Digital Sharecropping

This week Envolve, a local marketing company, guest lectured for my social media class.  They covered a variety of topics, but one of the more interesting ones they covered was digital sharecropping.

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So, what is sharecropping?  If you're like me, you have heard the term, but may have forgotten what it means.

Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on the land.

Digital sharecropping is the same idea.  When an individual or company engages in social media websites, in essence, they are borrowing the "land."  Although you are the one to upload all your information to create your own profile, social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are allowed to dictate their terms and policies.

This has become a problem for companies.  Many use social media to boost their brand presence, market their products, and communicate with customers.  For example, a few years ago, large brands had hundreds of thousands of Facebook "likers" viewing and interacting with their posts.  Facebook changed their terms and conditions which changed how visible posts became to people who already opted-in to "liking" them. Over time, organic visibility of posts has sharply declined.  In order for a company's content to reach customers, Facebook requires the company to pay sponsorship for the post.

Your company is at the mercy of social media websites' terms and policies.  It is a misconception to think social media is free; it is becoming increasingly more expensive to reach customers.  When choosing a marketing strategy for your company, don't put all your eggs in the basket of social media.