Here’s one question I’ve always had, but never seen answered: what are the negatives? Other than potential costs, now can social media cause problems? Can it hurt a company more than it can help?
In addition to the questions that you highlighted above, I would hope that each company asked you more in depth questions of what their potential social media strategies should be. I think that one of the biggest reasons why some brands succeed in the social media realm and others do not is: the simple fact that they have taken the time to understand the nature of each network’s core audience and user base.
Rather than assuming that their content will be viewed by a sizable number of people on Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook, purely based on the breadth of these communities, successful companies identify how best to communicate with current, and potential, customers. They don’t just throw something on the wall and see if it sticks, they take the necessary time to gain a true pulse and rhythm of each community. Consumers today can pick out a “social media” imposter from miles away. Brands need to provide consumers with value in participating in social media conversations, as opposed to launching one-off applications and community profiles that pander to the lowest common denominator.
For a company to succeed in the world of social media, it must be passionate about the opportunities that those platforms provide. For example, posting to a company blog shouldn’t be viewed as another task on an employee’s checklist of things to do on a given day. It should be looked at as an opportunity to share ideas and interact with the community at large. Tapping into a company’s life blood and sharing that with a broad audience, humanizes a brand. It allows a company to exist as more than an imposing skyscraper or bland press release. To become a true member of the “social media” community, a company must be willing to speak candidly, while entrusting consumers to shepherd, and shape, its message across the Web.
To many users, social networks are private communities of friends and contacts. The essence of social networking is relationships. Too often consumers are hit with flashy ads and no desire from brands to establish a long-term commitment. If brands don’t make the effort to establish relationships and continually nurture by listening, responding and adapting- they should forget about entering the space. Social media is not about the new, flashy object/platform/device, but about continually relating to consumers when they want to be in a conversation. Implementing social media shouldn’t be a cure-all, but has the potential to permeate many aspects of the business. While it is obviously important that the social media specialist has answers to these questions, it’s also important that the company is open to implementing new strategies in the space.
Monica,
First I have to say that I’m super impressed by you and Twenty Set now has a spot on my igoogle home page.This is a great topic and very relevant in my world.
What do you think about companies creating their own Ning sites?
Amanda Hite
Founder, CEO Talent Revolution Inc
Plz follow back on twitter @sexythinker
Hi Monica amazing, you’re right now here about various points. I have a story that applies. While chillin at my favorite coffee spot here in Tulsa, OK (Doubleshot), I met the main editor of Tulsa World. I asked him about the paper’s presence of Twitter (lack of it) and mentioned how I’ve seen Sun Times effectively use it. Turns out, they don’t have anyone they believe to be web/social media/networking friendly- either some don’t care or just lack no how. He contines to talk about how difficult it is for people that have done mostly the same things (work related) during their careers and are now expected to catch on, like and effectively use every new trend that hits the internet. So, our interest, know how and so on, puts us ahead of many folks that work in many of these big companies. Solid questions that need to be addressed. Thanks for sharing. -Mig
I, too, at 40 (gasp!), am shocked at the lack of interest or understanding of social media among my media/marketing peers. I think the mindset shift is huge and I haven’t seen a lot of tools to help that shift yet.
I also work with and write about creative/arts professions and I see a lot of exciting examples of what CAN be done with social media and other Web 2.0 tools, but not a lot of large-scale adoption. Do you think education (self-selected, not formal degree programs) might change this?
Monica – really great article! I picked up a lot from it and will be trying to use some of your ideas and my own to snag some social media consulting gigs in the near future! Thanks
The biggest negative I see is hiring or trusting someone who doesn’t care enough about your brand. If you hire someone who has a specific idea about how to market companies on social media yet doesn’t look carefully enough at your specific product and company’s strategy/goals, they will both use popular social media outlets ineffectively AND miss out on opportunities that don’t work for most companies but would work well for your company/product/service.
I also think there are a ton of sketchy/spammy ways to use social media that turn people off. So making sure you hire someone who will care for your company’s reputation is important, and that’s hard to find, especially when many professionals are pressured to produce results quickly rather than getting intimate with your brand.
That’s what I think, but I’m curious to hear other thoughts on this topic. Great question by the way, thanks!
David, you have some really great recommendations here. Personally, I try not to get into specific tactics when I interview because it’s so hard to know exactly what to do when you aren’t intimately involved with the company and the brand yet.
For me, I do sometimes look at social media as a controlled experiment. Sometimes you may think something will work, and then you try it and it doesn’t. That’s okay, as long as you are a) careful about protecting your company’s brand during an experiment and b) realize what works and what doesn’t quickly so you can focus your efforts. I’ve noticed that everyone seems to have their own style and approach to social media, so it’s a good question for companies to ask – because companies should hire someone who fits their style.
Carla, your last line is so true. A lot of companies think they are ready for social media but often aren’t open because they don’t understand it fully. It’s such a new space that companies find it hard to know what to look for when they’re hiring someone.
