Hopefully this isn’t the first time you’ve heard of Spotify— the social, streaming music player that’s pure brilliance. Something which I can’t emphasize enough.
Its service alone is enough to make anyone stop wasting their money on iTunes. But as you’ve probably noticed on Facebook since it made its radical changes in September, Spotify is popping up everywhere now. Perhaps you’ve seen something like this on your mini news feed (added with some terrible coloring by me, assuming my friends don’t want their names plastered on the web!) :
This is happening all of the time on Facebook now– we are constantly getting a glimpse into the music tastes of our friends.
At first, it was annoying, and I really wasn’t ready to jump on board with it. But then, one day, I saw that a co-worker was listening to a track of a band that I was particularly partial to. I asked her about it, and by the end of the conversation, she had unveiled a whole new list of tracks and bands to check out, which I haven’t stopped doing since she first recommended them to me. When I think about that now, I realize that together, we made music a social experience. As a result, Spotify’s teaming up with Facebook then made total sense.
Traditional marketing argues that nothing is more convincing in sales than the old fashioned word of mouth strategic. Yet we all know that in a digital age, this is sometimes an outdated idealogy.
Not with Spotify though. Their recent efforts in social media are the perfect blend of traditional and new media.
As Facebook users, who likely check the site multiple times per day, we are indirectly, yet personally introduced to what Spotify is, if we haven’t been using it. And chances are, we’ll be curious to check it out because it keeps popping up on our news feeds, meaning that it must be worth our while if Facebook is endorsing it. That’s just the kind of world we live in today.
But mostly, the more we see those we trust and who we consider our friends using it, the more likely we are to test it out ourselves. It’s word of mouth marketing happening in real time, but without the business doing the advertising. Instead its done on its own by its loyal customers. Something I find revolutionary.
Then, as we understand what it’s all about, we realize that Spotify’s integration into Facebook keeps getting better. Seeing what our friends like gives us new opportunities to discover new music, which we’ll turn back to Spotify for. Everyone is happy.
And as for Facebook, they are creating a more social and personal world. As well as another reason for users to come back and spend more time on their site. Win-win-win for all.
Oh the possibilities. Who knows what else Facebook will endorse in the future.
Do you think Spotify’s recent campaigns on social media are revolutionary? Share your thoughts!
