Here’s another something to consider about our continual quest for case studies.
Those of us that work directly with businesses and clients around social media aren’t always at liberty to discuss openly what they’re up to.
We can anonymize the information to a certain degree, but if the campaigns or information about their efforts aren’t already public knowledge, we can’t always spill the beans.
I know you’d like to hear dozens of examples of how some companies are setting up their listening strategies, with specifics. Or how they’re organizing their resources and teams. Or how they’re building engagement guidelines. What they’re putting into their goals, strategies, and how they’re measuring. You want tangible examples with numbers, definitive data points, and identifying information enough that you can draw parallels to your own business somehow.
But businesses don’t always to put it all out there, especially when they’re in tinkering and exploration mode, and the competition is thick and fierce. In part, they hire providers and advisers that they can trust to keep that information confidential. In fact, many of us have to sign NDAs to do our work, which means that without explicit permission and specific parameters, we can’t disclose a thing.
It’s one thing to evaluate and analyze public campaigns and try and interpret intentions, strategies, tactics, and what they all mean based on information that’s available. It’s entirely another to have the privilege of a peek behind the scenes, and talk with a company about the true ins and outs of their thought process, decisions, strategies, and approach. Put frankly, some companies just aren’t at the point in their social media exploration where they’re comfortable letting people poke around in their sandbox.
And I think that’s perfectly okay, and their absolute prerogative. Every business has to decide what’s best for them, and when and what they’re comfortable sharing. Remember, case studies are meant to illustrate a goal, a process and a result. Many of us are still somewhere in the middle of the process part.
There are those that are willing are telling their stories, at least in part, and they’re not hard to find. Here’s a collection of some of the social media case studies I’ve gathered from across the web.
But keep in mind that the openness of the social media world is wonderful in theory, not always easy in practice, and it’s not an absolute. When you’re asking some of us to share our experiences with companies from the inside to inform your own efforts, it’s sometimes not our decision to make. And when you’re asking companies to share what they’ve done, remember that many of them are still working it out themselves.
Where does that leave us? We are going to have to forage, form a hypothesis, start somewhere, and hammer it out for ourselves, based on the best information we have. Either that, or wait until the roads have been paved for us.
The more we tinker, the more we share, the more examples and touchstones we’ll all have. And as we go, it’s up to us to take what we know, continue to innovate, and create the rest.
Onward…
Amber – Spot on. This can be a challenge in any marketing services arena, but in my experience a bit more prevalent with regard to social initiatives. Rarely are companies open enough to a) share their failures, of which there are certain to be some lessons learned along the way, or b) successes unless they have a culture of aggressive marketing/promotion and have demonstrable results to share. On top of that, allowing consultants or agencies to promote or share the stories is an additional challenge until positive results are achieved. Strategy work lays the foundation, tactics get executed (and results achieved) over time. I suspect more companies are in the midst of figuring things out and over time, better and richer case studies will evolve than the standard ones we see at conferences.
.-= Adam Cohen´s last blog ..5 Reasons for Consolidation in the Social Media Monitoring Industry =-.
Amber – Spot on. This can be a challenge in any marketing services arena, but in my experience a bit more prevalent with regard to social initiatives. Rarely are companies open enough to a) share their failures, of which there are certain to be some lessons learned along the way, or b) successes unless they have a culture of aggressive marketing/promotion and have demonstrable results to share. On top of that, allowing consultants or agencies to promote or share the stories is an additional challenge until positive results are achieved. Strategy work lays the foundation, tactics get executed (and results achieved) over time. I suspect more companies are in the midst of figuring things out and over time, better and richer case studies will evolve than the standard ones we see at conferences.
.-= Adam Cohen´s last blog ..5 Reasons for Consolidation in the Social Media Monitoring Industry =-.
Amber, I second what Adam mentioned above. I’d only like to add that for people like us who work closely with signing on new deals, and understand the reason behind a company using our services, it’s imperative that we not only help them get better results, but ensure their privacy is preserved.
