not available to
traditional marketing campaigns.
However, companies also need to be aware that bad messages spread as well as good ones, and the
connectedness that can prove so useful can also be a conduit for the distribution of negative messages.
This new landscape is one in which the customer really is king, and any attempt to dethrone the king can
have dire consequences. Efforts to control the conversation in social media are soon found out and can
backfire horribly.