Dear colleagues,
This is a really pivotal time for us. If we’re ever to hope that social will find its way to the respected core of business and realize the potential that we know it has, we have to get clear on something very, very important.
We are lacking temperance. We are lacking balance. We are lacking perspective.
In the quest for laying claim to a purpose and mission in our work, we are blindly taking up arms in favor of one cause and against another. We are fighting ourselves in a desperate land grab to be seen, known, and heard as the person that “gets it”, and be sure that we can count ourselves among the legitimate practitioners, and not the clueless, the naive, the charlatans.
On one hand, we have those whose mission statements are rooted in “passion”, in “people”, in “conversations” and the intrinsic value of open communication and connection. They eschew the notion that we should attach numbers, dollars, or hard measurement to things that cannot and should not be quantified, like the value of a human relationship. And they are quick to label those that ask for justification as rigid, out of touch, or those that simply “don’t get it”.
On the other, we have those whose battle cry is for “accountability”, for “metrics”, for the elusive “Return on Investment” of social media. For them, there *is* no value in anything that cannot be captured, quantified, or reported upon. Discussions of human connections, of affinity, of intangibles are considered to be lacking substance, or naive, or of negligible value when viewing social media’s role in a business context. And they are quick to dismiss theoretical or emotional discussions as “fluff”.
Our collective credibility depends on our ability to find and value middle ground.
We can have accountability and intangible value. We can feel good about doing something and prove that it has concrete worth. We can be excited about what we do and still apply discipline to make it operational and scalable. We can value passion at the same time that we value data.
The worst damage we’re doing to ourselves is that we are dividing our own. We’re preaching collaboration and openness in business but we’re demonstrating that poorly in and among ourselves. As a result, we’re practically demanding that the businesses and people we work with choose a side rather than committing to simply exploring all possible paths and choosing the one that’s most fitting for them. When viewed from a distance, that infighting and labeling, that relentless focus on what the other guy is doing or not doing and how or why we’re better, are the obvious signs of an immature industry.
We can do better.
We can have differing ideas, differing approaches, differing understanding and knowledge, even. But we cannot keep drawing such black and white distinctions between what constitutes right and wrong when the crux of our mission lies in progressive and contextual change, not in absolutes.
There are outstanding professionals in every aspect of this emerging industry, from those that embody the passionate and emotional connectivity to those that can teach us the disciplines of accountability and business practices. The two need not be mutually exclusive.
The future acceptance and eventual adoption of social into the core of business – and the legitimate respect for the people that are leading that evolution – depend on our ability to find and exercise that balance.
the two camps are really not that far apart anyway – doesn’t it just boil down to long-term and short-term ROI anyway?
I don’t believe that altruism exists. cf Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
I didn’t ask for altruism, just some temperance. 🙂
This is why I’m a Buddhist. Always seek the middle path.
The problem is we live in a very polar society. Your post could just as easily read as Red vs. Blue. “We need to work together”, they cry.
Yes, in an ideal world this is how it works. Unfortunately, there will very likely never be a common ground for most people in this industry. We will always have the ebb and flow of what’s working, what’s popular, and what’s in. The numbers people will see success when the SM bubble bursts. “See?” they will cry out. “Nobody was tracking any metrics! That’s why it failed!” while the wishy-washy relationship people will cite—and you nailed it here—those who don’t “Get it”.
The sweet spot will always be for those of us who see both sides for what they are: Rigid, inflexible people who are simply too invested, too attached, or too stubborn to go with the flow.
And that works for me 🙂
great post Amber.
great post, Amber!
Thank you for capturing the elusive, vapor-like conversation in solid, measureable, truth-anchored words. Agree with and LOVE every word. Nice springboard toward better days in the land of moving targets (my motto: just say not to black and white—and do so without attitude). Thanks, Amber.
Preach! Thanks for this Amber, I have been trying to educate many people that call and say that they heard that social is about one way and not the other or they call and say its about this way and not that way. I try to tell them not to throw the baby out with the bath water when they enter into the space as they seem to have differing notions about what this is to accomplish. I would love to see better balance but it comes with education. All we can do is continue to preach! Keep singing!
We need passionate, emotional, metric-driven people. What keeps that from happening? I’m definitely on the side of metrics and accountability right now, because there’s not currently enough discipline in this industry to create the legitimacy it needs to have a place at the marketing table. You can’t have finance, marketing, product development, sales, etc. all working toward the same collective goal in a company and then tell social media team to just “do your thing” and be respected for it.
No question. That’s what I’m saying. But discipline doesn’t have to exist at the expense of the rest.
