A quick thought for everyone hearing about how social media ….
—-> “Is great for contests where people will get their friends to vote for _____.”
—-> “Incentivizes ‘influencers’ who get their networks to do _____.” (actual sentence)
—-> “Is powerful because people will leverage their connections to _____.”
All I ask is that folks think about the implications of manipulating customers/visitors/guests to manipulate their friends, families and networks.
My friends are not your marketing fodder.
Be careful when you mess with what people care about a lot more than they care about your brand.
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I often get requests from facebook apps, requesting I help out friends with a game they’re playing, which then subsequently asks to access all of my details. I DON’T want to be manipulated into registering for internet games when all I want to do is share and catch up with friends.
Thank you for this post, Sheila.
Thanks, Merry.
I kept hearing this sort of manipulative language at a recent event, and I don’t think the people saying the words had really thought about their true meaning.
It’s like the phrases “target market” or “marketing funnel” – quick and easy and descriptive and accurate, but no one I know wants to be a target or be sucked into a funnel.
Words matter. They tell you something.