Successful adoption of social media is far more cultural than operational.
The difficulty in social media, contrary to frequent discussion, isn’t in how to use the tools or the tactics. It’s not about measurement or determining ROI. Those things are tangible, and solvable, with time, dedication, and elbow grease.
The challenge lies here: for most companies, adopting social media means changing their mindset about how they do business. Because the fundamental principles behind social media – and the reasons why it is so powerful – involve giving your customers a visible, valuable say in how you do things, and having the faith that doing that is just good business.
Risk?
It’s still perplexing to me sometimes that the idea of customer-centric business is still so frightening to some businesses. They’re the people who ultimately make sure the bills are paid, after all (and delighted customers tend to buy more stuff). But I suppose it’s endemic to our process-laden business world. We’ve forgotten sometimes what the hell we’re in business for in the first place. And faith in business is truly a four-letter word.
There are realistic considerations when embarking on social media – risks of liability or disclosure or other legally important stuff. Then there are the perceived “risks” that are really thinly veiled defenses and justifications of processes, practices, and approaches that we’ve grown comfortable with, whether or not they’re really working anymore.
Blame?
For many companies, I fear their reticence to embark on this social stuff is about the fear not just of failure – heaven knows we fail in business on a regular basis in ways we’ve grown comfortable with – but of blame and accountability. (Big hat tip to the inimitable Seth Godin for this ever-so-important distinction that turned a million lightbulbs on in my head.)
The culture of control has really screwed us up over the years. We’ve tried so hard to remove every possible variable from allowing anyone, anywhere, to blame us for screwing something up. If we fall back on the tried, even if its not true, we can at least say that it wasn’t our idea in the first place, we were just following tradition or protocol or orders or whatever. If we control things based on how they’ve always been done, it’s a flaw in the process, not in our judgment. In short, it wasn’t our fault.
Control?
But social media’s adoption flies in the face of control in so many ways. Control of your message. Control of people’s opinions about you and where they spread them. Control over every detail of how your “campaign” unfolds. Control (or at the very least, predictability) of outcomes.
Because people and their voices – the heart and soul of successful social anything – aren’t bought or controlled or predicted. They never have been. They’re earned. And the very act of earning not just the attention but the affinity of those people means you have to risk doing something different in order to do something truly valuable.
What that something is may not be the same every time. It may challenge years of “best practices” (gosh, I’m really starting to hate that term) and fly in the face of every cited “case study” there is. Because this is about putting people back at the center of business, on both sides of the table (and inside your own walls). It requires tireless dialogue, and the willingness to value what you learn from that dialogue above your preconceived notions in order to guide where you go next.
Change.
Give me enough time and access and I can build you a workflow. I can map you out a blueprint for your social media efforts and give you a damn good plan complete with strategies, tactics, metrics, and the whole enchilada. I can point you to three dozen other people that can do the same thing.
But all of those things are utterly wasted if you aren’t willing to accept a responsibility to do right by the customers that drive your business, and empower and trust the people that work for you to make that the focus of their work, every day. And if you can’t trust that your employees can do that, you have a leadership or hiring problem, not a process problem. (h/t @Zappos)
Until and unless you’re willing to change (hell, shatter) the things that might be standing in the way of better connecting your customers to your business’ reason for existence, social media for you will be nothing but superficial – and a failure.
Culture matters. And culture change is hard. It’s the underpinning to success in most business things, but especially this. Expectations are for companies are changing. The question for your business now is whether you’ve the humility – and the courage – to rise up and meet them.
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Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
It is all about doing “new work” in “new ways”.
Thanks Amber.
Rick Morgans last blog post..Beware of Experts
Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
It is all about doing “new work” in “new ways”.
Thanks Amber.
Rick Morgans last blog post..Beware of Experts
Wow. Well said. This inspired me today.
Wow. Well said. This inspired me today.
What stuck in your post was one word – superficial. That is the underlying word that separates those who have goals in place and are looking to bring value to whatever social media strategy they’re implementing, and those who are in it for that superficial side, that take the shortcuts to try to hit that homerun shot – that we all know isn’t going to come.
Seth has a great short video that lays it out in simple terms about having goals vs. being superficial in the SM world – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OujgPgNCLvk
Sonny Gills last blog post..Are You Shortcutting Your Community?
What stuck in your post was one word – superficial. That is the underlying word that separates those who have goals in place and are looking to bring value to whatever social media strategy they’re implementing, and those who are in it for that superficial side, that take the shortcuts to try to hit that homerun shot – that we all know isn’t going to come.
Seth has a great short video that lays it out in simple terms about having goals vs. being superficial in the SM world – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OujgPgNCLvk
Sonny Gills last blog post..Are You Shortcutting Your Community?
The fear that jumps out at me immediately is loss of control. Social media is helping to expose a real weakness of command-and-control communications strategy — the presumption that because we aren’t listening, the conversation isn’t taking place.
“Putting people back at the center of business” sums it up, but I’d challenge that we’re putting stakeholders (hate that term, but nothing else is springing to mind) back in a position they once held. For the vast majority of companies and industries, customer-centric business models represent a completely new dynamic — a paradigm shift. Hence the fear.
Great post, Amber. Your blog has become part of my reference library as I continue to build a case for conversation inside my organization. Thanks.
The fear that jumps out at me immediately is loss of control. Social media is helping to expose a real weakness of command-and-control communications strategy — the presumption that because we aren’t listening, the conversation isn’t taking place.
“Putting people back at the center of business” sums it up, but I’d challenge that we’re putting stakeholders (hate that term, but nothing else is springing to mind) back in a position they once held. For the vast majority of companies and industries, customer-centric business models represent a completely new dynamic — a paradigm shift. Hence the fear.
