It’s no secret that brands have been enthusiastically turning to social media as a marketing platform and an innovative way to engage consumers.  I have noticed that many companies are now advertising their social media pages in commercials or viral videos, often in place of their own website’s address.

One notable example is Best Buy: the retailer set up a Twitter account under the name “Twelpforce,” where representatives answer questions and concerns that customers submit by tweeting to @twelpforce.  The accompanying commercials feature the address for the Twitter account, twitter.com/twelpforce.

I think the campaign is interesting, and a good utilization of the interactive nature of Twitter.  But there are also potential risks in directing users to a social media site instead of a branded website.  One significant risk that may not be obvious is user distraction.  On social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, branded content is surrounded by links to other pages and other content.  While visiting a brand’s Facebook page, for example, an Internet user sees not only the branded content, but links to her profile, her news feed, her message inbox, friend requests and notifications, not to mention the profiles of numerous other users.  With all that information so close, it takes a lot to keep her on the brand page.

I don’t need to mention that there are also numerous benefits when engaging with Internet users via social media.  Even though companies typically cannot use social media sites in the same way they can use their own branded websites, where they have more control, marketers know that there is an enormous community of users just a click away on sites like Facebook and Twitter.  That opens up the possibility of reaching a great number of people who would not be as reachable via a campaign microsite outside of social media.

Both social media sites and branded sites have their pros and cons, but great marketing campaigns play to the advantages of each.  That is why it is crucial to own and properly utilize the best social media usernames and the best domain names for your brand.  Well done, Best Buy for registering twelpforce.com and redirecting it to the “Twelpforce” Twitter page.