Afraid of Crashing the Social Networking Party Unwanted? Bring Wine. - Jory Des Jardins - MediaBizBlogger

Originally published December 4, 2008.

Imagine you are a wine merchant who wants to reach professional women ages 25-40. You lurk in a booth at an established wine bar, waiting to approach anyone in your target demo. You see them: a group of women dressed like they'd just come from the office, possibly bloggers judging by the laptop cases they all have resting at their feet. They seem engrossed in heavy discussion, which doesn't deter you--they are at a wine bar, after all!--so you approach.

"Excuse me," you say, holding your latest pinot, "but it looks like you all need a refill, can I top you off with this?"

Some marketers would read this and cringe (public solicitation laws, notwithstanding). Sure, you are in a place where your target market hangs out, and the product is contextually relevant to that place. But was your target in a mental space to take in your message and try your product?

My best estimate of the response depends on what these women were talking about. If they were discussing the merits of U.S. versus European varietals, perhaps they would be interested, but if they were discussing the dissolution of one of their marriages you might end up wearing the wine before you get to serve it. Perhaps you eavesdrop a bit and wait for the right moment, when your target begins to discuss wine. But some wouldn't consider that contextually relevant marketing; that's stalking.

I read avidly the Ad Age piece that featured P&G Marketing guru Ted McConnell's thoughts on the shortcomings of marketing on social networks, including his now oft-repeated quote: "What in heaven's name made you think you could monetize the real estate in which somebody is breaking up with their girlfriend?" Honestly, I can see his point. I've read my share of blogs, been on countless "friend" pages, and yes, we can't always make good use of this digital real estate, as the content can often veer away from relevance to the downright inappropriate. And sometimes, when an advertiser is too presumptuous with its targeted pitching, as was Beacon, the failed Facebook initiative that forwarded users' purchasing updates to their contacts, you are perceived not as relevant, but Big Brotherish, or insulting.

I also agree with John Battelle, who said that social networks are still fertile grounds for significant, impactful engagement with a target market. We just need to learn fine art of not irritating our most desirable customers. Battelle writes,

"So far, there's simply not an algorithm for understanding the nuance of conversations between humans, and conversations between humans are what drives social media…

…In order to market conversationally, then, a brand must not simply insinuate itself into the media others make but rather create their own valuable conversations, and/or underwrite organic conversations that contextually make sense for that brand to support."

Hearing insights like these can invoke both hope and confusion: OK so how, exactly, do I start these conversations if I'm only lurking in their surroundings (read: merely putting banners on pages of demographically relevant sources)? How do I integrate my brand into a conversation that has already started?

In research we conducted with Compass Partners earlier this year on the attitudes of women online, we found that bloggers tend to not trust brands, or anyone other than each other, for that matter. This is useful information: If you leverage the trust that this market has for each other by empowering them to have their own conversations, you could benefit.

Imagine again the wine merchant example. Rather than lurk and pray for relevance, the merchant can create his own venue for conversation--a welcoming place near offices that appeals to women, allows them to relax and have their conversations--oh, and drink his latest pinot and associate it with something meaningful. He probably can't build this space, but he can rent it, or as we like to say, sponsor it (through advertising, content sponsorship, event sponsorship, etc).

So the next question you might ask, assuming you are willing to create this space, is how can I be sure that my brand will be associated in any measurable way to this conversation?

We were able to create a space recently for a packaged food company that wanted value-conscious moms to associate with its brand. We kicked off the "sponsored conversation" on our site by offering a grocery shopping spree to a random winner who provided recommendations for saving money on food. Though the topic itself was instigated by the brand, the target community ran with it, generating hundreds of long, thoughtful responses, more than what was required to win the prize.

It became clear to us that while the prize helped start the conversation, the desire of women to share their strategies and help members of their community save money grew it organically, beyond merely a contest. In other words, the topic, not the product, attracted the right people.

And another thing happened: brand association. While some bloggers recommended generic products and various strategies that were unrelated to the brand, others mentioned the brand as a value, with no provocation. In the end, the community AND the brand was happy—not to mention the winner, who blogged her good fortune in ecstatic praise. Again, positive brand association was not a prerequisite of winning; it just sort of happened.

So where was the advertising in all this? On blogs of demographic relevance, pointing people to the conversation, not to the brand.

We all have one thing straight: location is key; but context rules. If we can't come to social networking parties without crashing them unwanted then we shouldn't be engaging these communities.

But in my experience, invitations abound.

About Jory Des Jardins: As co-founder and President of Strategic Alliances for BlogHer, Jory Des Jardins is an innovator in online advertising, women's media and Internet entrepreneurship. Jory can be contacted at jory@blogher.com