Great post, Amber. Your blog has become part of my reference library as I continue to build a case for conversation inside my organization. Thanks.
Control seems to be the key issue in my mind, specifically the change that comes from social media tools that enables the voice of a single customer to resonate as loudly as the company. In some cases, that customer may have an even greater voice than the company.
What I think makes this truly exciting is that a level playing field means that *both* sides of the conversation need to be honest, or they will be called out by the community at large. You would think that an honest relationship would be attractive to companies, or to anyone for that matter. But with any honest relationship, you need to first be honest with yourself. Sometimes the hardest truth to accept is the realization of how others see you in comparison to how you see yourself. Perhaps that is what truly drives the fear in companies to adopt social media-
It requires that you first take an honest look at yourself and address the flaws that you have been reluctant to admit even existed.
Great post Amber- it raises tough questions, but is fertile ground for good conversation. What more could you ask for from a blog post?
Control seems to be the key issue in my mind, specifically the change that comes from social media tools that enables the voice of a single customer to resonate as loudly as the company. In some cases, that customer may have an even greater voice than the company.
What I think makes this truly exciting is that a level playing field means that *both* sides of the conversation need to be honest, or they will be called out by the community at large. You would think that an honest relationship would be attractive to companies, or to anyone for that matter. But with any honest relationship, you need to first be honest with yourself. Sometimes the hardest truth to accept is the realization of how others see you in comparison to how you see yourself. Perhaps that is what truly drives the fear in companies to adopt social media-
It requires that you first take an honest look at yourself and address the flaws that you have been reluctant to admit even existed.
Great post Amber- it raises tough questions, but is fertile ground for good conversation. What more could you ask for from a blog post?
I think the hardest part is creating the culture of change–the culture of putting the customer first. Although most companies are afraid to give up any control, when you trust those you’ve hired and empower them in their positions it makes creating this culture much easier. It allows you to cultivate an environment that puts the customer first and allows change to occur as necessary.
Elizabeths last blog post..3 Reasons Why Facebook Will Not Fail
I think the hardest part is creating the culture of change–the culture of putting the customer first. Although most companies are afraid to give up any control, when you trust those you’ve hired and empower them in their positions it makes creating this culture much easier. It allows you to cultivate an environment that puts the customer first and allows change to occur as necessary.
Elizabeths last blog post..3 Reasons Why Facebook Will Not Fail
Bingo. Social media doesn’t solve problems, it uncovers them. If you have shortcomings in your product or service, your customers will point them out, using the social media tools that everyone is gaga about. To me, social media is much more customer service 3.0 than it is marketing 3.0, but too many companies (and sadly, agencies and consultants) are treating it like a sales channel.
The companies that say they care about what their customers need and feel but really don’t are those that are going to drown in the groundswell. They just don’t know it yet, because ironically, they aren’t listening.
I see social media, community managers, and the whole shebang blending into customer experience quickly. In fact, I’d almost rather see companies hire a “Customer Experience Manager” instead of a “Community Manager” because if you don’t have a quality customer experience at every level, a community manager can’t save you.
Great post Amber. You just keep getting better and better, and I wasn’t sure that was feasible.
Please quit raising the bar. You’re making me work too hard.
Jason Baers last blog post..Valeria Maltoni – The Twitter 20 Interview on Conversation and Community
Bingo. Social media doesn’t solve problems, it uncovers them. If you have shortcomings in your product or service, your customers will point them out, using the social media tools that everyone is gaga about. To me, social media is much more customer service 3.0 than it is marketing 3.0, but too many companies (and sadly, agencies and consultants) are treating it like a sales channel.
The companies that say they care about what their customers need and feel but really don’t are those that are going to drown in the groundswell. They just don’t know it yet, because ironically, they aren’t listening.
I see social media, community managers, and the whole shebang blending into customer experience quickly. In fact, I’d almost rather see companies hire a “Customer Experience Manager” instead of a “Community Manager” because if you don’t have a quality customer experience at every level, a community manager can’t save you.
Great post Amber. You just keep getting better and better, and I wasn’t sure that was feasible.
Please quit raising the bar. You’re making me work too hard.
Jason Baers last blog post..Valeria Maltoni – The Twitter 20 Interview on Conversation and Community
Oh my word!
What an exquisite article that I will be chewing on for days. I feel I’ve been ranting on and on about social media, responsibility and culture but thankfully it’s not just me.
Rather than repeat myself anymore, I’m just going to sit down, re-read and digest. Thanks!
Scott Goulds last blog post..Experience The Exeter Twitterati
Oh my word!
What an exquisite article that I will be chewing on for days. I feel I’ve been ranting on and on about social media, responsibility and culture but thankfully it’s not just me.
Rather than repeat myself anymore, I’m just going to sit down, re-read and digest. Thanks!
Scott Goulds last blog post..Experience The Exeter Twitterati
Thanks Amber for expressing what needed to be said. I love Rick’s comment with the biblical reference too.
The key point you hit on is that companies need to become customer-centric. I’ve been muttering that under my breath for years in meetings because management is often a bunch of C-levels who would know social media if it walked in their front door. Some industries will be able to change quicker than others. The wine industry will not be one of them, but with more articles like this to point the way for them, I hope they will soon climb onboard.
I need to read this again now. Thanks.
Eric Hwangs last blog post..Getting on board the social media train
Thanks Amber for expressing what needed to be said. I love Rick’s comment with the biblical reference too.
