More and more, I’m conviced that some of the holdover from the days of traditional marketing – even in the face of proof that these tactics aren’t nearly as effective as we’d hoped – is because we simply don’t know what else to do.
It’s like staring at a garage full of boxes and broken lamps and old baby clothes and never cleaning it out because the prospect of getting started is paralyzing. The mess is familiar, and it’s almost comfortable in its disarray.
Analysis paralysis is real and healthy in the new media world, driven by a number of arguments that are losing their oomph. Not because there aren’t people out there rightfully asking questions about difficult things, but that far more people and companies are using the work required in finding the answers as an excuse to do nothing at all (or bury themselves once more in a spreadsheet somewhere).
The ROI and Value Argument
Yes, you need to know why you’re investing in social media and what you endeavor to get out of it for your business. It is *your* job to choose from the wealth of metrics and measurements available to you when deciding which of those will most accurately reflect progress toward your goals.
Yes, this stuff is measurable. No, not all measurements are equal or relevant. Yes, this part takes work. Sit down, outline your goals, and draw up some ways to measure against those goals whether they’re revenue or value based. (For more on the ROI argument, see some of my delicious links here, and stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on some metrics you can use.)
The Fear of Negativity Argument
People are going to say something unkind about you eventually. In most instances, they’ve probably already done so, you just might not have been around to hear it. Social media doesn’t create the negativity. It provides mechanisms for it to be more widely heard. And if you’re the target of said criticism, it’s better to host that discussion and be part of it than let it sail by without the aid of your input and perspective.
If you have a mother, you know that ignoring criticism does not make it go away. Far healthier to build trust by offering legitimate and proactive responses to the customers that are expecting to hear your side of the story. Look, no one expects your company to be perfect. They do expect you to be engaged and responsive. Screwing up isn’t the worst thing you can do. Sticking your head in the sand can be far worse. Would you rather be labeled as having made mistakes, or being indifferent or arrogant?
The Scale Argument
I know first hand that scaling social media interactions is a very real issue. I won’t pretend that it’s not something you need to consider, because social media participation takes time and planning, and once you start, you don’t want to back out. However, there’s a very practical element to planning for your social media involvement that helps address this.
It might be time to invest in an audit of your communication and customer service activities as a whole. Is what you’re doing working? Really? Or is it just the stuff you’ve always done because it’s comfortable and familiar? (Fess. Did that direct mail campaign really net the leads you wanted?) Scaling social media isn’t just about piling it on top of everything else. It’s about *replacing* some of what you’re doing with a more human-based method of communication and outreach. That might mean equipping more than just your PR team – think marketing, management, customer service, business development, product research.
The “I don’t get it” argument.
Don’t think this stuff is really happening? Not sure how it’s done? Look at this list of companies getting involved. Check out some case studies and some more case studies.
No, you might not be at the bleeding edge of everything, and for Heaven’s sake that’s okay. But educate yourself about what other companies are doing and why. Find the elements of their programs that feel like natural evolutions of what you’re doing now. Quit pretending that social media is just a bunch of kid stuff and nothing you need to pay attention to. If it’s good enough for Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and startups alike, it might just be good enough for you too.
Then (and here’s the tricky bit): make a plan. Pull over a piece of paper and start writing, planning. Watch the people that are creating things and experimenting and pushing the boundaries, and take little pieces of what they’re doing. Start small. Fail fast, learn often, push forward. But start somewhere, and save the excuses for your sick days.
What else are you hearing? What’s the line between really evaluating something and making excuses? When does analysis turn to stubbornness? What did you to today to move the ball forward, even if just a little bit?
I’m also looking to you to help me discover the next generation of questions we should really be asking and answering. Let’s put the tired ones to bed and leave them in the hands of those content to kick them a bit more. Me? I want to work with you to discover the new questions – the hard questions – that should matter more.
Amber – this is an incredibly good post. The one we hear from executives all the time is similar to your “I don’t get it” section. We hear – “There are just so many tools out there, how can I possibly stay on top of all of it.” The reality, and it is hard to drill this into their heads, is that they DON’T need to know how to utilize EVERY tool; just the ones that make the most sense for their objectives. That’s why I think you are right on to highlight the importance of setting objectives. Without that step, you’re just flapping in the wind.