A small example is our request to use our clients’ logo on our website (them being our customer, etc.) and many of the larger corporations decline. They simply don’t want their competitors to know what they’re using, and how they intend to scale up.
We often have to sign NDA’s too. Some of our larger customers “track” our public activity to ensure their names are not being used. With Social Media opening the doors for information to be shared and exposed freely over the web, one has to be all the more careful while discussing about their clients, virtually.
I will however share a quote that one our users recently said. She said “there’s so much good information here, I just don’t know when to start calling people”. 🙂
I share some more of my Social Media tactics and anecdotes in my blog post: http://bit.ly/cLwKjZ
Amber, I second what Adam mentioned above. I’d only like to add that for people like us who work closely with signing on new deals, and understand the reason behind a company using our services, it’s imperative that we not only help them get better results, but ensure their privacy is preserved.
A small example is our request to use our clients’ logo on our website (them being our customer, etc.) and many of the larger corporations decline. They simply don’t want their competitors to know what they’re using, and how they intend to scale up.
We often have to sign NDA’s too. Some of our larger customers “track” our public activity to ensure their names are not being used. With Social Media opening the doors for information to be shared and exposed freely over the web, one has to be all the more careful while discussing about their clients, virtually.
I will however share a quote that one our users recently said. She said “there’s so much good information here, I just don’t know when to start calling people”. 🙂
I share some more of my Social Media tactics and anecdotes in my blog post: http://bit.ly/cLwKjZ
If you’re looking for a social media case study of a clear winner in your industry or vertical, it will not be you.
.-= Christopher S. Penn´s last blog ..Fighting slander with a champion =-.
If you’re looking for a social media case study of a clear winner in your industry or vertical, it will not be you.
.-= Christopher S. Penn´s last blog ..Fighting slander with a champion =-.
Hi Amber,
In addition to non-disclosure agreements preventing case studies, the people who are doing it rarely have the time to document it for others. C. Penn’s statement says it perfectly.
I’d recommend that anyone who is making social media work focus on the task at hand instead of telling others about it. This is a critical time where a company’s strategy will provide a competitive edge. It’d be a shame to work so hard and then pass the baton to the competition.
.-= Debra Ellis´s last blog ..Why Social Media Matters to Direct Marketers =-.
Hi Amber,
In addition to non-disclosure agreements preventing case studies, the people who are doing it rarely have the time to document it for others. C. Penn’s statement says it perfectly.
I’d recommend that anyone who is making social media work focus on the task at hand instead of telling others about it. This is a critical time where a company’s strategy will provide a competitive edge. It’d be a shame to work so hard and then pass the baton to the competition.
.-= Debra Ellis´s last blog ..Why Social Media Matters to Direct Marketers =-.
Thank you.
1. In my old-school corporate world, a case study doesn’t rely on anecdotal observations and unsubstantiated assumptions. Creating a case study worth its salt takes time, diligence, focus, and a lot of hard work. In my book, anyway, for a case study to be worthy of the name, it has to present numbers. Hard data: You have to start with a baseline and provide a delta. Net new transacting customers, net new conversions, 23% increase in frequency of interaction, 39% reduction on negative mentions, $6.3M in net new sales directly attributable to FB or Twitter or a blog, etc.
2. Those numbers are often confidential. None of my clients or employers in the last decade or so would be comfortable sharing business-critical data with the world (or their competitors, for that matter).
Moreover, most companies aren’t interested in being case studies yet. They don’t care about being cited as examples of “companies who do it right.” Their priority is improving their business’s financial position. Making investors happy. Gaining market share. Building up their pipeline. Getting more reach for their media buck. Being added to a list of best practices case studies is nowhere near the top of their list of priorities, ESPECIALLY if the case study that puts them there exposes a) their methods to competitors eager to copy them, b) exposes their weaknesses to their competitors as well, and c) reveals sensitive market, financial and other business information.
