You’re trying to discuss and describe the movement that is social media. Imagine you’re not allowed to say any of the following:
- You need to join the conversation
- It’s about relationships (or people)
- It’s not about the tools
- You need to be listening
- Transparency
- Authenticity
Can you come up with illustrative ways to describe it’s value without resorting to the lingo and buzzwords we’ve already beat to death?
One of the powerful elements of social media has been that it strips away many of the artificial trappings that have weighed down marketing and communications for decades.
We got mired in our lingo quicksand in that traditional, push communications world. We got lost talking about brand attributes and key messages and talking points and brand promises and all those terms, and we forgot what they meant. We lived and died by our contrived, scripted fallbacks, and often propped up buzzwords in place of real strategy and action.
Are we in danger of doing it again?
It’s more than just being an echo chamber. It’s getting lazy about how we describe and discuss what it is we’re trying to do here. When we stop looking for new ways to illustrate the importance of social communication, when we’re not committed enough to find new stories to tell or ways to describe the validity of bridging customers to companies, we’ve already lost.
We talk that this space is in its infancy, that we’re merely scratching the surface. So why on earth are we willing to already fall back on cliches and tired turns of phrase to support such a groundbreaking movement, such an upheaval in the way that businesses and their customers talk to and about each other? These phrases don’t *say* anything. Give me articulate points about how this moves the ball down the field for my business. Talk to me about benefits and progress.
I’m challenging myself to keep looking for new insights and angles to highlight the potential of what we’re exploring here. I’m pointing to the bricklaying work and trying to be an example for same so that I don’t become a collection of soundbites but rather a lab for real trial and error.
I know we need descriptors, ways to articulate the importance and value of social communication. But it can’t stop with the words. Let’s not rest on our all-too-new laurels and think that we’ve already found the best way to talk about what it is we are passionate about. I don’t want to settle. Do you?
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Amber:
I couldn’t agree with you more. I think this phenomenon gets worse the more and more people claim to be “experts,” because they can toss along the occasional buzz word.
I believe all too many people are trying to find absolutes out there and then tying a metric to the buzz word. Whether you’re in PR, Marketing, Advertising, or just the casual user we should be thinking more about the end goal of what we’re trying to do. It’s the strategy that’s the fun part.
Great post.
Daniel Eizanss last blog post..How To: Avoid Invisibility With Your Personal Brand
Amber:
I couldn’t agree with you more. I think this phenomenon gets worse the more and more people claim to be “experts,” because they can toss along the occasional buzz word.
I believe all too many people are trying to find absolutes out there and then tying a metric to the buzz word. Whether you’re in PR, Marketing, Advertising, or just the casual user we should be thinking more about the end goal of what we’re trying to do. It’s the strategy that’s the fun part.
Great post.
Daniel Eizanss last blog post..How To: Avoid Invisibility With Your Personal Brand
Good point, Amber. I suspect your list above will get longer as we are all challenged to use new words to communicate. I agree that we shouldn’t sit on our laurels and parrot off what’s been told, and retold… and repackaged and retold.
It does seem, that with convergence to social media the way it is — as new waves of people join — it’s EASY to hear not just the same phrases and buzzwords — but the same debates, discussions and dialog repeated in tweets and blogs. I sense that we are more sick of the vernacular and buzz words than many others – although it won’t be long until others grow weary, as well.
We should definitely strive to find new ways to communicate that are fresh, meaningful and useful. Thanks for the reminder.
Leigh Dursts last blog post..10 Tips for Twitter Unmarketing
Good point, Amber. I suspect your list above will get longer as we are all challenged to use new words to communicate. I agree that we shouldn’t sit on our laurels and parrot off what’s been told, and retold… and repackaged and retold.
It does seem, that with convergence to social media the way it is — as new waves of people join — it’s EASY to hear not just the same phrases and buzzwords — but the same debates, discussions and dialog repeated in tweets and blogs. I sense that we are more sick of the vernacular and buzz words than many others – although it won’t be long until others grow weary, as well.
We should definitely strive to find new ways to communicate that are fresh, meaningful and useful. Thanks for the reminder.
Leigh Dursts last blog post..10 Tips for Twitter Unmarketing
I couldn’t pinpoint what bothered me so much about “traditional” marketing and communications until you mentioned it here (and yesterday during your radio talk w/ CB), that corporate marketing is too by-the-book, dictated by theories and buzzwords. It’s like the minute we defined marketing we forgot what it really was about.
Unfortunately, I think we’re headed down the same road with the social media movement, but we’re at an early enough stage that we can stop that progression.
I tend to think of social media as a conduit of opportunity. Through social media we can connect to people and organizations in ways we’ve never been able to before. We’re able to feed off of and grow from the words and opinions of others, and we gain confidence from being able to help grow and feed others, too. Social media provides opportunities to contribute more, to do something good, to lift up a product/brand/organization/person. Social media is another form of contribution. And when we contribute, we are nourished by all we get back in return. 🙂
I couldn’t pinpoint what bothered me so much about “traditional” marketing and communications until you mentioned it here (and yesterday during your radio talk w/ CB), that corporate marketing is too by-the-book, dictated by theories and buzzwords. It’s like the minute we defined marketing we forgot what it really was about.
Unfortunately, I think we’re headed down the same road with the social media movement, but we’re at an early enough stage that we can stop that progression.
I tend to think of social media as a conduit of opportunity. Through social media we can connect to people and organizations in ways we’ve never been able to before. We’re able to feed off of and grow from the words and opinions of others, and we gain confidence from being able to help grow and feed others, too. Social media provides opportunities to contribute more, to do something good, to lift up a product/brand/organization/person. Social media is another form of contribution. And when we contribute, we are nourished by all we get back in return. 🙂
You need to monitor the conversation … you need to listen etc etc.