I completely agree Scott. Amber’s post makes a lot of sense and for me, ultimately, it points to being able to clearly identify your goals and objectives across all of your activities… as you say, it’s not helpful, productive or growth-oriented to set benchmarks for various elements of your communication/marketing campaign, and then just throw social into the mix. They all need to inform each other on a practical level… the emotional (also necessary to make social “come alive” and take your brand/communications strategy to new levels) comes in when the stakeholders can see how social lends itself to all of your other activities and facilitates activity, interest and genuine enthusiasm in your brand — not only internally, but amidst your audience as well. Metrics and accountability are part of that, but how amazing is it when a social exercise informs/improves a traditional marketing activity, or improves your paid search campaign? Hard to calculate the ROI on that, but overall the benchmark is all of your campaigns working seamlessly together.
Bravo my friend. simply bravo.
I think that the main factor is the current buzz of the social media “industry”. Even if some companies got in and are doing a great job with it, there are still a lot which are trying to figure out what they should do. And in front of them there are the 2 groups you described. Social Media activity, startegy are going to be a big market and no one knows where it will be in a few years time. So as a service provider you need to offer you service and sell them with a difference, hence the 2 groups. Depending on who is the decision maker in a company you will go for one group or the other. Even if the 2 groups meet in a year or two you would have sold your idea first, and then adapted it. As Phil Blackmore said I don’t think that altruism exists (in the business world at least) and when you go against something else you are able to sell your ideas (wrong or good ones).
In the end it will be a question of who signed up the clients first. Having too much concensus is not going to help to start with. The business world is harsh. I think that we will have to wait for the industry to mature to see what comes out of all the groups ideas and principles.
In a few years as many people said Social Media will be a skill and not a job. And companies would have implemented a strategy that fits their own core values, may it be with or without ROI or passion.
Hi Amber,
As a proud fence sitter it is fascinating for me to watch the current lines being drawn throughout the social media professional sands. It is not surprising to see this happen. It’s human nature to take sides, position your beliefs as facts, and ostracize others who don’t fall in line. I look at this current behavior as a not too distant reflection of what must have happened during the period of enlightenment during the Italian Renaissance. It is funny how we forget the importance of collaboration. Though many preach it to their clients, few practice this in our small professional pool.
When I first got into this space, my immediate goal was to learn everything and anything I could. I had no real aspirations of doing this professionally, until I realized that I could actually help businesses succeed with their marketing efforts. I wanted to help, and I feel this is key. Helping.
I wonder how many professionals out there are truly interested in helping, or are they simply interested in retweets or being seen, as you put it, as the expert.
Very nice post Amber. I think the “gurus” and the “experts” support each other fairly well actually. It’s the “new to the table” people who struggle with understanding the collaborative nature of social media. Unfortunately some see it as just another way to interrupt our day and push out their message. With such intense pressure on ROI right out of the gate, does it impede those using it from being engaging and collaborative?
How can we expect someone who is “new to the table” to understand how it works?
Interesting letter in light of the #leadershipchat yesterday:) I couldn’t agree more.
I’m an old(er) guy who is still kinda new to social media, but it seems your observations are spot on. The credibility of this emerging industry is truly in the hands of its players. I believe in the viability and sustainability of this industry and its place in the branding strategy of virtually every business and every potential influencer. As for me, I’m trying to do my part by sharing thought and leave more value than I take, especially with my clients.
The truth is that the “two camps” need each other – BADLY. We have to be better and do better. Thanks for the kick in the pants:)
We do indeed need each other. I just think we could work better together.
I agree. We can always be doing better… and the “camps” don’t have to be disparate in nature. Too often I find that social strategists and the activities themselves are viewed apart from a larger strategy. “Can I schedule the social meeting after our marketing and communications strategy session?” I guarantee a social perspective will only improve and possibly reduce the costs/increase the efficiencies of the “larger” strategy. It’s one element among many and is increasingly necessary to inform the others.
Could it be in part that there is more money to be made by picking a side and advocating for it (or even for picking a third side – the middle)? He or she who shouts their doctrine earliest and loudest often picks off the early money. Why would the SM industry be any different?
As the social media chattering class and “experts” battle for followers, mind share, book deals, speaking fess, consulting fees and street cred, it would seem picking a particular side of the debate as a personal brand message is easier and more directly marketable than cautious, time tested nuance.
Also, the public loves tension and a good debate.
Could it be in part that there is more money to be made by picking a side and advocating for it (or even for picking a third side – the middle)? He or she who shouts their doctrine earliest and loudest often picks off the early money. Why would the SM industry be any different?
As the social media chattering class and “experts” battle for followers, mind share, book deals, speaking fess, consulting fees and street cred, it would seem picking a particular side of the debate as a personal brand message is easier and more directly marketable than cautious, time tested nuance.
Also, the public loves tension and a good debate.
Perhaps. And I’m not naive enough to think that there will never be that approach. They’re not going to hear or care what I have to say anyway. I’m speaking to myself, and to those that aren’t putting the “followers, mind share, book deals, speaking fees, consulting fees, and street cred” at the center of their reasoning for being in this business to start with.