Chuck Hemanns last blog post..*Newsflash*: Measurement Matters in a Recession
Amber – this is an incredibly good post. The one we hear from executives all the time is similar to your “I don’t get it” section. We hear – “There are just so many tools out there, how can I possibly stay on top of all of it.” The reality, and it is hard to drill this into their heads, is that they DON’T need to know how to utilize EVERY tool; just the ones that make the most sense for their objectives. That’s why I think you are right on to highlight the importance of setting objectives. Without that step, you’re just flapping in the wind.
Chuck Hemanns last blog post..*Newsflash*: Measurement Matters in a Recession
Another very good post, Amber. This should be required reading for every company that hasn’t begun to take advantage of Social Media. It should also be an eye-opener for organizations to go beyond their regular marketing strategies and think of what they could gain from effective “social” strategies.
Tim Bergmans last blog post..Twitter does have a way out
Another very good post, Amber. This should be required reading for every company that hasn’t begun to take advantage of Social Media. It should also be an eye-opener for organizations to go beyond their regular marketing strategies and think of what they could gain from effective “social” strategies.
Tim Bergmans last blog post..Twitter does have a way out
A great post. It is hard to convince some of the people I have worked for that having a web based business is more than just having a website. It takes time to convince them of the value of social media. Even as they try to add more phone lines to handle calls for customer service, they are still asking what the value is. I will refer them to your post. 🙂
Stephan Millers last blog post..What Makes You Money?
A great post. It is hard to convince some of the people I have worked for that having a web based business is more than just having a website. It takes time to convince them of the value of social media. Even as they try to add more phone lines to handle calls for customer service, they are still asking what the value is. I will refer them to your post. 🙂
Stephan Millers last blog post..What Makes You Money?
Outstanding post, Amber. Fear of negativity and “not getting” where value may be created are big factors in slowing the move to social media. You’re right on (haven’t we all had to say it again and again) that planning strategically is the single biggest way to overcome the hurdles. Helps avoid preventable mistakes as well.
Outstanding post, Amber. Fear of negativity and “not getting” where value may be created are big factors in slowing the move to social media. You’re right on (haven’t we all had to say it again and again) that planning strategically is the single biggest way to overcome the hurdles. Helps avoid preventable mistakes as well.
Great article Amber and I love the lines “social media isn’t just about piling it on top of everything else. It’s about *replacing* some of what you’re doing with a more human-based method of communication and outreach”.
I think this is the crux of “what questions should we be asking” because if we were to look at certain elements of an organisation there is an argument that customers may actually do a better job than the corporate.
The are tonnes of examples of this – I remember back in the day when Borland had Team B running forums on Compuserve to help the community as a whole solve issues – we didn’t call it social media back then ;o).
Today you’ve got loads of companies using customers to help with product development and support – companies like Lego enabling customers to design their next generation of kits.
A question could be – What are we doing today which could be provide greater synergy if we opened it up to our advocates?
Mark Sages last blog post..Persuasion versus Engagement
Great article Amber and I love the lines “social media isn’t just about piling it on top of everything else. It’s about *replacing* some of what you’re doing with a more human-based method of communication and outreach”.
I think this is the crux of “what questions should we be asking” because if we were to look at certain elements of an organisation there is an argument that customers may actually do a better job than the corporate.
The are tonnes of examples of this – I remember back in the day when Borland had Team B running forums on Compuserve to help the community as a whole solve issues – we didn’t call it social media back then ;o).
Today you’ve got loads of companies using customers to help with product development and support – companies like Lego enabling customers to design their next generation of kits.
A question could be – What are we doing today which could be provide greater synergy if we opened it up to our advocates?
Mark Sages last blog post..Persuasion versus Engagement
For those companies with the financial means to ‘add’ social media to the mix there’s no excuse for not heading down that path of customer interaction.
For those who find their marketing budgets under increased pressure, the suggestion made above regarding a shift in resources is prudent.
Recognize what needs to be done, evaluate available resources, and eliminate waste or non-productive practices to the point where your needs are meet. In the end it’s about ROI, and to an increasing extent, that ROI is happening in the world of social media.
Global Patriots last blog post..Social Media and Product Survival
For those companies with the financial means to ‘add’ social media to the mix there’s no excuse for not heading down that path of customer interaction.
For those who find their marketing budgets under increased pressure, the suggestion made above regarding a shift in resources is prudent.
Recognize what needs to be done, evaluate available resources, and eliminate waste or non-productive practices to the point where your needs are meet. In the end it’s about ROI, and to an increasing extent, that ROI is happening in the world of social media.
Global Patriots last blog post..Social Media and Product Survival