The key point you hit on is that companies need to become customer-centric. I’ve been muttering that under my breath for years in meetings because management is often a bunch of C-levels who would know social media if it walked in their front door. Some industries will be able to change quicker than others. The wine industry will not be one of them, but with more articles like this to point the way for them, I hope they will soon climb onboard.
I need to read this again now. Thanks.
Eric Hwangs last blog post..Getting on board the social media train
If you don’t become “customer-centric” how can you determine what’s “Value Added” or “Non-Value Added” and improve your company’s products and processes? If you’re not listening and engaging with your customers, who is determining this for your company? Some high-level executive who can’t even relate to most of your customers? If your company doesn’t figure out how to listen to and engage with your customers or potential customers then you’re going to have a problem, eventually.
If you don’t become “customer-centric” how can you determine what’s “Value Added” or “Non-Value Added” and improve your company’s products and processes? If you’re not listening and engaging with your customers, who is determining this for your company? Some high-level executive who can’t even relate to most of your customers? If your company doesn’t figure out how to listen to and engage with your customers or potential customers then you’re going to have a problem, eventually.
Amber, excellent post and points. I think culture change sums it all up. It’s that way in my world of higher education. Even though we listen a lot to students, we have a culture that’s very slow to change because we do believe we know more than our customers. In fact, our customers aren’t like other customers, they’re also students who sign up to be challenged. The result is an extreme case of silos and turf protection. Thus, it’s a challenge for marketing and enrollment professionals on college campuses to foster change. And where are we now because of this culture? Stuck in a business model that makes it difficult for colleges to survive. Thank you. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Rick Hardys last blog post..Video, Part 3: Deconstructing the Montage
Amber, excellent post and points. I think culture change sums it all up. It’s that way in my world of higher education. Even though we listen a lot to students, we have a culture that’s very slow to change because we do believe we know more than our customers. In fact, our customers aren’t like other customers, they’re also students who sign up to be challenged. The result is an extreme case of silos and turf protection. Thus, it’s a challenge for marketing and enrollment professionals on college campuses to foster change. And where are we now because of this culture? Stuck in a business model that makes it difficult for colleges to survive. Thank you. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Rick Hardys last blog post..Video, Part 3: Deconstructing the Montage
I think this might’ve been what I was getting at yesterday over on Olivier Blanchard’s blog when I was talking about finding a better way to highlight the importance of a social media team over a social media person (singular).
In the end, it’s all about shifting culture. Adapting. And I’d also add to what you said the concept of trust (though you did bring that up in your last point of change, so maybe not really adding, just expanding on): sometimes it seems as if companies don’t really trust their products or services, or the people they cater to, otherwise giving up control wouldn’t be such a monumental challenge.
Where there’s trust, there’s an ease to adaptation, and there’s an understanding that all this is a mutual give-take thing that we have no choice but to tune into. Doesn’t seem like such a challenge when you believe in your product and your people, both inside and outside your walls.
Teresa Basichs last blog post..Employers Think the Unemployed are Unemployable? What a Crock.
I think this might’ve been what I was getting at yesterday over on Olivier Blanchard’s blog when I was talking about finding a better way to highlight the importance of a social media team over a social media person (singular).
In the end, it’s all about shifting culture. Adapting. And I’d also add to what you said the concept of trust (though you did bring that up in your last point of change, so maybe not really adding, just expanding on): sometimes it seems as if companies don’t really trust their products or services, or the people they cater to, otherwise giving up control wouldn’t be such a monumental challenge.
Where there’s trust, there’s an ease to adaptation, and there’s an understanding that all this is a mutual give-take thing that we have no choice but to tune into. Doesn’t seem like such a challenge when you believe in your product and your people, both inside and outside your walls.
Teresa Basichs last blog post..Employers Think the Unemployed are Unemployable? What a Crock.
Fantastic report!
Franciscos last blog post..eb 2.0 + socialnetworking
Fantastic report!
Franciscos last blog post..eb 2.0 + socialnetworking
Your opening line
“Successful adoption of social media is far more cultural than operational.”
is on the money.
Once the decision is taken to go there and get involved with Social Media then it will get done and implemented
I am sure that many companies consider that social media has been adopted. On the other hand others would argue that nothing has been done in the area of social media.
It all depends on the definition of Social Media – What activities and behaviours are required for social media to have been adopted?
mark Waterfields last blog post..Doing the Garden | Children’s Book Review |Moss Green Children’s Books
Your opening line
“Successful adoption of social media is far more cultural than operational.”
is on the money.
Once the decision is taken to go there and get involved with Social Media then it will get done and implemented
I am sure that many companies consider that social media has been adopted. On the other hand others would argue that nothing has been done in the area of social media.
It all depends on the definition of Social Media – What activities and behaviours are required for social media to have been adopted?
mark Waterfields last blog post..Doing the Garden | Children’s Book Review |Moss Green Children’s Books
Great post that should slow down the corporate mainstream adoption of social media, but won’t. Until companies understand that social media tools and strategies are not just another channel to push their messages through, they will fail. Lots of people talk about transparency and authenticity, but until they adopt these as core values and live them every day, they are not ready for true and meaningful customer engagement. Successful social media strategies assume top notch products and service and an openness at every level of the corporate structure. Thanks for adding the ideas of risk and blame to the social media equation.
Great post that should slow down the corporate mainstream adoption of social media, but won’t. Until companies understand that social media tools and strategies are not just another channel to push their messages through, they will fail. Lots of people talk about transparency and authenticity, but until they adopt these as core values and live them every day, they are not ready for true and meaningful customer engagement. Successful social media strategies assume top notch products and service and an openness at every level of the corporate structure. Thanks for adding the ideas of risk and blame to the social media equation.