“Wax on, wax off… balance, Daniel-san” – I follow folks on both sides of the divide on my “smart kids” Twitter list and in my blog feeds. My hope is that “people like me” – maybe it’s a next wave – will be the ones to “get it” in a way that uses the best of both camps, sheds the rest, and relies on best practices over case studies anyway.
I commend the taking of a position…something that is, in my opinion, not done with regularity or well-constructed conviction.
While I agree that there can be divisiveness within the social space, I’m not convinced it is a bad thing. If I look at the root of the issue you’ve detailed, we [marketers] are largely struggling with our collective insecurities. Consequently, I’ll generalize the manifestation of those insecurities into a battle over two philosophies:
Philosophy One – The Dollars Crew
Look at what all of my efforts, pontificating, and spend is producing in ROI (we’ll leave true, statistical attribution for some other debate). I’m bringing in dollars in new, unique ways [you] never thought of!
Philosophy Two – The Spirit Crew
Look at what all of my efforts, pontificating, and spend is generating in goodwill (non-GAAP). I’m engaging prospects/customers/audiences in new, unique ways [business] has never thought of!
Essentially, when we’re dealing with emotive motivations (insecurities), there is no middle ground or balance to find…not yet anyway. We are in a period of immaturity with the social business space and this conflict is necessary to truly create foundational and demonstrative classifications for ‘legitimate practitioners’ and the $99.95 social media ‘strategists’.
While unsightly and public (i.e. in front of the larger business community), sometimes we need to let the elementary-school-bike-rack-scuffle carry through to its natural conclusion.
I think there’s a big difference between having unique POVs and divisiveness. The former can foster and spur critical thought. The latter does damage. As with many things, to me it comes down to our intentions and why we’re doing it. Divisiveness for its own sake and for some childish sense of playground battles? No, thank you. I can absolutely accept immaturity in an industry and the value of differing perspectives, but there comes a point where the behaviors and actions are what frame the learnings themselves. And I think that requires a bit of conscious care.
Agreed. However, conscious care comes from a place of reflective security. When dealing with insecurities, especially professional insecurities, it will be consistently demonstrated through petty, immature actions. The expectation of our peers isn’t wrong, it’s just unrealistic at this point.
Ok, so then let me ask this: when does it *become* realistic? Skip the fact that the exceptions will always exist. When is it okay to ask for higher standards?
Great question.
Unfortunately, due to the root of the issue, it cannot be requested (it’s like requesting a ‘bad manager’ to stop being ‘bad’ and just be a leader already). The significance of the change you’ve (correctly) outlined has to come through effort, ‘deliberate practice’ (borrowing from Ericsson, Krampe, Tesch-Romer), and time.
Clearly from the comments here, there are a lot of heads nodding in agreement. Those that ‘get it’ need to use their profiles to lead by example, mentor potential, and take the opportunity to support the growth of professional confidence within this nascent ‘discipline’…without self-promotion (granted, now I may be trending toward unrealistic).
From what I see you’ve got a strong and engaged following, is this something in which you could (or, perhaps, want to) organize your base and create some real change?
One brief comment about the philosophies you’ve laid out here. I think that’s part of the problem. Most of the debate isn’t actually about ROI, it’s the notion from the ”Dollars Crew’ that ROI doesn’t *exist* unless it’s measured. The ‘Spirit Crew’ for the most part isn’t saying that there doesn’t need to be ROI, they’re saying it’s a long tail form not too dissimilar from a CRM POV in which there is not enough ‘ROI in the attempt to measure its ROI in a explicit form’. That can obviously change over time as the tools and methods (and time…e.g. CLV) improve.
It’s like the marketing guy telling the sales guy he’s stupid because when he walked off of the golf course with a prospect he didn’t have an order in his hand therefore the round of golf had no value. Direct marketing activities, and many others have very different lifecycles when it comes to measurement against Sales activities. We look at a Sales guys cost to the company and measure whether he made more than he cost, we don’t try and place a value on a particular client dinner…yet obviously that dinner had value.
But for some reason in this industry we expect things to work differently. They don’t. Business understands both of these perspectives, most of our industry does not. That’s an issue.
I agree that the ‘to make direct attribution or not make direct attribution’ debate is not central to a discussion on social media. My reason for those generalizations was to point out the two main, often unspoken, manifestations of professional insecurities and their role as a driving force behind the issue Amber has surfaced. More metaphorical than literal.
My argument is that ‘balance’ is a struggle because professionals are internally battling with the question: ‘what is the worth of my/yours/their social media efforts?’ The literal expressions of that struggle range from attribution to influence (i.e. your golf analogy), metrics to true key performance indicators, or even engagement to customer satisfaction.
In my experience, a very strong parallel can be drawn between our current realities and the early days of the commercial Internet. We, marketers in particular, were creating an industry (and its derivatives) amongst doubt and uncertainty. A similar time when, as Amber puts it, we were simultaneously debating the merits of ‘ [fiscal] accountability and intangible value’ while excitedly exploring a new frontier. It took years, a lot of learning, and a bubble to help create balance.
