New Yorker 5 th July 1993 Identity and reputation are even more paramount than ever before This represents a challenge for companies who have to try and build a credible, trusted and reputable presence online. But users also need to know that they are dealing with real people and companies.
New Yorker 12 th Sept. 2005 The volume of online communication is rising and the production & flow of information is accelerating. So the challenge for organisations is how to “cut-through” all this noise to find their audiences And the latest spanner in the “communications works” is social media
So has Social media changed the rules of communication and business.
Social media is not so much a re-writing of how we do business – it’s a paradigm shift. New models, new channels, new technologies, new tools And yet the building blocks & fundamental principles of business and marketing still apply
The commercial realities of business still apply. Social media will not benefit your business unless you are prepared to plan and allocate time and resources to ensuring it meets your business objectives e.g. signups, sales, contributions, user actions, affiliations Make it Goal‐oriented & informed by, yes, good old-fashioned business principles and tactics Revenue Community development Advocacy Memberships Brand building Customer Service delivery Offline activation Any transaction based interaction Ref. Barack Obama’s campaign – Customer lifecycle, Programme logic, Economics, Real ideas & communities are the most important elements - Thomas Gensemer, Managing Partner, Blue State Digital ********* And do not forget the hidden customer service value that social media can bring to organisations
What is driving this shift? Mass audiences are disappearing
Increased fragmentation leads to conversation pieces For marketers this means multiple contact points. More channels means “unbundled” advertising. More channels. More customer & contact touchpoints. Need to communicate across a range Communication needs to be holistic & integrated More resources needed. But also more opportunities. AKA Atomization
Work/Play ? Bit of a shock in the corporate environment Do you know what employees get up to at work Yes - researching, emailing, writing, Also booking their holiday, checking out the address of a restaurant, updating their FB, looking at some photos from last Sat. Night on Flickr.
Problem: But this is how most companies think they should be conducting their communications – whether it be offline/online, broadcast, PR, above-the-line advertising, classifieds, etc. etc.
Problem: But this is how most companies think they should be conducting their communications – whether it be offline/online, broadcast, PR, above-the-line advertising, classifieds, etc. etc.
Challenge stems from the personal nature of social networking and media Traditional corporate model doesn't fit into this. Need to embrace the "self" and empower employees to speak on their behalf. Need to embrace the user as an individual human. That means companies have to make sure their employees are happy, ensuring they are great places to work Therefore, they now need to provide services and products that their employees can actually believe in and contribute towards. Companies need to find acceptable policies on social network use, and abuse - & how they deal with the issues and implcations of public social media engagement
Fragmentation being driven by the “Me” generation 360,000,000 results for “me.jpg” Building personal identities and brands We all see ourselves in very certain and specific ways. And this can often change depending on the context
People now see themselves increasingly interacting in an open, friendly and comfortable environment – where they are in control of what they consume and how they consume it
Users think of themselves in different families Trusted Referral Network Families Friends Colleagues Peers People who demonstrate a clear expertise or knowledge Brands & companies come pretty low down
Need to influence the influencers Reach & frequency are out Trust & recommendation are in Relationship Dialogue Co-creation Collaboration
Who do we talk to What do we say How do we say it How do continue the conversation What do we say to the response
Volume Interactivity Connections Not all criteria are applicable Not everyone who demonstrates these attributes is an influencer You may still need some other defining condition to establish creds. But remember – authenticity is key
Social culture Find the internal evangelists Identify the hotspots – individuals, departments, divisions Look vertically AND horizontally for shared common interest Test them Work with them Encourage them BUT give them a framework, guidelines, policies etc.
Get it Build internally Policies Guidelines Processes Platforms Provide time & space Let employees feel a part of the org. – own a little bit of the brand Grow from within
Dell over $3m from Twitter since Jun. 2007
http://socialmediagovernance.com
Coffee Groundz Houston
In ½ a hour Just happened to be doing some admin. In the office and “glanced” at his tweets
100 Twitter users – Now Tweetups pull in over 200 people. Owner reckons 15% are new users. Bought coffee, drinks food etc. Widened their customer base. Raised profile & awareness Increased customer loyalty. Driving repeat visits and purchase.
Bath Bus Station – Customer Services Twitter, blog AND Facebook 1 post: "We have to be totally upfront with you all now… we really don't know how our services will operate this evening…. "All we can recommend that you do if you have to travel this evening is to keep an eye on the weather reports. If you can ski to the bus stop, then there is a high chance the bus won't come. Hopefully, it won't come to that. We will continue to do our best for you despite the changing conditions.“ Excuse the pun - You can tell that it’s being driven by humans
Kryptonite bicycle lock – Bic biro. Comment made in a bicycle forum 2004. Ryanair Facebook TOS Paul Carr Vs. Andrew Orlowski, The Register Motrin (Ibuprofen) painkillers – campaign is incredibly patronising and condescending. Within hours there was a backlash on Twitter, blogs and Youtube Spawned a set of copycat piss-take ads. advertising boobjobs, Left-handed guns & even painkillers for ad execs.
FedEx, Memphis Ketchum James Andrews’ mission was to — talk with the worldwide corporate communications group (150+ people) at FedEx about social media . Picked up by Fedex employee who emailed FedEx Corporate Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, Directors and the entire management of FedEx’s communication department - and also Andrews’ managers at Ketchum Say what you mean, mean what you say. And if you don’t want it in public – don’t say it! Be Careful about what you say and about who or what you say it. Anything said on a social media platform is “On The Record”. When you speak – people believe that you represent your business, you represent your family, you represent your friends, and above all, you represent yourself.
Rise in UGC within social media makes discoverability far greater and rapid. Users are now just as likely to ask for a trusted referral from their network than to consult a company or use a search engine. Trusted Referral networks Immediate family & friends IRL contacts Networks People who demonstrate expertise & knowledge Brands Companies
Remember that business is still largely conducted in a face-to-face manner. People do business with people. State the bleeding obvious - companies must learn how to talk to and do business with real humans. The personal element remains a key part of any human transaction - Goal: Serve everyone through his/her preferred channel(s)/locations, at his/her preferred frequency Feed your Whuffie. Your reputation and the management that goes with that are paramount. Talk to your customers, listen to them, ask them, motivate them, Yes, even provoke them. Treat your customers as human beings and they will reward you. Be authentic – if you don’t have anything to say, don’t say anything!
Success in social media is not about the technology. It’s not about how fast your broadband is and whether your users are capable of receiving HD quality online streaming multi-media. It’s great if they can but I suggest that if that is your market then it’s a fairly small one ATM. It’s not about devices, gadgets and gizmos or this channel or that route to market. These things are all just enablers “ Technology can only ever serve as a bridge, never as a destination” – Lord Puttnam, IAB Engage, 2005 Oh and BTW – for all this talk of social networks, blogs and mobile apps – when it comes to delivering real value for both the person sending a message and the user receiving it, it’s email that is still the killer app.