I’ve noticed some confusion revolving around the arts & scams of brands using social media and online social advertising, especially with brands and companies rushing to get a piece of the online social landscape nowadays. On a sort-of side note, something to think about – remember when banner ads were the new Versace and businesses were throwing around the big bills (as they still are) for a mere impression? Anyway,

Social Media – Organic, direct, human interaction utilizing technology as an interface. Content is user generated with a key purpose of being available for sharing.

Social Media Marketing - A great definition by Wikipedia states that Social Media Marketing is a term that describes the act of using social networks, online communities, blogs, wikis or any other collaborative Internet form of media to enhance marketing, sales, public relations and customer service.

Social Advertisements - An ad that is displayed based on the social information of the user that it is being served to. It’s targeted advertising based on what the ad network knows about the individual based on their social network activity. It basically uses information shared between you and your friends.

I guess the key thing to point out is that social media shouldn’t have to be some long drawn pitch. Social media is conversation, it’s what people are doing, both online and off. In leveraging the use of using social media as a brand, there really isn’t much “selling” involved. Most of the time, the biggest question mark in the brains of brands, is whether or not they have the allocation of resources.

I’m not bashing social advertising, I too am very susceptible to clicking on the “Love Web Design?” links that line the right side of my Facebook profile, even though some may view it as an exploitation of the real social media. I just feel that with all the friend to friend connectivity coming out on the web today, there has to be more depth to advertising in general; which doesn’t mean scrounging my profile for hints. Be my friend. You know you want to.