Sat 11 Apr 2009
Two things I believe about Social Media
Posted by Lisa Hickey under social media
photo: visulogik
It’s a Wednesday morning. Or a Monday afternoon. Or Thursday at lunchtime. I’m in a huge conference room with seventeen people or at a tiny table in Starbucks. There are people who I’ve never met. There is the person I’ve known for years. Sometimes I’m in my maroon suit, sometimes in jeans. I am a Social Media consultant, although, quite frankly, I have no idea how I got that title. It seems to have acquired me. As usual, I’m toting a strategic, creative, thoughtful presentation specifically designed for that meeting. All I have to do is get through my introduction.
It’s my turn to talk. I speak my name, and a few bits about my background. How I come from traditional advertising. Have been an art director, copywriter, CEO. And then I launch into what I believe.
“I believe two things. One, I believe that almost every business problem can be solved with social media. And two, I believe that in the very near future, all media will be social media.”
Invariably the clients will put down their pens, cross their arms. If there’s an ad agency person in the room, they lick their lips. Look a little nervous.
“Social media connects things. It connects people who want to buy with people who want to sell. It connects people who share similar values who never before would have known each other. It connects brand evangelists with people who have never heard of a brand. It connects people who have information with people who need information. People who have resources with people who need resources. And social media connects problems with solutions.
Can you imagine doing business without a phone? Without a computer? Social media at its best is the best of those two things combined. You can broadcast to thousands and talk to an individual. Often simultaneously. You can communicate your core values as a business, not through marketing-speak, but through what you think and say and do and how you treat people.
Here’s how it works best. In the old days, if you were a business, you only gave somebody something of value at the time of the purchase transaction. “Give me two dollars, I will give you a hamburger.” Nothing of value was given to the consumer until that two dollars was safely in the cash register.
But in this new world order, you find or create networks of people who share similar values. Because they share values, it is easy to figure out something they actually consider valuable. Go ahead. Give that to them. Before they make a single financial transaction, give them something of value and watch what happens. Give them information. Give them tools. Give them entertainment and thinking and connections and stuff they can use. Give them connections. Give them kindness.
‘But what will I get in return?’, you ask. That’s what everyone asks – if you invest – yes, invest – if you give away something of value before the financial transaction, what can you expect to get in return? In return you get people who are engaged with you and with each other. People who share your passion and the things you believe in. Your product. Your service. Your commitment to the world. In return, you get people who have a commonality of purpose. People who talk to you, who tell you what you could be doing better. People who act. And yes, people who buy.
The ROI for everyone is that you help solve your consumers problem and they help solve your business problems.
So let’s discuss your business problems. And together, let’s strategize a creative solution using social media. Because, as I said earlier, I believe social media can solve almost any business problem you might have. And that’s the reason – the only reason – that I believe in the near future, all media will be social media.
Are you ready to begin?”
I agree with most of what you say but you are overlooking a very important issue: Social Media, in spite of what social media evangelists want you to believe, is far from ubiquitous. In fact social media in general is both exclusive and uninclusive and the majority of the populace has little-to-no actual understanding and use of social media as it stands now. The majority of the grown and money spending public see social media as either Facebook, something the kids are doing or something they don’t understand or are afraid of. This will undoubtedly change over time but it’ll take a long time. Just look at how news organizations are moving backwards when it comes to sharing - the technology is simply evolving faster than people are willing to adapt.
Whether a company should invest massive time and effort in social media other than as a side experiment depends on a lot of things including your target audience, what you are offering and what market you want to reach. In many cases investing heavily in social media will alienate the current customer base and end up damaging the company. There is also a serious problem with “cliques” within social media - so much so that I often want to call it “anti-social media” and this issue has to be taken into consideration.
When I talk to my clients about social media I recommend they pursue a balanced approach by introducing the tools as an extra benefit without ramming it down people’s throats. And I also take heed to point out that there is no guarantee that including social media in your marketing will have any type of impact - it all depends on who you are targeting.
morten
Articulate and thoughtful as always. However, I think that great brands have always engaged in some way or another with prospects prior to transaction time. The most basic way was simply entertaining them with clever advertising, a little gift in and of itself. But yes, they’ll reap even greater rewards, supposedly, if they give me more (in the form of utility, generosity, etc.) prior to a transaction. And yes, all marketing will be social. Or more accurately all marketing will include social. The consumer has a lot of ways in which she wants to receive and/or engage with brands on content, from being entertained, to searching and solving, to voicing an opinion. The brands that win will be those that figure out precisely when, where and how to connect and what role social media plays. It will be a big one, no doubt.
edward boches
You make some excellent points Morten. I don’t think many people understand it, and you can’t solve every business problem with one-size-fits-all solution. Like you say, whatever programs you put in place have to be appropriately geared for the target and it needs to be thought through at a very deep level to make sure it * doesn’t * alienate the very audiences you are trying to connect. And, nothing, yet nothing is worse than ramming something down someone’s throat – the downfall of many an un-social media campaign I believe.