Tangent: I agree that our industry has a lot to learn…especially in the nebulous world of relational sales engagements (B2B and B2C) versus the ‘clarity’ provided in transactional sales. And, most importantly, in our well intentioned but misinformed desire to assign causal relationships to past performance.
While I may not totally agree with the parallel drawn (if anything, execs were falling over each other to have a web page…not so much with social media) I appreciate a good comment reply when I see one.
Cheers
Yes! You said it, sister. We can all get along. We must. Business wants accountability. Social wants passion. Isn’t social tracking tools that measure sentiment approaching what you’re talking about? Keep this blog topic alive–churn out more posts about it. Let’s all make the journey together.
Excellent post Amber on a very touchy subject. Lack of perspective and ability to find common ground are two the biggest challenges I see on a daily basis. A post like this really helps us all see the big picture.
It seems some folks are missing the point (unless I’ve completely missed it myself).
This isn’t about homogenizing an industry. Take your point of view and run with it. Pick a niche that suits you and go for it (in fact, I suggest doing just that). For me, the issue is then pointing a finger at all things that are *not* what you do and explicitly attempting to diminish their value.
This is the ‘balance’ that I see being referred to in the post. This is the immaturity that I see in the industry (immaturity of practitioners). There is this desire to label something as ‘bad’ in an attempt to try and display what you do as ‘good’. When in reality they likely both have value. Social Media is not religion, how about we stop trying to treat it like one.
You don’t have to convert the masses from their evil ways, you simply have to do a great job and demonstrate value (in whatever form that takes). The rest takes care of itself. Promise.
Yes. This.
It’s the “I’m the savior of social media” bunk – in any direction – that is doing the whole thing a disservice. I’m strongly in favor of having a point of view. I’m strongly in favor of holding convictions about your approach or priorities. I’m hardly advocating that we all sit around and hug each other and make our viewpoints so diluted and neutral that there’s no direction at all.
But the good vs. evil discussions make it really difficult for any of this to be taken very seriously from a business standpoint. Specialization and focus is a good thing, but blanket generalizations of right and wrong, not so much.
Bravo!
Hear, hear. People who are confident in their own abilities and knowledge, and know they are providing real value to their customers and/or audiences, don’t need to attack anybody else. They just get on with it.
Bravo, Amber. I love your well-thought-out ideas here.
In the course of human relationships, even those between individuals and brands on social media, often there is no clear right and wrong. What works for you (or your brand, your organization, what have you) may not work for me (or my brand, etc.). I believe there is a middle ground between the “feel goods” and the “measure everything” folks.
Since this is still relatively new to most of us, it’ll take some time to flesh out. Thank you for calling for honest dialog.
The importance of wisdom and common sense in this whole field we call social business is so undervalued. One of the most popular blog posts I ever wrote had to do with which social media monitoring platform was “the best.” I think the reason people liked it was because I basically reminded readers that, um, there is no “best” solution. But there are some really good questions people should ask to arrive at what might be a sensible solution for their unique circumstances.
People like absolutes. They like black and white. It makes the world so much easier to understand.
When that world is messy and chaotic as it is in the realm of social business, it can be very tempting to resort to overly simplistic right/wrong, best/worst thinking when we should be thinking in terms of principles of character like temperance, moderation, progress, wisdom and patience.
People often tell me I should stop blogging altogether. What good is it? Why give away knowledge for free?
Okay, I see their point but I also see that there are good reasons to blog. My reasons.
Should I blog every day? Maybe not. Every month? Maybe not. Every week? Yeah, that sounds about right – for me!
We’re succeeding sometimes. And we’re failing other times. But we are in fact progressing overall. We need to step back to see that progress and not let the turf wars over the methods take center stage.
We need to take a deeeeeep breath and remember the importance of moderation.
Thanks for the reminder.
Yes. Look, if we are focused on being of service to other, well intentioned groups…who in turn want to be of service to others, then a lot of the rest takes care of itself. Trying to become the “king of everything” means that we’re just inwardly focused.
I heard someone say, ‘we get the government we deserve’ the other day on twitter. ok, so i didn’t hear it, but in my head there was a voice. but it’s true.
anyway, how about how life imitates art, social imitates politics. we’re a culture of #winning and you can’t win if there’s no opponent. you can’t be higher, unless someone is lower. you can’t be right, until you prove others wrong. we are a nation of sides, and we lead the free world. ‘you’re either with us, or against us’ and all that.
i think this right here is a normal culture. despite the carrot of kubla khan’s xanadu.
This is probably too nuanced for a comment stream, but I agree we are a culture of ‘winning’. But the act of winning, the process one goes through, the way one handles the win, etc. is incredibly diverse. To act as if ‘winning at all costs’ is a truism is a bit disingenuous and ignores cultural norms and sociological structures.
