There’s a lot of talk about whether Facebook is still cool, still the best place for marketers and real people to hang out.
Most of it’s the usual bollocks. In real life Facebook is probably here to stay, although its popularity will probably wax and wane like most super-brands.
Look out for inertia in action
It’ll be interesting to watch inertia at work. Like the big high street banks, Facebook will probably benefit from it. Could you be bothered to migrate your entire Facebook account and all its complex inter-connections to an alternative social medium unless you could do it in a couple of clicks?
I have fewer than 100 friends on Facebook. But the thought of un-hooking / hooking up again via an alternative social network is about as appealing as changing bank accounts. It was hard enough to track everyone down in the first place. I can only imagine what it’d be like trying to re-connect with thousands of friends.
I bet Facebook’s marketing appeal will wax and wane too, like the marketing appeal of every medium. More people might get fed up of having marketing messages fed into their personal family and friends’ space. Or we might keep on loving it. But Facebook SMM isn’t likely to go away any time soon. And the next big thing isn’t always better than the last one.
Don’t listen to the panic and gossip merchants. The best marketers stay flexible while retaining a sensible level of scepticism. Less hysteria, more common sense please.
