Everything old is new again in social media

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc, are now in total monetisation mode – and their evil plan is paying off.

The days of “free” social media marketing for businesses are all but over. Companies looking to reach their fans, prospects and customers via social channels are increasingly paying to do so.

According to a recent Ad Age and RBC Capital Markets poll of 1682 marketing and media executives, organic reach in social networks is in dramatic decline.

• 83% of respondents now pay for Facebook ads
• 44% increased spend on Twitter in the last six months
• 63% expect to invest more in Twitter ad products over the coming year

In yesteryear, in-program product placement and sponsorship were the norm for companies wanting to reach prospective customers. Remember Hey Hey It’s Saturday’s “Chook Lotto” brought to you by Inghams?

Marketers have been slowly moving away from this type of advertising for many years.

But hold tight, riders, native advertising is back! And becoming a major part of the social media marketing mix for most companies.

This shift will have far-reaching implications for social media users – and brands.

Is not publisher-produced branded content really just a traditional advertorial masquerading as an article? “Other content you might be interested in” – actually, you probably won’t be.

Authenticity, that fine line between what is and isn’t journalism, the role of publishers and agencies – whether the future of social media is more “social” or more “media” remains to be seen.

My money’s on the latter. Where’s yours?

Fi Bendall is the managing director of Bendalls Group, a team of highly trained digital specialists, i-media subject matter experts and developers.