To put it more simply, you win by winning. But the definition of winning is gray, not black and white. How you go about winning is important. If you win the footrace, but do so by cheating then whose definition of winning do we apply? It is always the bystander, the ‘consumer’ of the event/product/service that defines that, not you. You can absolutely be right, without proving others wrong. You simply demonstrate your ‘rightness’ via the application of those methods, the ‘proving’ takes care of itself by the others lack of success.
The consumer in this case is our prospective clients, and from their view on the mountaintop there are a lot of us trying to go about ‘winning’ in some pretty dishonorable, immature ways. Their POV is really the only one that matters.
Excellent, Amber! For folks who talk about the high value of authenticity, sharing, educating, connecting, listening, and engaging with communities, we clearly need to be doing a lot more of that among ourselves. It’s our community. The pie is big enough for everyone. Heart or head. The best way to create change? Example. Example. Example. Thanks for providing it.
Great post, Amber! Social media is still a “young” field, and I believe most of us are still experimenting on a daily basis, but in business today, there is little patience for experimentation or risk taking.
Personally, I consider myself a member of both communities. I see value in relationships that can’t be measured, but for my client looking a spreadsheet and a spreadsheet only, I struggle to educate them about the balance between the two. I think social media programs can incorporate passion and measurable digital elements.
But you are so right, as a community, if we could agree on the value of both sides of the coin, then we could work together to make each side of the coin more valuable. As they say, a rising tide floats all boats.
Amber,
Surely, this is a conversation that can still be had several years from now because, in my opinion, it can’t be fixed. When intelligent people study the facts that matter to them and settle on a particular “side”, they usually stay there: abortion, politics, gay marriage, DeNiro vs Pacino, etc. The reason is there is no right or wrong; both sides make valid points; and both sides can show positive results doing things “their way”.
When you say: “we cannot keep drawing such black and white distinctions between what constitutes right and wrong when the crux of our mission lies in progressive and contextual change, not in absolutes” – that’s just not the case for many people. For some, it’s about absolutes – and they can be very successful in their endeavors with that mindset. What’s wrong for some is right for others.
Social media has no rules, just beliefs; beliefs on how “it” should be done. Moreover, it suffers from leadership that only knows one side of the story (yeah, I check bios & credentials). Most have little, if any, experience in a corporate environment whether it be sales, marketing, PR or communications. They’re not well-rounded enough to understand both sides; to find that middle ground.
“Until thy feet have trod the Road, Advise not wayside folk.” -Rudyard Kipling
Ultimately, results will determine whether we’re on the right side of the fence, yes? If you’re not producing the desired results with one particular practice then maybe it’s time to consider an alternative.
I appreciate you putting it out there but let’s just do our thing the way we think we should and let the results speak for themselves…or not.
PS – Nice to be back here 🙂
I was going to add a comment, but then you just said everything I was thinking. Damn you and your sunny background, Perez… 😉
Well said. “People who say things are wrong- those people are WRONG!!!” doesn’t make sense. I don’t have anything else to add because I’m not sure specifically who or what this post is talking about.
Dan – definitely agree that results (however you decide to define those) are what ultimately demonstrate whether your approach fits the bill. And hey, what you’d call a success might not be for me, nor the reverse. That’s why I’m saying it always has to be contextual.
As for considering the alternative, sure thing. Not working? Change something or do it differently. Matt’s comment above about winning being gray…that’s a subtle but a very important point that I really take to heart.
I just tend to find some discussions so polarizing that they aren’t conducive to that kind of consideration. And I’m hoping to explore that a bit to understand why.
Egos…
Well said. The problem with imbalance is that it’s contagious. If you see one self proclaimed expert spouting his opinion then another will just refurbish that idea and use it as his own with little or no research / fact checking.
Maybe a standard level of understanding is needed.
Thanks Amber 🙂
Hi Amber,
I ran across your question and felt inspired to answer. But first a bit of context that is relevant. Given my age, I’m not defined by Social but am aligned to its restatement of objectives that I’ve fought for over a couple of decades. What I’m offering was to be a separate post on the topic of Customer Service ROI. Its the same issue as you describe.
I hope its message is that this division you speak of is not just one that Social has thrown up. Its one that is seen from the playground onwards in life. Some see the numinous, others see the numeric. That’s all it is.
Is There An ROI To Customer Service?
This is a question that has bubbled away for ages and every so often someone has a go at cracking it. Can they trace a causal link between ‘service excellence’ and some form of ‘money made’ or ‘money saved’?
To date, no one seems to have experienced a genuine eureka moment. Or if so, they still have to convince the rest of us that the debate is over. Given the numbers that have tried, I’d suggest this provides us with an important clue about searching for this particular unicorn!
Is ROI Obsession A Form Of Psychosis?
My own view is that the need to prove ROI is a form of nervous twitch that most ‘liberal’ corporate functions fall prey to during their evolution. For instance, Marketing has been challenged over the years as has HR. Currently anyone who has ‘customer’ in their job title is prone to the same dis-ease.