I think it’s interesting that people in PR, media, and marketing feel they shouldn’t have to “catch on” when their industry changes. Wouldn’t it be funny if mobile phone software engineers didn’t “catch on” to new technologies, or fashion designers didn’t “catch on” to new trends?
But you are right – I’m happy that so few people are “catching on” because it puts us ahead of the curve!
It amazes me sometimes but I think understanding social media must be intuitive for some people and completely foreign for others.
I think management tools will spring up (some already are) that are geared specifically to various industries (PR professionals, marketing professionals, etc) that smart web start-ups will sell to companies as software packages. I do think some education is necessary but I also think the majority of people won’t learn until they’re forced to by a company – it’s going to come from the top rather than the roots, especially in large organizations.
As a college student, i have in a way been forced into social media and that is how I am learning how to take full advantage of it. For example, I joined Facebook as an incoming Freshman because it was one of the simplist ways for me to keep in touch on my friends lives that were moving far away. However, this online experience has turned in to much more for me through creating events, promoting organizations, and even searching for internships. Facebook is a tool that you have to want to learn to use in order to be able to fully make use of it. My mom has little interst in the site, while my dad loves Facebook- using it to promote my brothers band and build business contacts. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or blogging, I think that people need to want to learn the tool and realize the importance of it (or at least have a curiosty of social media tools) in order to have a successful experience with social media. If not, in my opinion, social media will remain an unknown area to many.
As a college student, i have in a way been forced into social media and that is how I am learning how to take full advantage of it. For example, I joined Facebook as an incoming Freshman because it was one of the simplest ways for me to keep in touch on my friends lives that were moving far away. However, this online experience has turned in to much more for me through creating events, promoting organizations, and even searching for internships. Facebook is a tool that you have to want to learn to use in order to be able to fully make use of it. My mom has little interest in the site, while my dad loves Facebook- using it to promote my brothers band and build business contacts. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or blogging, I think that people need to want to learn the tool and realize the importance of it (or at least have a curiosity of social media tools) in order to have a successful experience with social media. If not, in my opinion, social media will remain an unknown area to many.
I agree that social media is something you have to want to learn, and that people will use various tools differently. I think at some point it will take over communication, much like cell phones have – it’s just the way technology permeates over time. Sounds like you are learning a lot, and that will definitely be useful to you in your future career, no matter what it is.
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
"Must read for business owners, marketing professionals, or students looking to understand the next monumental shift in marketing and advertising." Patrick Ambron, CMO of Brand Yourself software
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Here’s one question I’ve always had, but never seen answered: what are the negatives? Other than potential costs, now can social media cause problems? Can it hurt a company more than it can help?
In addition to the questions that you highlighted above, I would hope that each company asked you more in depth questions of what their potential social media strategies should be. I think that one of the biggest reasons why some brands succeed in the social media realm and others do not is: the simple fact that they have taken the time to understand the nature of each network’s core audience and user base.
Rather than assuming that their content will be viewed by a sizable number of people on Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook, purely based on the breadth of these communities, successful companies identify how best to communicate with current, and potential, customers. They don’t just throw something on the wall and see if it sticks, they take the necessary time to gain a true pulse and rhythm of each community. Consumers today can pick out a “social media” imposter from miles away. Brands need to provide consumers with value in participating in social media conversations, as opposed to launching one-off applications and community profiles that pander to the lowest common denominator.
For a company to succeed in the world of social media, it must be passionate about the opportunities that those platforms provide. For example, posting to a company blog shouldn’t be viewed as another task on an employee’s checklist of things to do on a given day. It should be looked at as an opportunity to share ideas and interact with the community at large. Tapping into a company’s life blood and sharing that with a broad audience, humanizes a brand. It allows a company to exist as more than an imposing skyscraper or bland press release. To become a true member of the “social media” community, a company must be willing to speak candidly, while entrusting consumers to shepherd, and shape, its message across the Web.
To many users, social networks are private communities of friends and contacts. The essence of social networking is relationships. Too often consumers are hit with flashy ads and no desire from brands to establish a long-term commitment. If brands don’t make the effort to establish relationships and continually nurture by listening, responding and adapting- they should forget about entering the space. Social media is not about the new, flashy object/platform/device, but about continually relating to consumers when they want to be in a conversation. Implementing social media shouldn’t be a cure-all, but has the potential to permeate many aspects of the business. While it is obviously important that the social media specialist has answers to these questions, it’s also important that the company is open to implementing new strategies in the space.
Monica,
First I have to say that I’m super impressed by you and Twenty Set now has a spot on my igoogle home page.This is a great topic and very relevant in my world.
What do you think about companies creating their own Ning sites?
Amanda Hite
Founder, CEO Talent Revolution Inc
Plz follow back on twitter @sexythinker
Hi Monica amazing, you’re right now here about various points. I have a story that applies. While chillin at my favorite coffee spot here in Tulsa, OK (Doubleshot), I met the main editor of Tulsa World. I asked him about the paper’s presence of Twitter (lack of it) and mentioned how I’ve seen Sun Times effectively use it. Turns out, they don’t have anyone they believe to be web/social media/networking friendly- either some don’t care or just lack no how. He contines to talk about how difficult it is for people that have done mostly the same things (work related) during their careers and are now expected to catch on, like and effectively use every new trend that hits the internet. So, our interest, know how and so on, puts us ahead of many folks that work in many of these big companies.