3. While many agencies who dip their toes into the Social Media pool love to publish self-congratulatory case studies using little more than anecdotal references to some measure of “improvement” or outcome, the organizations doing real work and making solid business gains in the space work behind a veil of NDAs, confidentiality agreements and other ethical barriers that preclude them from beating the “me too” drum all over the interwebs.
In the end, it’s up to the client to decide how much they want to reveal, and it takes a certain level of professionalism on our part to be 100% okay with that, even at the cost of not being able to brag about working for so-and-so. Far too often, case studies are no more than thinly disguised sales pitches for consultants and agencies: Look what we did for big client XYZ. We can do the same thing for you. Let’s present this stuff at every conference we can get into and make a name for ourselves. Woohoo!
Enter contempt.
4. The ironic reality of this type of work is that while we – as SMEs – may be very visible and vocal on the statusphere, the success of our clients cannot EVER be about us. The moment our clients become a vehicle for self-aggrandizement, we stop being effective and we start to turn into social media douchebags. It’s one of the main reasons why I don’t really share my client list and prefer to present methodology rather than try to skirt around non-disclosure agreements.
Bonus: The fact that I am rarely associated with my clients in a public manner gives me some measure of autonomy and flexibility when it comes to expressing myself on the interwebs: Whatever I say doesn’t rub off on my clients, and that kind of freedom is something I hold dear.
Does it hurt to so often be in a position in which sharing a case study or proving what appears to be theoretical knowledge isn’t possible because of confidentiality issues? You bet. But it isn’t the end of the world. How things work and don’t work, best practices, tips and tricks proven in the field can still be communicated, shared, taught without necessarily sharing where the lessons were learned, specific revenue data, copies of someone’s P&L, or pulling back the veil on an entire SM-related program.
5. In the end, beyond the flash and glitter of Fortune 500 association, it all really comes down to trust and competence. I know people with very impressive pedigrees in SM: Top level jobs at HUGE brands, lots of exposure, red carpet treatment at conferences… and yet they are completely and hopelessly clueless. Conversely, I know people the general public has never heard of, who work behind the scenes and out of sight, who know this stuff better than I could ever hope to.
Case studies are nice, but for the most part, they aren’t nearly as informative as five minutes in a room with someone like Mike Wagner (@bigwags), @ScottGould, @ajbombers, @CSPenn, @unmarketing or @kriscolvin, for starters.
.-= olivier blanchard´s last blog ..Some thoughts on time management =-.
Thank you.
1. In my old-school corporate world, a case study doesn’t rely on anecdotal observations and unsubstantiated assumptions. Creating a case study worth its salt takes time, diligence, focus, and a lot of hard work. In my book, anyway, for a case study to be worthy of the name, it has to present numbers. Hard data: You have to start with a baseline and provide a delta. Net new transacting customers, net new conversions, 23% increase in frequency of interaction, 39% reduction on negative mentions, $6.3M in net new sales directly attributable to FB or Twitter or a blog, etc.
2. Those numbers are often confidential. None of my clients or employers in the last decade or so would be comfortable sharing business-critical data with the world (or their competitors, for that matter).
Moreover, most companies aren’t interested in being case studies yet. They don’t care about being cited as examples of “companies who do it right.” Their priority is improving their business’s financial position. Making investors happy. Gaining market share. Building up their pipeline. Getting more reach for their media buck. Being added to a list of best practices case studies is nowhere near the top of their list of priorities, ESPECIALLY if the case study that puts them there exposes a) their methods to competitors eager to copy them, b) exposes their weaknesses to their competitors as well, and c) reveals sensitive market, financial and other business information.
3. While many agencies who dip their toes into the Social Media pool love to publish self-congratulatory case studies using little more than anecdotal references to some measure of “improvement” or outcome, the organizations doing real work and making solid business gains in the space work behind a veil of NDAs, confidentiality agreements and other ethical barriers that preclude them from beating the “me too” drum all over the interwebs.
