Bronto Blog

I recently attended a session at Internet Retailer 2008 Conference which focused on Social Networking. I was wary that the session would once again focus on why Social Media is growing and that it is a great marketing opportunity – which I have heard over and over for the past 24 months.

I really wanted the discussion to pivot around real life examples where marketers are utilizing these viral sites to sell their product and promote their brand. Heather Dougherty, Director of Research at Hitwise, gave me exactly what I was craving – a compelling and thought provoking session packed with great examples that I could internalize and run with.

I was inspired to re-think my overall concept on how marketers can empower consumers to become their “brand’s fans.”

As we all know, or at least have been told, Social Networks can build brand awareness and brand loyalty virally. Consumers of all ages are continually creating and updating their MySpace or Facebook pages with creative pulled from here, there and everywhere. Savvy marketers should be enabling their “brand’s fans” by giving consumers digital content that can simply be pulled down from your corporate site. Read the rest of this entry »