Wonderful, articulate, thoughtful, passionate exposition. I too will be using this as a reference piece. I’m hearing essentially the same message repeatedly in the business context and now also in the government arena. The other week, in our Australian national capital and actually within Parliament House, my colleague Stephen Collins presented the case for the essentialness of culture change for the successful implementation of any Government 2.0 initiatives. Video of his presentation here: http://vimeo.com/5330631
Des Walshs last blog post..New Social Relationships Tool XeeSM
Wonderful, articulate, thoughtful, passionate exposition. I too will be using this as a reference piece. I’m hearing essentially the same message repeatedly in the business context and now also in the government arena. The other week, in our Australian national capital and actually within Parliament House, my colleague Stephen Collins presented the case for the essentialness of culture change for the successful implementation of any Government 2.0 initiatives. Video of his presentation here: http://vimeo.com/5330631
Des Walshs last blog post..New Social Relationships Tool XeeSM
Agree. What I notice is Twitter seems to be the platform so many companies draw the line at, when they look at SNSs. It’s got so much of the unknown about it, impossible to pin down, changing weekly. The others give the appearance of manageability. So the mindset is still there: we can get on top of this thing, use it to our advantage, limit out exposure…you get the drift, no cultural change necessary.
Agree. What I notice is Twitter seems to be the platform so many companies draw the line at, when they look at SNSs. It’s got so much of the unknown about it, impossible to pin down, changing weekly. The others give the appearance of manageability. So the mindset is still there: we can get on top of this thing, use it to our advantage, limit out exposure…you get the drift, no cultural change necessary.
Amber:
So much of this is true and obvious to those who get it. The challenge remains that at many companies and brands the people making the decisions haven’t actually used social media themselves. They may have asked someone who works for them to get on Twitter or may even have a FB page, but chances are they are not using Twitter themselves, they’re not blogging, and therefore (ironically) they’re getting their information about social media from the old media, where it’s sometimes positive but other times fear inducing. Furthermore, by definition, these long term marketers have been used to two things: a. controlling their message and b. playing it safe. I can attest to both of these having run an ad agency now for nearly 26 years. However, at the same time it’s starting to change. As I’ve mentioned in other contexts, a year ago I couldn’t get anyone to listen to arguments in favor of SM, now I’m booked five days a week explaining, educating, presenting. That’s a big changes. Imagine what will happen over the next year.
edwardbochess last blog post..Free is great, but who’s going to pay for it?
Amber:
So much of this is true and obvious to those who get it. The challenge remains that at many companies and brands the people making the decisions haven’t actually used social media themselves. They may have asked someone who works for them to get on Twitter or may even have a FB page, but chances are they are not using Twitter themselves, they’re not blogging, and therefore (ironically) they’re getting their information about social media from the old media, where it’s sometimes positive but other times fear inducing. Furthermore, by definition, these long term marketers have been used to two things: a. controlling their message and b. playing it safe. I can attest to both of these having run an ad agency now for nearly 26 years. However, at the same time it’s starting to change. As I’ve mentioned in other contexts, a year ago I couldn’t get anyone to listen to arguments in favor of SM, now I’m booked five days a week explaining, educating, presenting. That’s a big changes. Imagine what will happen over the next year.
edwardbochess last blog post..Free is great, but who’s going to pay for it?
The fear most businesses have is loss of control, especailly in Asian business culture where top managements are reluctent/afraid to delegate the role of dealing directly with customers to a non-decision-making team. Some re-education is required to change the mind set and proper guidelines have to be drawn so that social media can gradually be adopted. The most important thing is to expose the senior managers to positive impacts of social media on branding and share of market.
Jonathan Ongs last blog post..Traveling the Roads Less Traveled (Part 2 of 2)
The fear most businesses have is loss of control, especailly in Asian business culture where top managements are reluctent/afraid to delegate the role of dealing directly with customers to a non-decision-making team. Some re-education is required to change the mind set and proper guidelines have to be drawn so that social media can gradually be adopted. The most important thing is to expose the senior managers to positive impacts of social media on branding and share of market.
Jonathan Ongs last blog post..Traveling the Roads Less Traveled (Part 2 of 2)
“All of those things are utterly wasted if you aren’t willing to accept a responsibility to do right by the customers that drive your business, and empower and trust the people that work for you to make that the focus of their work, every day. And if you can’t trust that your employees can do that, you have a leadership or hiring problem, not a process problem.”
Damn, you’re good.
Aside from what you’ve covered in this post, do you think maybe there is another factor we can add to all of this? Confusion about what SM is and isn’t?
When you mention Social Media to most execs, they hear “FaceBook, Twitter and blogs.” They hear “apps”. They hear “technology”. They hear “tools” and new “skillsets”. It sounds new and complicated and scary. To make matters worse, we often sit here and talk about revolutions and change and new worlds. That sounds very risky, and most of these folks don’t feel super comfortable with any of that.
Truth is, we’re talking about a “retour aux sources” here. A return to the good old days of great customer service, handshakes, face time, and “the customer is king”. We’re just using fantastic emerging technology to get there. We aren’t moving forward, we’re actually getting back to the basics of good business and customer loyalty. We’re finally able to push aside the clutter and the bullshit and get back to having real one-on-one relationships with customers. This is CRM with a soul. It’s marketing with a conscience. It’s business the way it should be. Simple. Painless. Engaging. Relevant. Honest. Fun, even.
The more we “sell” Social Media as the great new thing (in a long history of “great new things”), the less likely we are to make any headway. Conservative business managers will resist it because they will see in it risk and uncertainty instead of opportunity. And more adventurous business leaders who adopt SM with open arms will see their efforts thwarted by staffers who think Social Media is a job rather than a relationship enabler. (Ugly-sounding word, but whatever.)