‘Liberals’ want to sound like a senior ‘conservative’ team member (aka Finance) in order to prove their worth and thus ensure their right to budget and future existence. If their ROI seems flaky, they get nervous whenever corporate cost cutting takes place. Or feel somehow lacking if they ask for a greater role in the business and are challenged to quantify their value.
The problem they all suffer is that tangibles are so much easier to measure than intangibles. In fact to be precise it is only the concrete, the physical, the directly visible that can be scoped and defined by stop watches and calculators. The other stuff, the intangible, the qualitative, the abstract and invisible somehow fall through the cracks. We might believe but we cannot prove. And in the business world that’s a frustration.
But the inability to directly measure something does not mean it is worthless. Quite the opposite. In fact the most abstract topic that has continued to evolve up the greasy pole of corporate favour is culture. This is illogical from the perspective of corporate Vulcan logic. You can no more directly show me culture that I can show you that unicorn. Yet huge amounts of cash are invested by the C-suite to improve corporate cultures.
Why?
Simply because in this instance, belief overrides logic. They are happy to accept proxy metrics. In the case of culture, the proxy measure is behaviour. It makes sense to judge a culture by the behaviour of those within it. Everyone can understand that. So let’s say we start by wanting to change some aspect of our corporate culture. Simply translate that into a behaviour called improved teamwork which feeds through into a hike in average performance. We can track that and therefore see the ROI.
In other words when we need to quantify an intangible such as culture we have to find forms of measurement ‘once removed’ from direct cause and effect: Neither culture nor in fact teamwork have intrinsic merit to Vulcan business logic. But if we see more sales converted from the pipeline as a result, we are willing to believe there is a connection between changing culture and making money.
Business Value From Great Service Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
How does this apply to Customer Service? The activity of customer service is certainly tangible. In fact customer service is all about making things work so it is rooted in the practical world. However the great intangible of customer service is quantifying the impact this has on subsequent customer behaviour.
Some believe in a direct cause and effect. Others do not and ask for evidence when large dollops of cash are being requested. What is really under scrutiny here is any evidence of direct linkages between a positive customer experience and the behaviours of loyalty, advocacy, repurchase, lifetime value and all the rest.
The answer all depends on whether you are a believer, an agnostic or atheist regarding these linkages.
Take Marketing as a case in point. What is the causal link between a TV advert and customers purchasing a product or service as a result? TV Shopping channels will immediately shove a stack of stats in front of your nose proving the surge of telephone sales directly after a product has been promoted on air. Fair enough.
But what about those advertisements that seek to entertain us or just make us feel that the brand is cool? If we buy in six months time has that initial ad played a part in persuading us? Whatever the truth, it’s very hard to prove.
As a result agencies spend sizable amounts of cash and use proxy metrics such as brand recall. Or in today’s social media obsessed world, the level of engagement between customer and brand. Moving awareness or engagement up the curve is all fine and dandy but is it causally connected to money in the bank?
Atheists say no. Agnostics will ‘uhm & ahh’. Believers read the charts and feel re-assured of a job well done. If that person happens to be the Marketing Director in a marketing centric company, then all is well.
Spend More On Your Customer Service. Just Get Over It!
Like our own blood families in which we can have cousins who are once or even twice removed from us and yet are still related, the impact of customer service is at least once removed from ‘money in’ and ‘money out’. Sure you can make service smarter and thereby reduce your ‘cost to serve’, but tracing the behavioural impact on customers will never be linear so cause and effect always has to be creatively imagined.
It is therefore a matter of collective belief in the organisation we work in. For instance is NPS or another C-sat score the proxy that works for you? If so, then is it accepted that the quality of customer service is the main driver of that metric in your business? And while we are on a roll, can you then link lifetime value to that benchmark? If yes to all of that then bingo you have some kind of behavioural connection between service and money in the bank.
But remember at best these are indicators and should not be assumed as true in every market. In some markets the nature of the product, the price point, the availability of alternatives all determine whether customer are predisposed to hang around a brand for any length of time.
However that does not mean poor service has no consequence on customer behaviour. One thing is certainly clear in the markets of 2011 and beyond. Upset me and I’m likely to kick back by bad mouthing you to my immediate or extended network. If seriously upset I may also divorce you. Please me and you may have earned nothing more than the right to keep engaging me.
As a once-upon-a-time theologian who studied the behaviour of belief, there is one thing I can confidently tell you. A person has to want to believe for it to have any value. And that is something that will always remain beyond the comprehension of the non believer.
Personally I have always believed Customer Service is the second most important reason to prefer one brand against another. The number one of course is having the product that I want.
While I actually like the post, it’s bad form to put an entire blog post on someones else’s comment stream. And it’s not particular on point.
While I actually like the post, it’s bad form to put an entire blog post on someones else’s comment stream. And it’s not particular on point.
