*Originally Monday posted January 5, 2009 

It seems like everyone is talking about consumers, companies and marketers “cutting back” on everything from holiday gifts to corporate budgets, so imagine my surprise when I read that many brands are adding more social media to their marketing plans in 2009.  As someone who is an advocate for a more conversational method of brands marketing to consumers, I say “hooray”!  

According to MediaPost and a new study conducted by Junta42, 56 percent of marketing decision-makers plan to increase their content marketing spending in 2009.

And that means more social media content.  In a survey of the most important products/tactics for those who are engaged in content marketing decision making, social media (not including blogs) resonated with 68 percent of subscribers, followed by e-newsletters/email (60 percent), blogs (56 percent), case studies (55 percent), online video (51 percent), white papers (46 percent) and microsites (43 percent).

To me, a consumer who just happens to be in a marketing field, this is great news.  It means that companies are finally going “all in” on the idea that consumers want to interact with their brands and are more likely to become brand loyalists if their favorite brands begin talking back.  I anticipate a rash of new corporate blogs (and probably a few scandals when we find out that the CEO of insert megabrand here isn’t actually writing the blog/responding to comments), Twitter accounts, Facebook profiles – the works. 

And if creating collaborative communities around your brand isn’t the answer to the marketing dilemma at hand, (and as a reaction to the whole “cost cutting” issue) – social media (done right) is cheap.  If a product or story is worth it, consumers (brand angels, loyalists, early adopters … whomever!) will do the work and spread the word for it, given the right tools.  Just another reason to “go social,” when the purse strings get tight!