Social media may be new, but social is as old as humanity. What we’re seeing here is just the digital evolution of the million-year-old campfire. Businesses have been looking for ways to return to the good old days of the mom-and-pop shop/customer relationship for about 100 years now without having to give up the ability to scale. And now that Social Media makes this all possible, we’re screwing the pooch by not properly explaining what the opportunity is before tossing tools and apps and technology into the conversation. We’re so busy selling the car that we’ve forgotten that what we should be talking about is how fun driving is.
We’re at fault. If so many business execs don’t get this yet, if they’ve been turned off by it even, we’re responsible. As a collective, as a community, we need to recalibrate the conversation. Not you necessarily, but many of us including me.
You’ve given me a lot to think about, as always. 😉
olivier blanchards last blog post..The Danger of Not Doing What You Love, and other wisdom
Important point that underscores the reality, complexity and necessity of culture change. Nice bookend to Amber’s post.
“All of those things are utterly wasted if you aren’t willing to accept a responsibility to do right by the customers that drive your business, and empower and trust the people that work for you to make that the focus of their work, every day. And if you can’t trust that your employees can do that, you have a leadership or hiring problem, not a process problem.”
Damn, you’re good.
Aside from what you’ve covered in this post, do you think maybe there is another factor we can add to all of this? Confusion about what SM is and isn’t?
When you mention Social Media to most execs, they hear “FaceBook, Twitter and blogs.” They hear “apps”. They hear “technology”. They hear “tools” and new “skillsets”. It sounds new and complicated and scary. To make matters worse, we often sit here and talk about revolutions and change and new worlds. That sounds very risky, and most of these folks don’t feel super comfortable with any of that.
Truth is, we’re talking about a “retour aux sources” here. A return to the good old days of great customer service, handshakes, face time, and “the customer is king”. We’re just using fantastic emerging technology to get there. We aren’t moving forward, we’re actually getting back to the basics of good business and customer loyalty. We’re finally able to push aside the clutter and the bullshit and get back to having real one-on-one relationships with customers. This is CRM with a soul. It’s marketing with a conscience. It’s business the way it should be. Simple. Painless. Engaging. Relevant. Honest. Fun, even.
The more we “sell” Social Media as the great new thing (in a long history of “great new things”), the less likely we are to make any headway. Conservative business managers will resist it because they will see in it risk and uncertainty instead of opportunity. And more adventurous business leaders who adopt SM with open arms will see their efforts thwarted by staffers who think Social Media is a job rather than a relationship enabler. (Ugly-sounding word, but whatever.)
Social media may be new, but social is as old as humanity. What we’re seeing here is just the digital evolution of the million-year-old campfire. Businesses have been looking for ways to return to the good old days of the mom-and-pop shop/customer relationship for about 100 years now without having to give up the ability to scale. And now that Social Media makes this all possible, we’re screwing the pooch by not properly explaining what the opportunity is before tossing tools and apps and technology into the conversation. We’re so busy selling the car that we’ve forgotten that what we should be talking about is how fun driving is.
We’re at fault. If so many business execs don’t get this yet, if they’ve been turned off by it even, we’re responsible. As a collective, as a community, we need to recalibrate the conversation. Not you necessarily, but many of us including me.
You’ve given me a lot to think about, as always. 😉
olivier blanchards last blog post..The Danger of Not Doing What You Love, and other wisdom
Important point that underscores the reality, complexity and necessity of culture change. Nice bookend to Amber’s post.
Olivier,
You’re right…but.
We have the responsibility to not make the conversation about all of this – EVER – about the tools and tech. That will change. We are stewards of a new paradigm here, and if we’re preaching from the hilltops, we need to make sure we’re preaching about the right stuff.
However, I take issue with the idea that we that “get it” are somehow responsible for showing the companies that don’t. Where’s personal accountability in this? Where’s the point where, as a business, I have to own up to the fact that I’m responsible for my own actions and that I cannot blame my consultant or “the industry” of social media for not explaining it to me right?
I hear what you’re saying. There’s plenty of discussion about social media that swings and misses. It becomes about tools and sites and “things” instead of an underlayment of business philosophy.
But once we’re past that – and there are PLENTY of outstanding practitioners talking today about anything BUT the tools – the responsibility for change rests squarely in the hands of the company. We can only do so much work for them. At a certain point, there are no more excuses.
I’m challenging these companies to use their brains. To think for themselves. To see that the key to making social media work is all about infusing it throughout your business.
For as many crappy resources and discussions that are out there, there are just as many articulate and level-headed ones. The businesses that care enough to evolve need to do the work to find them. And to listen.
I can teach the HOW, but only after a company is willing to accept the WHY. And we, my friend, can only lead that horse to water. I’d actually argue that there are people – like you, Valeria, Jason Baer, Chris Brogan, Beth Harte, Peter Kim, and many more – that are doing that really well.
So when do we put the onus back on businesses to do their own due diligence and quit looking for shortcuts? Are we responsible for their culture change and leadership, or are they?
Well yeah. Companies (or rather, the execs who run them) have to want to make their companies better. They have to be driven by a need to turn their organizations into shining examples of what can be done in their industry: The best customer service, the best products, the best customer relationships, the best in-store experiences, etc. That’s a choice they have to make for themselves: What kind of company do they want to create, develop and nurture: An austere cubicle nightmare of miserable clock punchers and outsourced customer touchpoints, or a vibrant, passionate customer-driven culture like zappos? (Or the one Comcast is revamping right now thanks to folks like Frank/@comcastcares?)
