Catalyst S+F: Branded Website vs. Social Presence: Food for Thought - Shannon Light - MediaBizBloggers

By Media Biz Bloggers Archives
Cover image for  article: Catalyst S+F: Branded Website vs. Social Presence: Food for Thought - Shannon Light - MediaBizBloggers

An out of town guest and I wanted to dine in the North Beach district of San Francisco but had no particular destination in mind. As we negotiated the crowded sidewalks of pedestrian tourists and a cacophony of waiters attempting to lure in our patronage we found ourselves stuck deciding between two neighboring restaurants. At first glance they both had exactly what we were looking for; both had outdoor, heated seating (let me remind you, dear reader, this is San Francisco in July – heating is a must), comparable menu offerings & prices, and the Yelp reviews we both pulled from our dueling iPhones were nearly identical. We looked up from our handheld devices and realized that one restaurant's outside tables were nearly full while the other was completely empty. This observation led us to quickly decide to dine at the more popular restaurant.

As we chatted over a glass of wine, we noticed the same phenomenon occurring again and again; groups of potential diners would approach the two restaurants, read the menus, deliberate, and then choose the same restaurant we did. All things equal, it seemed that this was occurring simply because you could see and hear excitement and activity coming from one restaurant while the other was empty.

This got me thinking about an ongoing conversation I've been having with my clients about the role of a brand's website vs. a branded social media environment (Facebook fan page). Which landing environment should consumers be driven to from our marketing activities? For years, we have typically been driving all responders to a branded website, however, I think it is time to challenge that notion.

Think of a brand website as a deli and the social presence as an Italian restaurant. A deli is transaction-oriented and efficient - come in, get what you need, and get out. Similarly, brand websites tend to be transaction-oriented and are not inherently "interactive", meaning that a consumer cannot engage in a dialogue with brand content. Conversely, a restaurant is an environment that encourages interaction and conversation among groups of friends or like-minded individuals…sounds like social media to me.

Additionally, delis tend to treat people merely as customers while a good restaurant strives to make people feel like guests. How should we, as marketers, think about our client's target audiences? Are they simply customers looking for a quick transaction or should we consider them our guests and take time to develop a relationship with them?

I believe that the answer lies with the consumer; if a consumer responds to a transaction-oriented or information-gathering type ad - great, send them to the website. But don't forget to up-sell the opportunity to join the brand's community after the transaction is complete. If the consumer responds to a more engaging or brand-oriented ad why not send them to an environment where they can continue to actively engage with the brand and other like-minded guests? If we continue to use the brand website as the go-to destination I believe we are alienating consumers who may just need to see and hear other people interacting with the brand. If we continue to default to the website we have essentially sent them to the empty restaurant.

Instead, send them to the restaurant that is bustling and full of patrons. The relationship that you create with your guest will likely keep them coming back time and time again and, who knows, they may even bring friends.

Shannon Light is the Senior Director of Account Strategy at Catalyst S+F leading the Del Monte Consumer and Pet Brand initiatives. She can be reached at shannon@catalystsf.com.

Read all Shannon's MediaBizBloggers commentaries at The Marketing Capital Report - MediaBizBloggers.

Check us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggers.com
Follow our Twitter updates @MediaBizBlogger

Copyright ©2024 MediaVillage, Inc. All rights reserved. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.