Every now and again a reporter or blogger decides to shake up the PR industry by showcasing how we FAIL, flop, or simply when we do things wrong. Some do so out of anger, others are genuine in their desire to help, while some are simply tired and do so out of spite.
There’s an incredible discussion circling the blogosphere aka The 250 aka The Echo Chamber regarding distributed conversations and the potential loss of control of our content.
Normally I don’t let myself get caught up in every popular meme cycle, but this is a informative and important conversation and personally I think it’s worth your time. And, it just so happens to be a natural extension to my recent post, “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Conversation Has Left the Building,” which explores how conversations are slowly migrating away from blogs and moving to micro social networks such as Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, FriendFeed, and now, Shyftr (more on Shyftr later).
Social Media is everything you know and nothing about what you think or do in marketing. Sounds strange eh? It’s true though.
Think about how you approach marketing campaigns today and the picture will become a bit clearer.
- You evaluate target demographics.
- Develop strategic messages.
- Conduct an audit or focus group.
- Revise messages and fine-tune the plan.
- Determine the broadcast mechanisms to push your content.
- Go live.
We all make mistakes. It’s amazing how much saying sorry helps. But even saying sorry doesn’t fix those affected 100%.
We’re all learning together, at least those of us who don’t pretend we’re already experts.
Making mistakes in Social Media Marketing is a lot like sticking daggers into a wooden fence. Just because you apologize and pull them out, they still leave the visible scars for others to see, feel, or point to. Sometimes apologies help people feel better, but they don’t fix perception, which is everything in Social Media. Thinking before engaging is critical to establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships. This is after all, about people.
Earlier this year, I wrote “The Value of Online Conversations,” to share and talk through my thoughts related to improving the quality of online discussions in the face of potential degradation and decentralization of important online discussions.
We live in the era of Social Media, which represents the socialization of content and conversations as well as the creation of communities around thoughts and ideas. People are the hubs of information and we’re witnessing the creation of mini-societies that expand, contract, and connect online and offline. This new paradigm for discovering, distributing and forging relationships based on thought leadership is inspiring and defining significant social and technological progression as well as conversational frameworks.
There are many of us running back and forth from the edge to the center who would love to drop “2.0″ from new evolution of PR. Hey, it’s even the name of this blog, and has been for years, but there’s a reason I haven’t changed the name yet.
The subject itself is a catalyst for healthy, informative, and motivating conversations.
We all know Twitter is an essential example of the conversations that help define Social Media. What if we could find the conversations that were important to us, even if we don’t follow the people engaged in those conversations? I think it would transform one of the hottest conversation-based communities on the Web into a goldmine of information and and catalyst for forging new relationships.
Co-Author, and very good friend, Geoff Livingston, emailed with great news. Now is Gone is listed in The Wall Street Journal as a resource for businesses looking to understand and embrace Social Media as an extension to their corporate marketing initiatives. Congratulations Geoff…I think we’re truly contributing something very useful to the community.
At the very least, and ideally, it’s all we hoped for…to be regarded by those we want to help as a resource for them. Thank you to Scott Monty for helping with the story.
Sociology – The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society.
About a year ago, I wrote an article entitled “Social Media is About Sociology and not Technology.” The recognition of people versus the tools is now more critical than ever. Although, it still isn’t necessarily embodied in many of the words and work shared by fellow Social Media Marketers.
Less talk, more learning and action are required.
Engaging with and empowering your customers as an extension of your marketing efforts isn’t new. However, in the era of Social Media, there are new tools and philosophies to more effectively listen and engage with customers and in turn, cultivate a more significant community, enhance your brand, build relationships, and hopefully create evangelists along the way.
Participation is marketing.
Intention is everything.
Actions speak louder than words.
Brian Solis is principal at Altimeter Group, a research firm focused on disruptive technology. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging technology on business, marketing, and culture. Solis is also globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media. His new book, What's the Future of Business (WTF), explores the landscape of connected consumerism and how business and customer relationships unfold and flourish in four distinct moments of truth. His previous book, The End of Business as Usual, explores the emergence of Generation-C, a new generation of customers and employees and how businesses must adapt to reach them. Prior to End of Business, Solis released Engage, which is regarded as the industry reference guide for businesses to market, sell and service in the social web.
Recent Comments:
May 23, 2013
May 23, 2013
May 23, 2013
May 23, 2013
May 23, 2013