Mass marketers embarking on a big campaign start with television and then move on to social media.  YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are no longer merely afterthoughts, but they are not typically the centerpiece for the effort except for smaller brands targeting younger people.  And, while we have a lot of brands that are and always were Internet-focused (Amazon, E-Trade and Facebook itself come to mind), we don’t yet have m-brands, but we will.

The evolution is starting and the sharpest marketers will soon be exploiting the new mass market of mobility. More people are looking at a mobile device than television at any given time.  How can marketers connect with this audience? Unclear.  So far, they can have pages on social media and send tweets and other messages.  But, how to best communicate messages for reach and frequency?  Still emerging.

But, what is known now:

• At a minimum, all marketers need to actively engage in social media (probably 24x7) to be able to respond to mentions of their brand or at least to complaints
• Having routes of communication to your customers and prospects (whether you are b-to-c or b-to-b) is extremely valuable.  One time “liking” can be a precursor, but without a way to keep the channel actively connecting to the customers, there is likely not an asset since inattention may connote an inactive relationship/a symbolic lack of ongoing value from the brand
• The early winners will be those who develop relationships with those whom they are able to connect

As with any new opportunity, those who get there first, and do so well, will learn the most and gain the most, fastest.