So yes. The choice is theirs. Absolutely. But I’ve discovered that many of these folks have absolutely no idea that Social Media can give them the ability to do this. They’ve been so beaten down over the years by “the way things are” that they don’t necessarily see how this can transform their organizations into what they wanted it to be back when they were the new kid on the block. Or if they do, they don’t quite believe it. They’re still stuck in a tools and cranks mentality.
And because so much of what peeps in the SM world (bloggers, journalists, service providers) talk about revolves around tools and platforms and technology, the conversation tends to either skip the “why” entirely, or move to the “what” and “how” too quickly. Perhaps because the “client” is impatient or because they assume that clients understand the full breadth of the opportunity, even when they’ve only skimmed the surface.
Too much emphasis early on on “do” and not enough introspection about “be”.
I look around the business world, and what I see in most execs who haven’t bought into SM yet isn’t a conscious choice to cling to the status-quo (though many do) but rather a lack of understanding of what SM is and isn’t. It’s confusing to many of these folks, and confusion leads to uncertainty and fear (neither of which is good for adoption). Even if they want to help their businesses kick ass again, they are being bombarded all day long by conversations about Facebook and Twitter and blogs (tools) rather than real insight into how better customer engagement (in great part through SM) will get them off their plateau and on their way again.
So… I think that we DO have a responsibility to explain SM better to the masses of confused execs still scratching their heads about all of this. (Not you though. You’re one of the rare precious few who hits the nail squarely on the head every time you put finger to keyboard. I mean as a community.)
Once a business honcho actually sees the potential in SM for his business and he decides it isn’t for him, I certainly won’t waste my time trying to convince him he’s being making a mistake. I don’t have time to knock common sense into people who can’t figure this out for themselves once they’ve been shown what’s what, but we do have to make sure that these decision makers are educated enough about SM to make informed decisions about it.
My original comment was really a question about whether or not (as a community) we have done a good job of educating the business world. 😉
Whenever I see confusion on a large scale, my spider sense tell me something still isn’t being communicated clearly. (At least not on a large enough scale.)
🙂
olivier blanchards last blog post..The Danger of Not Doing What You Love, and other wisdom
Different industries demand a different approach to social media. For the retail industry, some of the lessons learned (user reviews) provided third party trust and increased revenues – but I am not sure it changed the culture of the retail industry – yet. LLBean have used similar offline and online techniques for years. Telco companies (eg Comcast) are exploring customer support as an application of SM, but this is not a new thought, we have seen this used essentially in the same way for over 25 years from the days of BYTE, compuserve and prodigy etc. Other industries are finding how it makes business sense to them and depending on that result, culture may or may not change – companies are really very clever about using new ideas (such as building websites and even moving from dumb terminals). The SM technology is an enabler but it is the ideas and business practices it enables that are important. The focus should be less on SM as a technology and more on the solutions.
Different industries demand a different approach to social media. For the retail industry, some of the lessons learned (user reviews) provided third party trust and increased revenues – but I am not sure it changed the culture of the retail industry – yet. LLBean have used similar offline and online techniques for years. Telco companies (eg Comcast) are exploring customer support as an application of SM, but this is not a new thought, we have seen this used essentially in the same way for over 25 years from the days of BYTE, compuserve and prodigy etc. Other industries are finding how it makes business sense to them and depending on that result, culture may or may not change – companies are really very clever about using new ideas (such as building websites and even moving from dumb terminals). The SM technology is an enabler but it is the ideas and business practices it enables that are important. The focus should be less on SM as a technology and more on the solutions.
Culture trumps strategy. Always.
In every instance of company merger or acquisition that I’ve been involved with, even the most sensible and detailed strategic plans for the new organization fail spectacularly when confronted with an embedded culture that obstructs and devalues change.
Working with C-level executives who genuinely understand the potential impact of a comprehensive social media strategy isn’t enough if they do nothing to change the corporate culture so that the organization (meaning its employees) actively engage and participate in their preferred social media channels. Absent active leadership, the best designed and best intentioned SM strategy is destined to fail.
This means that company executives must participate themselves. Because despite the CEO’s public proclamations that his company is fully engaged online, if they don’t engage themselves, even to a limited degree, their inaction speaks volumes to the rest of the organization. Imagine if Jack Welch were to publicly sing the praises of Six Sigma quality programs but couldn’t define what they were or how his company actually implemented Six Sigma methods. How many GE employees would have embraced their quality initiatives?
It’s the same with social media programs. If the company’s leadership doesn’t actively participate in their SM charge, then those staffers that do will be inhabit a social media backwater devoid of attention or relevance and the legacy culture of isolation and dissociation will prevail. Always.
The top managers have to set good example so that the rest of the company would embrace the change.
The best example I have seen in Malaysia is Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia who is actively interacting with followers/consumers/fans on regular basis on Twitter and Facebook. AirAsia and its sister companies are a handful of Malaysian companies that believe in and are taking full advantage of social media as part of their marketing mix, especailly in annoucing and promoting new routes. We have so much to learn from him and his team on being so innovative and in adopting social media to build AirAsia brand.
Jonathan Ongs last blog post..Traveling the Roads Less Traveled (Part 2 of 2)
Culture trumps strategy. Always.
In every instance of company merger or acquisition that I’ve been involved with, even the most sensible and detailed strategic plans for the new organization fail spectacularly when confronted with an embedded culture that obstructs and devalues change.
