Violet Mae Lim

Social networks come and go. Think: Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and all the ones that have come in between or are struggling to keep up (Plurk, Pownce, Jaiku etc). As someone who uses social networks both professional and personally, it’s important to identify and understand these trends. As a brand, understanding these trends will keep you above your competition and relevant in your industry.

Social Networking Life Span:
1. Launch
2. Growth
3. Peak
4. Plateau
5. End
*Some social networks won’t ever get pass #1.

Once a social network peaks, you’ll hear about it everywhere from the mainstream media and all throughout the blogosphere. Everyone and their grandmothers will be on the site. The site will eventually become over saturated with users, companies, brands and ultimately, spam. Additionally, there will be other social networking sites that are able to fill the
needs/wants/desires of users and grow with the user base (I hope to revisit this topic at another time).

As a marketer, It’s during #2 (growth) and #3 (peak) where it is most beneficial to join the site. Build your reputation, “social capital” and community while the social networking site is growing. Thrive during stage #3 as more users join the social network. All the while, keeping your ears and eyes open for the next, up-and-coming social network. As the first social network starts to plateau, utilize the second social network. As previously mentioned, when a social network plateaus, it is infiltrated with spam, glittery icons and too much music (think: MySpace). You (of course) are not spamming your community, but they are getting spam from elsewhere in the social network–perhaps your competitor who hasn’t a clue how to effectively or strategically use it.

What’s important to remember: if your messages and interactions are in the company of spam and junk, you are no longer relevant. Your community gets bored and your messages are drowned out. Marketing is an arms race. You have to understand how your communities want to receive, see, “hear” and consume your message and use the appropriate technologies to implement your strategies. At the same time, marketers also need to be aware of the life spans or social networks while keeping an eye and ear open for the next up and coming sites. Doing so keeps you relevant as a brand and ensures your engagement and interaction with your customers, consumers and communities are maximized.

If you haven’t already heard of Hayden-Harnett (other than now), you will soon. Hayden-Harnett is a mid-end accessory and apparel brand based in Brooklyn, NYC. The handbags range anywhere from $200-$700 and $200-$500 for apparel. Hayden-Harnett has been featured in many women’s magazines including Marie Claire, Lucky, Elle, InStyle, O, Bust and a wide range of international magazines. They have a standard e-commerce website where consumers can shop online, locate local stores to buy products,read the press they’ve been featured in and join the mailing list. What’s the big deal? As a mid-end fashion brand they are rapidly building an online presence.

Hidden in the “about us” section is a link to their blog (mind you, active since September 2005, a steady pattern of blogging since March 2006). Toni and Ben, founders of Hayden-Harnett blog about the newest Hayden-Harnett products and engage their fans by having contests. Furthermore, Hayden-Harnett has a MySpace profile, Facebook page and many adorable sets of outfits on Polyvore.com. As soon as I got word that Hayden-Harnett had joined Twitter, I quickly followed the brand. I was thrilled. Not because I am a fan of this particular brand (this may change) but rather because I fancy brands who humanize themselves on the social web and engage with their communities. It is refreshing to see a non-technology based brand, actively interacting with their fans- especially since I wouldn’t call Twitter mainstream just yet (yes, I am fully aware that the Britney Spears team is on Twitter). Not only is Hayden-Harnett on Twitter but the brand is utilizing Twitter properly (2-way communication stream with a fair mix of chatter and self-promotion and a great follower/following ratio, among other things). Hayden-Harnett also recently had sample pre-sale for  specifically for Twitter followers. Bravo!

Hayden-Harnett is definitely on the right track, however I do have some strategies on how the brand can further utilize social media:

Humanize Thyself:

• For starters, I would suggest Hayden-Harnett further humanize themselves on Twitter by either using a real picture or a real name. In reality, people don’t talk to brands, people talk to people. Even though I follow Hayden-Harnett on Twitter, I can’t figure out who is behind the Twitter stream. Is it Toni? Ben? Their assistant? Hayden-Harnett? Based on what I can tell, Hayden-Harnett is the name of the brand and Toni and Ben are the people behind it, If I can’t tell, others surely won’t be able to. Transparency is key here. A real name and picture on the Twitter would fix this problem.

If you have a blog, promote it:

• The Hayden-Harnett blog should be featured on the front of their website. I had to dig through their site to find their blog. Keep in mind, I was specifically looking for a blog. Most people aren’t going to dig around with the intent of finding a blog. What good is a blog if no one knows it exists?

Tag and Share:

• Last but not least, I notice there is a delicious.com bookmarklet button on the website for people to bookmark the blog. Having this is dandy, but just “having it” isn’t doing much. I’d like to see a link to the Hayden-Harnett delicious.com account.

Anyhow, I’ve got plenty more where that came from, but I won’t bore you any longer. Prior to this, I don’t think I’ve browsed the Hayden-Harnett site for more than 2 minutes at a time, nor was I interested in any of their products. Now that I see they are actively engaging in the fashion community and expanding their online presence on the web, I have Hayden-Harnett in the back of my mind. The next time I realize I need a new purse or coat, I just may turn to Hayden-Harnett.

From an outsider’s perspective, I can understand why social media is a difficult concept for brands and corporations to grasp. I can also understand why it can be overwhelming and confuse people. Brands hear about “this new thing called Twitter”, become intrigued with “the power of communities” or even see a competitor on a social network and want to jump on the social media band wagon. I’ve heard some clients say that traditional media is no longer as effective as it once was and now they need “something else”. They never quite know what they need, but they know they need to try new methods of marketing or advertising.

This is almost a paradox. They understand they need something new, they hear about social media and then shy away from it. Why? Ultimately, the answer is, “I don’t have the time”. They say they want to understand social media, but when push comes to shove, they don’t have time to blog or regularly engage with their online community. They want the interactive marketing agencies or the social media consultants they hire to write for them, post on the forums for them, tweet for them and ultimately, BE THEM. It can be frustrating when clients do not understand this and do not engage with their community as they should. At the end of the day, the agency or consultant is at fault because afterall, “they are the marketing people, aren’t they?”

I can understand why they feel this way. Let’s be frank- social media, engaging and interacting with communities and writing meaningful content that is relevant to the brand and their space, takes time. Social media is nothing like traditional banner ads, media buys or advertising. Making one video and praying it goes “viral” also isn’t social media. Signing up for a twitter account and pushing news headlines or self-promoting links isn’t social media. The interactions and relationships that are built from social media take time. Simply put, social media isn’t for the lazy. I always advocate social media consultants and agencies to teach and inspire their clients- show them the ropes, hold their hand and then wave from afar like a mother does to her child on the first day of kindergarten.

Since social media is very complex and still growing (that’s what makes it exciting), I’m sure I will be coming across more and more people who want to use social media without completely understanding all the implications and time commitment that comes along with it. That’s ok with me, I’m a patient person.