2. Social media: Are firms being pulled or pushed?
If most customers engage with social media, firms should engage with social media as well. In the past, marketers employed e-mail blasts, direct marketing, telemarketing, informational websites, television, radio, and other mechanisms to disseminate information related to the firm or its products. The World Wide Web was used to present marketing messages through page views and advertising to reach large numbers of people in a short amount of time. It served as an advertising tool that shaped surfer behaviour rather than as a medium that facilitated interaction between buyers and sellers. Despite its utility, this type of marketing strategy is too broad to effectively target connectors, mavens, and salespeople.