Working with C-level executives who genuinely understand the potential impact of a comprehensive social media strategy isn’t enough if they do nothing to change the corporate culture so that the organization (meaning its employees) actively engage and participate in their preferred social media channels. Absent active leadership, the best designed and best intentioned SM strategy is destined to fail.
This means that company executives must participate themselves. Because despite the CEO’s public proclamations that his company is fully engaged online, if they don’t engage themselves, even to a limited degree, their inaction speaks volumes to the rest of the organization. Imagine if Jack Welch were to publicly sing the praises of Six Sigma quality programs but couldn’t define what they were or how his company actually implemented Six Sigma methods. How many GE employees would have embraced their quality initiatives?
It’s the same with social media programs. If the company’s leadership doesn’t actively participate in their SM charge, then those staffers that do will be inhabit a social media backwater devoid of attention or relevance and the legacy culture of isolation and dissociation will prevail. Always.
The top managers have to set good example so that the rest of the company would embrace the change.
The best example I have seen in Malaysia is Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia who is actively interacting with followers/consumers/fans on regular basis on Twitter and Facebook. AirAsia and its sister companies are a handful of Malaysian companies that believe in and are taking full advantage of social media as part of their marketing mix, especailly in annoucing and promoting new routes. We have so much to learn from him and his team on being so innovative and in adopting social media to build AirAsia brand.
Jonathan Ongs last blog post..Traveling the Roads Less Traveled (Part 2 of 2)
Well yeah. Companies (or rather, the execs who run them) have to want to make their companies better. They have to be driven by a need to turn their organizations into shining examples of what can be done in their industry: The best customer service, the best products, the best customer relationships, the best in-store experiences, etc. That’s a choice they have to make for themselves: What kind of company do they want to create, develop and nurture: An austere cubicle nightmare of miserable clock punchers and outsourced customer touchpoints, or a vibrant, passionate customer-driven culture like zappos? (Or the one Comcast is revamping right now thanks to folks like Frank/@comcastcares?)
So yes. The choice is theirs. Absolutely. But I’ve discovered that many of these folks have absolutely no idea that Social Media can give them the ability to do this. They’ve been so beaten down over the years by “the way things are” that they don’t necessarily see how this can transform their organizations into what they wanted it to be back when they were the new kid on the block. Or if they do, they don’t quite believe it. They’re still stuck in a tools and cranks mentality.
And because so much of what peeps in the SM world (bloggers, journalists, service providers) talk about revolves around tools and platforms and technology, the conversation tends to either skip the “why” entirely, or move to the “what” and “how” too quickly. Perhaps because the “client” is impatient or because they assume that clients understand the full breadth of the opportunity, even when they’ve only skimmed the surface.
Too much emphasis early on on “do” and not enough introspection about “be”.
I look around the business world, and what I see in most execs who haven’t bought into SM yet isn’t a conscious choice to cling to the status-quo (though many do) but rather a lack of understanding of what SM is and isn’t. It’s confusing to many of these folks, and confusion leads to uncertainty and fear (neither of which is good for adoption). Even if they want to help their businesses kick ass again, they are being bombarded all day long by conversations about Facebook and Twitter and blogs (tools) rather than real insight into how better customer engagement (in great part through SM) will get them off their plateau and on their way again.
So… I think that we DO have a responsibility to explain SM better to the masses of confused execs still scratching their heads about all of this. (Not you though. You’re one of the rare precious few who hits the nail squarely on the head every time you put finger to keyboard. I mean as a community.)
Once a business honcho actually sees the potential in SM for his business and he decides it isn’t for him, I certainly won’t waste my time trying to convince him he’s being making a mistake. I don’t have time to knock common sense into people who can’t figure this out for themselves once they’ve been shown what’s what, but we do have to make sure that these decision makers are educated enough about SM to make informed decisions about it.
My original comment was really a question about whether or not (as a community) we have done a good job of educating the business world. 😉
Whenever I see confusion on a large scale, my spider sense tell me something still isn’t being communicated clearly. (At least not on a large enough scale.)
🙂
olivier blanchards last blog post..The Danger of Not Doing What You Love, and other wisdom
I’m currently experiencing a major culture shift at my new job at a classic media company, and I’m helping to create it. I’m grateful for upper management’s enthusiasm and support for this shift. They recognize that customers have more “control” and are embracing opportunities to engage with them. Baby steps at my company, but steps no less. I’m finding awareness/education with employees who aren’t familiar with social media and its impact is helping a great deal. Encouraging involvement and open communication is also key. I realize that this culture shift MUST absolutely be supported from the top for success. The best advice I’ve gotten so far is from the chairman of the company who encourages me to not be afraid to create change and not be intimidated by the existing culture.
I’m currently experiencing a major culture shift at my new job at a classic media company, and I’m helping to create it. I’m grateful for upper management’s enthusiasm and support for this shift. They recognize that customers have more “control” and are embracing opportunities to engage with them. Baby steps at my company, but steps no less. I’m finding awareness/education with employees who aren’t familiar with social media and its impact is helping a great deal. Encouraging involvement and open communication is also key. I realize that this culture shift MUST absolutely be supported from the top for success. The best advice I’ve gotten so far is from the chairman of the company who encourages me to not be afraid to create change and not be intimidated by the existing culture.
I’m short on time today, but just HAD to comment on your excellent (and entertaining!) post. Couple of quick observations:
* Control is a limiting factor in any endeavor, whether it’s a personal relationship, business goal, or anything in between. Your point is well-made: companies need to let go.