Solid questions that need to be addressed. Thanks for sharing. -Mig
I, too, at 40 (gasp!), am shocked at the lack of interest or understanding of social media among my media/marketing peers. I think the mindset shift is huge and I haven’t seen a lot of tools to help that shift yet.
I also work with and write about creative/arts professions and I see a lot of exciting examples of what CAN be done with social media and other Web 2.0 tools, but not a lot of large-scale adoption. Do you think education (self-selected, not formal degree programs) might change this?
Great post!
Monica – really great article! I picked up a lot from it and will be trying to use some of your ideas and my own to snag some social media consulting gigs in the near future! Thanks
Norcross,
The biggest negative I see is hiring or trusting someone who doesn’t care enough about your brand. If you hire someone who has a specific idea about how to market companies on social media yet doesn’t look carefully enough at your specific product and company’s strategy/goals, they will both use popular social media outlets ineffectively AND miss out on opportunities that don’t work for most companies but would work well for your company/product/service.
I also think there are a ton of sketchy/spammy ways to use social media that turn people off. So making sure you hire someone who will care for your company’s reputation is important, and that’s hard to find, especially when many professionals are pressured to produce results quickly rather than getting intimate with your brand.
That’s what I think, but I’m curious to hear other thoughts on this topic. Great question by the way, thanks!
David, you have some really great recommendations here. Personally, I try not to get into specific tactics when I interview because it’s so hard to know exactly what to do when you aren’t intimately involved with the company and the brand yet.
For me, I do sometimes look at social media as a controlled experiment. Sometimes you may think something will work, and then you try it and it doesn’t. That’s okay, as long as you are a) careful about protecting your company’s brand during an experiment and b) realize what works and what doesn’t quickly so you can focus your efforts. I’ve noticed that everyone seems to have their own style and approach to social media, so it’s a good question for companies to ask – because companies should hire someone who fits their style.
Carla, your last line is so true. A lot of companies think they are ready for social media but often aren’t open because they don’t understand it fully. It’s such a new space that companies find it hard to know what to look for when they’re hiring someone.
Amanda,
I haven’t worked much with Ning but my thoughts are if you can build a community around your product this is a great way to do marketing research!
Miguel,
I think it’s interesting that people in PR, media, and marketing feel they shouldn’t have to “catch on” when their industry changes. Wouldn’t it be funny if mobile phone software engineers didn’t “catch on” to new technologies, or fashion designers didn’t “catch on” to new trends?
But you are right – I’m happy that so few people are “catching on” because it puts us ahead of the curve!
Liz,
It amazes me sometimes but I think understanding social media must be intuitive for some people and completely foreign for others.
I think management tools will spring up (some already are) that are geared specifically to various industries (PR professionals, marketing professionals, etc) that smart web start-ups will sell to companies as software packages. I do think some education is necessary but I also think the majority of people won’t learn until they’re forced to by a company – it’s going to come from the top rather than the roots, especially in large organizations.
Thanks for the insightful comment!
As a college student, i have in a way been forced into social media and that is how I am learning how to take full advantage of it. For example, I joined Facebook as an incoming Freshman because it was one of the simplist ways for me to keep in touch on my friends lives that were moving far away. However, this online experience has turned in to much more for me through creating events, promoting organizations, and even searching for internships. Facebook is a tool that you have to want to learn to use in order to be able to fully make use of it. My mom has little interst in the site, while my dad loves Facebook- using it to promote my brothers band and build business contacts. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or blogging, I think that people need to want to learn the tool and realize the importance of it (or at least have a curiosty of social media tools) in order to have a successful experience with social media. If not, in my opinion, social media will remain an unknown area to many.
As a college student, i have in a way been forced into social media and that is how I am learning how to take full advantage of it. For example, I joined Facebook as an incoming Freshman because it was one of the simplest ways for me to keep in touch on my friends lives that were moving far away. However, this online experience has turned in to much more for me through creating events, promoting organizations, and even searching for internships. Facebook is a tool that you have to want to learn to use in order to be able to fully make use of it. My mom has little interest in the site, while my dad loves Facebook- using it to promote my brothers band and build business contacts. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or blogging, I think that people need to want to learn the tool and realize the importance of it (or at least have a curiosity of social media tools) in order to have a successful experience with social media. If not, in my opinion, social media will remain an unknown area to many.
Beckman,
I agree that social media is something you have to want to learn, and that people will use various tools differently. I think at some point it will take over communication, much like cell phones have – it’s just the way technology permeates over time. Sounds like you are learning a lot, and that will definitely be useful to you in your future career, no matter what it is.
Thanks for the comment and the link!
Monica
Chris,
Good luck! If you gain any insights to the process be sure to write about your experiences and send me the link!
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