Take the point about bad form, however t’was offered as relevant insight not a hijack. But obviously it was not obvious enough. So let me restate. The problem that Amber has articulated is all about corporate pecking orders and those that talk metrics and money like to see themselves as more core. That’s a well protected illusion based on patronage.
When organisations are lucky enough to have visionaries at the top, things fly and the bean counters then really have something to add up. But its oil and water since the values are different.
Thanks for the great insights and clear call to action. It’s needed. To me real life is what happens in the middle and in the “gray” areas. What happens in the extremes and the margins is very useful for dogmatists but less reflective of real life. I have always thought that the “you don’t get it” quip is a fundamentally immature reaction to just about anything. What if teachers said that?
Social business needs all the things you mentioned to be taken more seriously and strategically in the C suite. Not only that, but there are other cases out there where polarized points of view hold back social business progress. One example is old school vs. new school marketing. Marketing newbies may lack the perspective to see this manufactured controversy for what it is: a cynical attempt, mostly by vendors, to drive awareness and grab attention. The real and legitimate debate that is masks is between effective vs. ineffective marketing practices. Even a casual examination shows that both effective and ineffective marketing tactics are found in both old and new schools.
Anyway, keep up the great work at digging in, setting standards and holding the industry’s feet to the fire. Too many people — especially some of those who found success early — are too happy to coast.
Excellent post, Amber.
Gary screams “what’s the ROI of your mom?!” (usually peppered with a f-bomb for emphasis)
Olivier shows step by step what and how to measure Social ROI.
They’re both right.
More of us need to be able to intelligently talk about measurement and metrics while also admitting that not every tweet / post / point of engagement is directly trackable to bottom line results.
I love Olivier’s example of baselining activities “before social” but when a big brand is running social and lots of immeasurable traditional media at once, it’s hard to tease out every bit of cause and effect at a detailed level.
I’m working with Char-Broil. They make grills. We’re about to do some really cool stuff on Char-Broil.com (including a guest blogger program that will include one of your friends). Still, some of the engagement will result in people driving to Home Depot or Lowe’s and buying a grill and I know that we won’t be able to track every purchase back to where (or if) we touched that consumer.
Still, of what IS directly measurable, most practitioners don’t teach it well and most brands don’t do it well.
Of course if more people read BTT, that would improve.
Very passionate read. But I guess most attempts to bring the masses together are fueled by passion. … I believe you best summed it up here, commit “to simply exploring all possible paths and choosing the one that’s MOST FITTING FOR THEM.”
If one cannot work in a way that best fits the needs of the customer then both will loose.
I’m actually pretty happy, in some way, about some of the discord among us. Not because it is good to tear each other down, but as an antidote to the sappiness and agreeability (“Great Post!”) that makes us look like amateurs.
Sniping to be a jerk is just that, but I think we should continually question our own and others’ methods, ideas, blog posts, statements and case studies. It makes us better. I don’t think a unified front is necessarily a good thing (and many of us our competitors when we get down to it anyway, tight?)
I suspect, Amber, that you may agree with what I say, but as with many posts I read I fear what others may take from it.
Challenge ourselves, each other (challenge me- this comment)- and the nature of the media we embrace now is that we do it in public.
Hey Doug –
I’ll clarify something again because it’s super important: I’m not advocating for a lack of debate. I’m not suggesting that middle ground means that everyone settles in and opts for safe territory. I totally and completely agree with you that questioning is CRITICAL to our long term success, and I absolutely embrace the notion that we’re doing it in plain view now. In fact, I think that’s a good thing.
In that quest, however, vilifying a different point of view, approach, or even an exploration that’s not yet proven as “wrong” is hardly constructive to anyone. That doesn’t further the discussion, it stifles and polarizes it.
Perfect. My main worry, as stated above, is that some readers might take a black and white view and run with it.
Btw, I hope you and Tamsen don’t take my occasional reference to this blog as “brassy tactics” as vilification 😉
It’s straight-up clowning
And round and round we go. 🙂 I suppose part of what I have to accept
– both in terms of the post and in life in general – is that some
people simply can’t function in the grey area, or will always see what
they want and discard the rest.
I learn that over and over and yet…
I think we struggle to find middle ground because it’s on the high road. We need to step back and look at what’s best for the industry as a whole before we push what’s best for us.
As for the charlatans. The cream always rises to the top and those that are truly skilled will always push to the front of the pack.
I am of both schools of thought. Sometimes ROI is key to the campaign and sometimes it’s nearly irrelevant. I’ve had happy clients both ways.
It’s about setting the goals and then aligning the strategy and tactics to meet them.
3 out of 4 social media strategists prefer relationships. 3 out of 4 social media tacticians prefer analytics and hard ROI. (I may have made those numbers up, LOL)
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Amber–thoughtfully done post! Given your role and superclose view of all the banter, this must have been brewing inside you some time now–glad you got it out raising the issue publicly.
