Ideas don't always equal Money

One new idea introduced to me through this past weeks reading that really resonated over and over again was the emphasis of SOCIAL MEDIA. The four P's was introduced in the 1960's, 50 years ago. In my opinion it is not wise to base our basis for marketing on a half-century old technique. With all the advancements in technology and how society works and people connect, a new system of reaching out MUST be utilized. The ease at which one person with an internet connection can communicate and influence any realm is astonishing. With that power and connectivity it seems the place/promotion of the product is/should be constantly accessible (as much of the internet is).

The challenge I see here is how to successfully use these tools to not spam users about your product but attract people. If someone feels they "stumbled upon" something amazing, often they feel obliged to spread the knowledge to others, like a product evangelist. This can be a pretty exciting time for people to experiment utilizing these platforms and possibly strike gold. I however seem to be peering up at a mountain of which I am not sure where to get a footing. The articles had excellent examples of how ESTABLISHED BRANDS like Toyota used social media to repair damaged relationships and product reputation. For a BEGINNING BRAND or someone establishing a hold in the market place I feel short of ways to successfully use all this free connectivity to reach customers who have this need that I can satisfy.

If I approach social media as a way to spread word of my cause / business, I could easily come across as another spammer just using new tools on the internet to fill their inboxes etc. But do you really think I can get customers to love my product by offering a free service slightly related to my venture like Daily Musical Instrument Maintenance Tips or provide contact information for musical repair shops? As an entering brand what do you think the appropriate course of action is in utilizing social media? Creating evangelists? Drawing in more sales? Improving your industry in general? Delivering a socially responsible message? Simply spreading the word about your product? Or all of the above?

I guess if all of the above is the true answer, then developing successful social media has the potential to be a potent weapon if developed properly.