Internet Marketing for Mass Communications

This week has brought new developments in the internet marketing world, especially in Social Media. Like many large corporations, a major American fast food chain has taken to social media for marketing hoping that the power of internet marketing will allow them to continue to spread the word on their new reinvention. If you thought Twitter was everywhere, think again. The ever so popular and expanding social media site has joined together with PepsiCo and reached a brand milestone. You can now find Pepsi’s Twitter address displayed on their cans. Facebook has also made recent headlines creating a virtual stampede when they released information on the long awaited vanity URLS for their users. On June 13, users will be able to sign up for a personalized URL otherwise known as a vanity URL instead of the current style with the nine number signatures.

The economy has been on an unstable and slippery slope and companies have had to change their marketing strategies to adjust to the current spending trends of consumers. Recently, KFC has tried to reinvent itself with the “UnthinkKFC” campaign and in conjunction unveiled its new grilled chicken. It seems they want to convince a healthier consumer who would normally skip a fast food chain to consider dining at KFC for less. KFC’s other tactic is using internet marketing through social media. On MySpace, KFC wants users to submit a video and the best video winner can become a star and receive a lifetime supply of chicken. Does that sound appetizing? You can also find KFC in Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Is that Twitter bird ever going to get full? Twitter is growing at a staggering rate in size and popularity and the proof is when a powerful corporation like Pepsi has acknowledged the marketing power of this social media giant. PepsiCo has its own Twitter page and has decided it would be a good idea to display the page address on their cans. There is no question; Twitter is taking a huge jump into the mainstream. A true 21^st century business, Twitter is showing the way on how to build a brand and identity by marketing in a non-traditional way. Prior corporations have gone from traditional media (TV, Radio and Print) and then extend through internet marketing but Twitter has reversed this order and its proving to be as effective or more. When PepsiCo added their Twitter address on a can that will reach millions of people, what does that mean for Twitter? Both corporations will benefit from this; Pepsi will get social credibility and Twitter gets wide exposure to those not yet familiar with the Twitter World.

One of the most exciting developments in social media is that Facebook is finally giving its users a vanity URL that can be personalized. This is a great idea for an individual user; it will be much easier to share and identify links. However, this news should be especially exciting for Facebook profiles of small and large businesses and identities that have fan page profiles. For SEO purposes, the new personalized URL’s provide businesses with a new tool to optimize for important keywords than may not be present in their main URL or website. However, before we can get all excited, there are few qualifications for a fan page to receive a personalized URL. They must have joined Facebook before May 31, 2009 and they must have at least 1000 fans. The first one might be easily feasible but the second one poses quite the challenge. 1000 fans is a big number. Obviously, they are placing these restrictions as a preventive measure for static fan pages popping up but it’s unfortunate that active fan pages with less than 1000 fans will have to wait on their fan base to grow. Facebook should come up with a solution for fan pages with less than 1000 fans.

It’s not surprising that pre-internet companies are collaborating with post-internet companies in one marketing idea in endeavors to reinvent their companies collaboratively. Internet marketing has become adopted by mass communications proving marketing power to reach large groups of targeted consumers. With Internet marketing, companies are just scraping the surface at this early stage. Will there be a day when internet marketing will encompass all marketing? Maybe not completely but I feel that internet marketing and marketing will become mutually inseparable going forwards.