But… I also follow my spiel by saying; “I could be wrong. But * what if * those two things were true? What if we looked at – really looked at – the business problem at hand and said, “But what if it could be solved with Social Media? What would happen if we did it right?”
It is interesting to observe how the nature of selling things has changed. As of now, I’m much more persuaded by social factors than by promotional media to buy many of the things I choose. As a common example, Amazon’s community built around commenting on and reviewing products. Once you’ve experienced that, it’s hard to consider buying anything without the comfort of social proof.
Looping back to the beginning of this process, there’s the original need, or want that leads to the sale. It seems to me that where social media is helping marketers and consumers most is by creating an open marketplace of ideas, where people feel comfortable revealing their innermost desires, and their personal challenges. This is leading to smarter companies, products and services that are built from real needs.
Soon to be gone are the days when an advertiser comes to you and says “My engineers came up with this great widget—now tell me who we can sell it to”. But they will still need help for a long time to come in finding the ideal positioning for their products. Perhaps soon, clients will be coming to social media experts to say “We’ve got some money to invest, tell us what product we should be creating”.
(on Twitter) @lisahickey Was missing you. Great post. I say: “Market is where need and want go to look for offers.” So, social media = pre-marketing.
And the media can be off-line, as it has been for ages. Think smalltalk, campfire, and village marketplace.
Businesses have customers. Those customers are people. People are social. They also use media. The most basic and socialest of media is word of mouth. This has been around since people could talk. Yet it amazes me how many companies don’t have contingency plans for maximizing or limiting potential outcomes to be most favorable to them. Where companies get caught up with Social Media is viewing it as a capital letter category. They can’t get past the tools. All social media (lowercase letters) is is anything your customers use to be social, ultimately spreading word of mouth with new technological tools. The tech tools are here. All of them must be considered with your customer’s needs in mind. Even if they’re not there they one day will be. Figure out how they will fit in and guide them there.
Frankly the fear around social media is boring. No one is afraid of using the phone- or at least no one of sound mind will admit it. All social media is is another communications platform. There will be something else beyond social media one day too. And THAT will be a communications device. Nothing has changed. It’s all communications. Where’s the lightbulb? I’m sure if many companies start to rethink exactly what Social Media is they’ll be less flustered and more empowered.
What Lisa touched on that is so profound is that Twitter and other social media are forcing marketers into conversations with customers rather than shoving USPs down their throats. Could you imagine if @zappos littered our Twitter feeds with “Crocs only $49.99! Order today on Zappos.com!” There’s no tolerance for that on social media. Partially because you can unfollow as fast as you follow. But also because dialogue and generosity are more powerful marketing than the one-way, pushed messages that assault consumers every second of every day. Sharing knowledge with someone else is the most effective advertising there is. Done right, Twitter is a representation of our best selves- as people, organizations, and marketers.
Jon, it’s interesting you bring up “social proof”, which may well be a bridge between traditional media and social media. Advertisers may still advertise traditionally, but use social media to support what they are saying. Or, it may work in reverse – find out what people are saying and then use that to craft your advertising message.
CoCreatr, I do love thinking about advertising from this POV: what would I say about my product if I were sitting around a campfire talking about it?
Damien, “Frankly, the fear around social media is boring.” Love that! Would you mind coming with me to my next client meeting.
Erik “Sharing knowledge with someone else is the most effective advertising there is.” Spot on ~ when can we work together?
Thanks for sharing, everyone.
This is a very provocative message “I believe two things. One, I believe that almost every business problem can be solved with social media. And two, I believe that in the very near future, all media will be social media.”
If I take the tools out of the equation what you are essentially saying is every business problem can be solved through conversation and that the only form of communication consumers will engage in in the future is where they are being talked with rather than talked at.
As an organizational change consultant I have been thinking that the tools of social media provide the solution to the breakdowns in internal corporate communications. Your two things, while perhaps in the context of my work I would say them differently, they apply directly to that world as well.
Thanks for the insight Lisa!
I have been looking looking around for this kind of information. Will you post some more in future? I’ll be grateful if you will.