Question

Topic: Social Media

Cross Cultural Aspects In Social Media Marketing

Posted by Anonymous on 9/16/2010 at 4:26 AM ET 25 Points
My name is Caterina Lodo and I am currently writing my thesis on Cross Cultural Aspects in Social Media Marketing.

I was wondering what's the approach that companies have towards international social media marketing in practice.

Are companies actually using the different strategies (selection of a certain social media tool, language, design, use of images vs. use of words, etc.) with different countries (and cultures), or the approach is the same everywhere?

Does anybody know any example of international company which uses different approaches to social media marketing in relation to different countries?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 9/16/2010 at 6:35 PM Accepted
    Dear Caterina,

    Sorry to burst your bubble here but any company that uses social media for marketing is wasting its time and money. Social media is not about selling, it's about creating lasting relationships.

    If I we were to meet at a cocktail party and I were to come right out with a sales pitch for life insurance your reaction would be to back away and to see if you could find a way to get away from me.

    The same is true of ALL marketing in social media—social media users are not in shopping mode, they're in "Hi, how are you, nice to meet you, what do you do?" mode. Social, see?

    I hope this helps.

    Gary Bloomer
    The Direct Response Marketing Guy™
    Wilmington, DE, USA
  • Posted on 9/17/2010 at 2:29 AM Author
    I thank you a lot for your answer Gary.

    I agree with you, when you say that at the moment in which firms engage themselves in social media they don't want to waste time and money.
    But at the same time, since the relationship between companies and consumers is the core of social media, I think that mutual understanding and knowledge is necessary.

    For this reason I think that companies should keep in mind that they are communicating with consumers that have different cultural backgrounds. In this way, by understanding the differences that exist and answering in the right way, the relationship that comes could be even stronger.
    This is not about trying to sell, but it is more trying to develop mutual trust and cooperation.

    I don't think that this has to be translated in such a big waste of time and money, because with just a little bit more of care, some steps can be done by companies, in order to take more care and to give more importance to the consumers with who they are dealing.

    I know that I am just a student, and I'm not pretending that my opinion is right, but after having read some blogs, books and statements written by some experts, I've been really interested in what I've just said.
    Of course after the theory come the reality, and see how things really works, and could work.

    Anyway I thank you a lot for you answer again, it helps me a lot in understanding a bit how the reality is.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 9/17/2010 at 10:11 AM Accepted
    Dear Caterina,

    What I meant was that companies that use social media to sell
    straight out of the gate are wasting their time and money.

    You're RIGHT about the need to build relationships. The snag is that too many companies see social media as just another way to sell, THAT's where the problem is.

    "I know that I am just a student, and I'm not pretending that my opinion is right ..."

    Stop. You are NOT "just" a student and your opinion IS right.

    From your HIGHLY detailed response above you've proved that you're thinking about your topic. On this forum, and for student questions, believe me, this is a RARE thing, and it convinces me that you'll go far.

    Social media marketing MUST be about offering solutions to problems by way of bonds of trust. Companies that sell, sell, sell BEFORE they've gained people's trust by way of a caring relationship, those are the companies that will tell you that social media marketing does not work.

    I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

    Gary Bloomer
    The Direct Response Marketing Guy™
    Wilmington, DE, USA

  • Posted on 9/17/2010 at 3:18 PM Author
    Once again I thank you for your answer and your attention.
    It made me think a lot and i've needed a bit of time to find an appopriate reply.

    What I think is that, of course, most companies are searching for the most immediate, easy and for the cheapest way to sell their products and services.
    And if they see, that they can find that way, without spending time on social media, they will not care about any Facebook page or Youtube Channel.

    On the other side I think, for what I can perceive observing things around me, that the world is rapidly changing, people and therefore consumers, can rely now on a great number of tools and applications that can allow them to get any information they wish at any time they want, this is a big challenge for firms.

    I believe we're still in a transition era, where "old manners" are still working, but soon firms will have to replaced them with this whole new bunch of instruments and practices that social media are, if they'll want to keep their position high.

    While writing this thesis I'm getting more and more the feeling that nowadays everything can be nothing and nothing can be everything, I mean everyone has now the power to express him/herself, to gain a lot of knowledge, and to become influent in certain specific spheres, IF they engage in the right way (and of course also a bit of luck is needed).

    For this reason i've decided to develop this topic, because maybe not now, but I think that in the future, to have the right approach with people, and to keep into account cultural differences, will be essential for companies's success, since people will feel more and more important and powerful as single individuals.

    I know that this is now an easy topic to be discussed in few word, and that experts have been arguing about this aspect for years, but I wanted to explain the reasons for my work and to try to give you a good reply.

    Anyway I thank you a lot once again for your answer.

    Caterina Lodo
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