Social Media. What could happen?

With the rise of Social Media appearing prevalent in my Google Reader, on marketing blogs and in business articles, I wonder what the future will be for this new addition to marketing. I mean, before Social Media, the Internet, even before Marketing became part of the normal business activity, there was a clean slate for marketers to come in and grab the attention of the present consumer. As more and more marketers entered the field, there was less and less attention to grab and it became more of a competition for eyeballs. Ever since, the attention span of a consumer as well as the placement of ads has diminished. Now we are bombarded with ads everywhere we look. Anywhere we go. Anything we watch. There is some form of advertising near us at all times. Now, is this a good thing?

It doesn't seem like a good thing for any side. For one, the consumer is faced with decisions everyday on which product to buy, top of choice products, top of mind products, new deals, discounts, FREE, buy 10 get 1 FREE, and all the other multiple and manipulations of pricing strategies that marketers use. With all these choices, it's up to the marketers to be that top of mind choice, but that comes with a price tag, major PR, major campaigns, major awareness, major everything. For the business, it is just as hard to make decisions as it is for the consumer. Marketers are faced with placement decisions, whether or not their ad will penetrate and stick with their target consumer. But are these decisions good or bad for the consumer and organization?

On the surface, I don't think it's good for either. But with the introduction of these new technologies, such as contextual marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing, these new tools are the gateway for ads to be tailored to content. This I could see as a reasonable substitution for traditional marketing. However, traditional marketing will never leave but I believe it won't be growing anytime soon.

There is one problem that I can see occurring. The bombardment of ads in the digital world, just as the traditional marketing as dominated the physical world. With business' researching and hiring Social Media marketers, there will be a point where every web page, every corner of the Internet will be a space for marketing. At some point, every business will have a Facebook page. Every business will have a Twitter feed. Every business will have a blog. Will everyone doing the same thing then make a difference? At this point in time, I believe it does matter and could help sway consumers to a brand that has an interest in Social Media, as long as the consumer has an interest in Social Media. But what will happen when every brand has what every other brand has?

This is a very interesting time. I don't know how business' will adapt when every business is using Social Media. Will it still influence like it does currently?