In the end, it’s up to the client to decide how much they want to reveal, and it takes a certain level of professionalism on our part to be 100% okay with that, even at the cost of not being able to brag about working for so-and-so. Far too often, case studies are no more than thinly disguised sales pitches for consultants and agencies: Look what we did for big client XYZ. We can do the same thing for you. Let’s present this stuff at every conference we can get into and make a name for ourselves. Woohoo!
Enter contempt.
4. The ironic reality of this type of work is that while we – as SMEs – may be very visible and vocal on the statusphere, the success of our clients cannot EVER be about us. The moment our clients become a vehicle for self-aggrandizement, we stop being effective and we start to turn into social media douchebags. It’s one of the main reasons why I don’t really share my client list and prefer to present methodology rather than try to skirt around non-disclosure agreements.
Bonus: The fact that I am rarely associated with my clients in a public manner gives me some measure of autonomy and flexibility when it comes to expressing myself on the interwebs: Whatever I say doesn’t rub off on my clients, and that kind of freedom is something I hold dear.
Does it hurt to so often be in a position in which sharing a case study or proving what appears to be theoretical knowledge isn’t possible because of confidentiality issues? You bet. But it isn’t the end of the world. How things work and don’t work, best practices, tips and tricks proven in the field can still be communicated, shared, taught without necessarily sharing where the lessons were learned, specific revenue data, copies of someone’s P&L, or pulling back the veil on an entire SM-related program.
5. In the end, beyond the flash and glitter of Fortune 500 association, it all really comes down to trust and competence. I know people with very impressive pedigrees in SM: Top level jobs at HUGE brands, lots of exposure, red carpet treatment at conferences… and yet they are completely and hopelessly clueless. Conversely, I know people the general public has never heard of, who work behind the scenes and out of sight, who know this stuff better than I could ever hope to.
Case studies are nice, but for the most part, they aren’t nearly as informative as five minutes in a room with someone like Mike Wagner (@bigwags), @ScottGould, @ajbombers, @CSPenn, @unmarketing or @kriscolvin, for starters.
.-= olivier blanchard´s last blog ..Some thoughts on time management =-.
I’m surprised this has not been mentioned yet .. the issue of competitive intelligence. I fear many are being conditioned to be “open and authentic” without realizing they may be giving away the family jewels.
.-= Mark W Schaefer´s last blog ..A Twitter success story: Search leads to new market discovery =-.
I’m surprised this has not been mentioned yet .. the issue of competitive intelligence. I fear many are being conditioned to be “open and authentic” without realizing they may be giving away the family jewels.
.-= Mark W Schaefer´s last blog ..A Twitter success story: Search leads to new market discovery =-.
I worked with a client for years who wouldn’t even let us show their logo – so there was no chance they’d let us to a case study.
.-= Gavin Heaton´s last blog ..Digital Citizens – Rethink Privacy =-.
I worked with a client for years who wouldn’t even let us show their logo – so there was no chance they’d let us to a case study.
.-= Gavin Heaton´s last blog ..Digital Citizens – Rethink Privacy =-.
Amber, some will and some won’t. This is nothing new and has been an ongoing struggle for vendors of all goods and services for years. All we can do is try to be sure we find those who will. But, from a vendor perspective, all a case study does is open doors so the discussion can begin. Olivier clearly identified the real work necessary to get companies to move once that door is opened.
Thanks for bringing some clarity and understanding to this discussion.
.-= Steve Dodd´s last blog ..steve_dodd: Will privacy troubles eventually butn Google, others? http://bit.ly/9RyCpq =-.
Amber, some will and some won’t. This is nothing new and has been an ongoing struggle for vendors of all goods and services for years. All we can do is try to be sure we find those who will. But, from a vendor perspective, all a case study does is open doors so the discussion can begin. Olivier clearly identified the real work necessary to get companies to move once that door is opened.
Thanks for bringing some clarity and understanding to this discussion.
.-= Steve Dodd´s last blog ..steve_dodd: Will privacy troubles eventually butn Google, others? http://bit.ly/9RyCpq =-.