Pity the poor marketer, nose pressed against the virtual glass, peering inside the Social Media toyshop.

“Why won’t they let me in to play?” he wonders.

TMW, a British integrated marketing agency, wondered the same thing. As TMW’s Darran Snatchfold noted in an interview with Brand Republic:

The failure of a sizeable chunk of campaigns to gain any traction in Social Media highlights our continuing struggle in this (formerly) new frontier.  Our biggest challenge – how to ingratiate brands to audiences in a media where the risk of being an unwelcomed intruder looms large. The answer lies not in what we can build in terms of techno-wizardry, but in what we should build according to good old fashioned user mindsets and needs in this space.

Already, much is known about what people do in social media and what roles they play. Much less is known of the underlying reasons why.  If we know the answer to that, we can understand how we can introduce enduring value and make the contact with our brand far more rewarding.

To answer this question TMW identified 16 reasons why people might use the various Social Media channels (from networks to online gaming) grouped into 6 key themes:

• DISCOVERY – for self-development or to learn from others
• ALTRUISM – to help others make the right decision or become involved in the brand’s product decision
• SOCIAL – to connect to the like minded, reinforce tribal identity or gain a sense of belonging
• FAME – for personal notoriety or to challenge their ability against others
• ESCAPISM – for entertainment and an escape from the daily routine
• EXPRESSION – as an outlet for their imagination or expression of personal identity

They then asked an omnibus research panel why they used Social Media. Darran reported back:

The study suggests the strongest motivator to spend time in Social Media comes from DISCOVERY and in particular the ability to learn other people’s point of view (true for 70% of active users).  However the ego-centric FAME drivers cannot be ignored, with 31% admitting a degree of enjoyment from being seen to be doing well in life by others – explaining the breed of aggressive network builders on Facebook.

Perhaps the most encouraging finding for brands is that 60% enjoy the opportunity to input into companies about their products or services. This is an open invite from nearly two-thirds of users to involve them in your brand decisions through the likes of community forums and FAQs.

The least surprising finding was that men think differently from women.  For women the strongest value seems to come from SOCIAL factors (especially staying in touch with existing friends). For men it’s more about DISCOVERY.  FAME and the ability to get their opinion heard by a wider audience is a greater motivator for men, EXPRESSION and having an outlet for their imagination more so for women.

Does age play a part?

Those who have grown up with Social Media (18-24 year olds) gain greater pleasure from expressing their individuality and building their notoriety (FAME) than their older peers.  Brands should therefore look to provide the platform for them to be heard and to compete, just as Adidas achieved with their 2007 Predator and Tunit Myspace campaign.

Whereas, for 35-44 year olds ALTRUISM and DISCOVERY motivations are particularly strong.  The clearest opportunity for brands is therefore to provide the tools to help them learn and allow them to help others make the right choice.

What are your recommendations for brands?

Firstly, understanding what drives your particular audience to create, contribute or spectate should inspire every strategy and is the key to unlocking the value exchange in Social Media.  Ask the question of your customers or target audience and build a solution around the answer.

Secondly, explore the full spectrum of ways to deliver value according to identified user needs.  It seems all brands are looking to either entertain or to connect audiences in Social Media.  If everyone is doing the same it becomes very difficult for any single brand to be heard amongst the noise.

Thirdly, get in touch dsnatchfold@tmw.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to find out more about the findings and their implications for today’s marketers.

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