Social Media Marketing: Lessons from the Informal Economy

The informal economy's markets are ecosystems, not individuals or discrete customer segments. There is little mass media or formal marketing of brands in the bazaars of the developing world. Instead, the emphasis is on personal relationships, word of mouth, trusted references and introductions.

Your brand is your reputation among your social network, and for the vast majority, their customers are members of their local community. Showing up matters as does engagement and relationship building.

How different is this from what big brands are trying to do on social media today?