* Not to go all socialist on you, but I think what much of this boils down to is a need for companies to stop thinking about themselves as free-standing entities on the hunt & trying to capture prospects. Instead, they should think of themselves (no matter their industry, service, or product) as entities that are completely reliant upon – and therefore beholden to – their customers. It’s a very difficult shift to flip the power paradigm on its head, but that’s the fact of it – companies are only as strong as their happy customers. Period. Though some badly behaved companies might hold out for a while on sheer mass, market share, or other leverage point; it’s always the customer who will have the last word.
Thanks for a great post. Really enjoyed it.
I’m short on time today, but just HAD to comment on your excellent (and entertaining!) post. Couple of quick observations:
* Control is a limiting factor in any endeavor, whether it’s a personal relationship, business goal, or anything in between. Your point is well-made: companies need to let go.
* Not to go all socialist on you, but I think what much of this boils down to is a need for companies to stop thinking about themselves as free-standing entities on the hunt & trying to capture prospects. Instead, they should think of themselves (no matter their industry, service, or product) as entities that are completely reliant upon – and therefore beholden to – their customers. It’s a very difficult shift to flip the power paradigm on its head, but that’s the fact of it – companies are only as strong as their happy customers. Period. Though some badly behaved companies might hold out for a while on sheer mass, market share, or other leverage point; it’s always the customer who will have the last word.
Thanks for a great post. Really enjoyed it.
You could say it’s related to control, but the term exposure comes to mind. When you open the floodgate of communication the conversations are many, and varied, from all directions, and often include issues you don’t really want to deal with.
But those companies who embrace the new media, like a patient on the couch opening up to their therapist, and then listen to the advice being given, have the opportunity to not only alter their perceptions of the market but to improve upon all those “best practices” they proudly talk about on their website.
Global Patriots last blog post..The World’s Biggest Problem?
You could say it’s related to control, but the term exposure comes to mind. When you open the floodgate of communication the conversations are many, and varied, from all directions, and often include issues you don’t really want to deal with.
But those companies who embrace the new media, like a patient on the couch opening up to their therapist, and then listen to the advice being given, have the opportunity to not only alter their perceptions of the market but to improve upon all those “best practices” they proudly talk about on their website.
Global Patriots last blog post..The World’s Biggest Problem?
Until and unless you’re willing to change (hell, shatter) the things that might be standing in the way of better connecting your customers to your business’ reason for existence, social media for you will be nothing but superficial – and a failure.
–This summed up the whole thing for me. It’s true though, isn’t it? If you don’t try and find new ways of connecting with your customers – ways that interest and appeal to them, social media won’t help you in any way. It was a great article. Thanks for sharing!
Nate Hollands last blog post..Social Networking: The Advantages and Disadvantages
Until and unless you’re willing to change (hell, shatter) the things that might be standing in the way of better connecting your customers to your business’ reason for existence, social media for you will be nothing but superficial – and a failure.
–This summed up the whole thing for me. It’s true though, isn’t it? If you don’t try and find new ways of connecting with your customers – ways that interest and appeal to them, social media won’t help you in any way. It was a great article. Thanks for sharing!
Nate Hollands last blog post..Social Networking: The Advantages and Disadvantages
Awesome article. Twittering brought me here. Summing it up:
People, their voices, successful social anything, aren’t bought, controlled, or predicted. They’re earned.
Awesome discussion. Summing it up.
Your competition isn’t next door. It is your last customer interaction. (i) inspired by Jeffrey Summers http://bit.ly/10RHil
Intention and reciprocity much more than tools, affect what and how we can earn social anything — like a repeat order, a second date, you name it. Permission marketing is a dialog.
If you “organize” a collaboration event Open Space style, the “no control” approach gets results.
At the point of arrival, the participants knew only when things would start, when it would conclude, and generally what the theme might be. There was no agenda, no planning committee, no management committee, and the only facilitator in evidence essentially disappeared after several hours. Just 85 people sitting in a circle. Much to the amazement of everybody, 2½ hours later we had a three day agenda totally planned out including multiple workshops, all with conveners, times, places and participants.
Awesome article. Twittering brought me here. Summing it up:
People, their voices, successful social anything, aren’t bought, controlled, or predicted. They’re earned.
Awesome discussion. Summing it up.
Your competition isn’t next door. It is your last customer interaction. (i) inspired by Jeffrey Summers http://bit.ly/10RHil
Intention and reciprocity much more than tools, affect what and how we can earn social anything — like a repeat order, a second date, you name it. Permission marketing is a dialog.
If you “organize” a collaboration event Open Space style, the “no control” approach gets results.
At the point of arrival, the participants knew only when things would start, when it would conclude, and generally what the theme might be. There was no agenda, no planning committee, no management committee, and the only facilitator in evidence essentially disappeared after several hours. Just 85 people sitting in a circle. Much to the amazement of everybody, 2½ hours later we had a three day agenda totally planned out including multiple workshops, all with conveners, times, places and participants.
Awesome article. Twittering brought me here. Summing it up:
People, their voices, successful social anything, aren’t bought, controlled, or predicted. They’re earned.
Awesome discussion. Summing it up.
Your competition isn’t next door. It is your last customer interaction. (i) inspired by Jeffrey Summers http://bit.ly/10RHil
Intention and reciprocity much more than tools, affect what and how we can earn social anything — like a repeat order, a second date, you name it. Permission marketing is a dialog.
If you “organize” a collaboration event Open Space style, the “no control” approach gets results.
At the point of arrival, the participants knew only when things would start, when it would conclude, and generally what the theme might be. There was no agenda, no planning committee, no management committee, and the only facilitator in evidence essentially disappeared after several hours. Just 85 people sitting in a circle. Much to the amazement of everybody, 2½ hours later we had a three day agenda totally planned out including multiple workshops, all with conveners, times, places and participants.