To quote a certain shy, introvert named @garyvee, When asked, “What’s the ROI of social media?” by some CEO. His response: “What’s the ROI of your mother?” Amen Gary Vaynerchuk.
That’s what we all should collectively respond with, unite behind that 1 statement of genius.
‘Babies and bathwater.’ Exactly.
I was making a similar point, Amber, on my blog today in “Measuring success in your digital marketing.” Success needs be measured with subtlety, not rigidity.
http://www.uberskookum.com/blog
Amber,
Again, you impress me with not only your writing, but the underlying mission in your work. I agree on nearly all fronts that we (as an industry) need to drive towards the goal of successful implementation for our overlords, regardless of tactics.
I honestly feel that some people are misled that social media is about lovey-fluffy-intangible behavior. This is dangerous. It compels decision makers to pass up on the value that we (as facilitators) provide. Ad spend is linear — you put money in, out comes results. You can’t always gamble with a marketing budget — social media is no longer a gamble with every hand we play.
This problem doesn’t rest solely with the social business industry. It touches nearly every emerging industry that is working to push their proprietary ideas and technology. Take mine, Marketing Automation, for example. If you have a horrible implementation, not only does that reflect on the vendor, ostensibly the industry gets dragged down in that perception.
Collaboration over competition must be at the heart of what we do and what we say. The bigger we are in numbers, the stronger we become. We might have a bone to pick once in a while, but we need to look out for each other. Imagine that, we are a community!
It’s why I have shifted some views I’ve had on social business over the past several months. It’s not one or the other, it’s a blend of both and healthy amount of gut.
On the contrary, competition gives birth to innovation. However, we shouldn’t compete with each other as much as complete against the sheer amount of bullshit that’s out there. Again, when we unite together and be leaders in our respective roles (at companies or independently), we lead a more effective and efficient life and process.
Fantastic advice and I hope others in the industry read this and take action. In the end, that’s what matters.
~Joe
Very timely piece!
The ROI argument will always be around, as it has with any marketing medium. The difference now is that the ones who are completely fixed upon it to determine their strategies will simply fade away, or be forced to adopt a holistic view of relationships that social media facilitates.
Preach it. Great post.
Preach it. Great post.
Thank you for (i) inspiring a fresh blog post.
It is not about “media” as in “the air”. it is about “social” as in connecting.
Here is the post. http://cocreatr.typepad.com/everyone_is_a_beginner_or/2011/04/first-social-media-the-air.html
Go Amber! Great post. I agree with you for the most part. I struggle with balance myself when it comes to social media measurement and ROI. I am a data junkie like many of you. I love the numbers, we need the numbers. However, marketing has always been more than numbers.
Really these problems have always existed in the world of marketing. How many times have we all launched a campaign or program and presented to a room of executives who didn’t want to hear the hard core data? They often times wanted to know what my press release headline was going to be and what my market tipping strategy was before they knew how many hundreds of thousands of dollars I was asking for. I had many-o-large budgets approved thanks to a flashy headline. Not saying I agree with the decisions always. My point is that we expect social to be different than what traditional marketing did and didn’t deliver. There were and still are gray areas in traditional marketing just as well.
It all comes down to the WHY. Why are we doing something. That’s where I think it gets tough with social measurement. The WHY is not always hard core financial results. Hopefully at some point it ties back to a financial result, but that won’t always be the case.
I am dealing with it with a few clients who have become quite confused by what they read, what they hear from different people. There are far too many clueless consultants yappin’ about social media who honestly haven’t the clue about how to measure social media or general marketing 101 for that matter.
We don’t need to choose one side or the other. There will always be hard driven financial ROI and non-financial measurements.
I think we are a long way off from a standard view and approach even though we’re not all that far apart. The tools aren’t there, the systems are not robust enough and frankly the people and business leaders aren’t ready to hear it. They see social as a bandaid to a broken business & their expectations are far above what social can really deliver to them today based on many factors such as their knowledge, experience with social media & commitment level.
The other issue is the integration in the DNA of business. Until medium and larger businesses integrate social into the DNA of their business they will have a hard time looking in the mirror of measurement. I see this time and time again with clients sitting on the pot one day and then off to the races the next, then back on the pot the next. Then they wonder why within a 6 month time period they saw little return.
Bottom line, we all have a lot to learn about an ecosystem and communication that is still forming. We’ll all be better off spending time on the WHY and helping our clients than arguing which way is the right way!
I think we are going through the natural process of creating an industry shift. Seeing things as a “revolution” is sometimes necessary to shift levels of awareness and start the change process. But in business execution, changes are always an evolution.
So the dichotomy we live today, the land-grabbing, the terminology wars are expected. They are not nice, but they are normal.
I don’t think the market cares about those wars.
You are right, the changes are in motion, we need now to converge and help real people and real business to navigate the path. It is time.