The Business of Community Networking
Traditionally, advertising has been used to attract new consumers.
However, in the age of Web 2.0, the new buzz is community
marketing/social media strategies. These strategies engage the audience
in an active, non-evasive way to create prospect and consumer
conversation. It focuses on the needs of existing consumers – it really
tunes into how the consumer feels about their product and their need to
connect.
Recently, consumers have held some skepticism around the sponsored
form of community marketing. This could be a result of the company’s
part in this. Consumers want to feel that sense of independence and by
having a sponsored form of community marketing, they lose that ability.
However, there has been continued success in community marketing
strategies by engaging and cultivating organic communities that form
around their product/service. Other aspects to consider are word of
mouth and viral marketing, which are closely linked to community
marketing/social media.