Talk!
If all we do is become eavesdroppers, who are we listening to?
You need to monitor the conversation … you need to listen etc etc.
Talk!
If all we do is become eavesdroppers, who are we listening to?
You mean I can’t use Transparency? Crap. I am so screwed.
I might as well eliminate: Silos, Listening and Tools too.
Well it all about the commun…damn it.
Stuart Fosters last blog post..Friday Wrap-Up on Thursday?
You mean I can’t use Transparency? Crap. I am so screwed.
I might as well eliminate: Silos, Listening and Tools too.
Well it all about the commun…damn it.
Stuart Fosters last blog post..Friday Wrap-Up on Thursday?
It’s about immediacy. New channels. And selective choice.
We’re suddenly connected to and with the new ADD 24/7 global mosh pit. The channels and bandwidths we all now have access to continue to expand exponentially.
And Amber, you’ve really nailed it. It’s as if we’re already fighting against the gravity of the lowest common denominator — the collective “dumb-down-effect” really happens to new forms and media much faster these days.
I do think that mnemonic principles come into play, so that the broader populations (the 80%?)just tend to adopt new ideas slipstream, without needing to be conscious or especially aware, without needing to “integrate the knowledge” and consider implications — shortform, shorthand works for most, gets them on board — this is for sure. Interpretation and questioning is a far rarer habit of thinking, conscious, mature adults.
And frankly, if 80% of the population is working triple merely to survive, which they are, they don’t have time to parse.
It’s about immediacy. New channels. And selective choice.
We’re suddenly connected to and with the new ADD 24/7 global mosh pit. The channels and bandwidths we all now have access to continue to expand exponentially.
And Amber, you’ve really nailed it. It’s as if we’re already fighting against the gravity of the lowest common denominator — the collective “dumb-down-effect” really happens to new forms and media much faster these days.
I do think that mnemonic principles come into play, so that the broader populations (the 80%?)just tend to adopt new ideas slipstream, without needing to be conscious or especially aware, without needing to “integrate the knowledge” and consider implications — shortform, shorthand works for most, gets them on board — this is for sure. Interpretation and questioning is a far rarer habit of thinking, conscious, mature adults.
And frankly, if 80% of the population is working triple merely to survive, which they are, they don’t have time to parse.
Oh, Amber. I was with you… right up to the point where you said “Give me articulate points about how this moves the ball down the field for my business.”
This is the problem with words. We create soundbites and metaphors. Then they get old and we create new ones. Eventually, they’re all just… words.
I think I’m willing to stick with transparency, relationships, and joining the conversation. As long as nobody asks me to drill down, double-click on the point, get on the same page and show we’re moving the needle.
Oh, Amber. I was with you… right up to the point where you said “Give me articulate points about how this moves the ball down the field for my business.”
This is the problem with words. We create soundbites and metaphors. Then they get old and we create new ones. Eventually, they’re all just… words.
I think I’m willing to stick with transparency, relationships, and joining the conversation. As long as nobody asks me to drill down, double-click on the point, get on the same page and show we’re moving the needle.
@Vicki Fair enough. How about this then? What I want is people who can articulate how social media drives revenue. I want people who can explain WHY those relationships matter, and what differences they make vs. transactions.
The words are absolutely necessary. But what they need to do is say something of substance. Give you ideas and things to hold onto and do something with.
After speaking with many close friends: Financial analyst, CFO’s, and business owners…the answer is simple. If enough companies can demonstrate monitization from the use of social media tools, they will start jumping on board. These folks have trouble related realationship building, customer service, listening to clients wants and needs, and how that effects the bottom line.
Sad to say, most are still very skeptical that getting involved with tools like twitter will ever help their bottom line. They are the decision makers, the controllers of the purse strings. This is the disconnect that I see.
David Benjamins last blog post..Voices of Detroit #20-Just Cruises/Virtual eyes-Travel and Social Media
After speaking with many close friends: Financial analyst, CFO’s, and business owners…the answer is simple. If enough companies can demonstrate monitization from the use of social media tools, they will start jumping on board. These folks have trouble related realationship building, customer service, listening to clients wants and needs, and how that effects the bottom line.
Sad to say, most are still very skeptical that getting involved with tools like twitter will ever help their bottom line. They are the decision makers, the controllers of the purse strings. This is the disconnect that I see.
David Benjamins last blog post..Voices of Detroit #20-Just Cruises/Virtual eyes-Travel and Social Media
Love the post – I hated buzzwords in the rah rah Internet 90’s. I think it is for people who want to sound like they know what they are talking about!
Barry Moltzs last blog post..Finding Your Business Wingman
Love the post – I hated buzzwords in the rah rah Internet 90’s. I think it is for people who want to sound like they know what they are talking about!
Barry Moltzs last blog post..Finding Your Business Wingman
One of the simplest and thoughtful articulations I’ve heard came from Frankie out of Naked Communications, Melbourne at a conference a few weeks back. I captured it on my blog but think it’s worth repeating here as it’s a great analogy:
“What we actually need to do is to think in different ways about brands and our interactions with people. As an example, imagine our consumers as a group of mates sitting around a camp fire sharing ghost stories. As a brand, how do you get involved? Are you a newcomer that sits down and joins the conversation? The fire that keeps everyone warm? Perhaps even the space in which everyone sits? Are you actually the story that is being shared? Or could you be the memory of the night’s events that gets passed around and repeated in the days that follow?
If we don’t develop new ways of looking at content, its creation, its consumption and distribution we will continue with a hit or miss approach. We know how badly things can go when brands and their advisors pick the wrong place to be. And if I may return to my camp fire, we should always consider the understandings and beliefs consumers currently have about us before we do anything. If a stranger turns up in the middle of a wood, and starts talking randomly about ghosts we are more likely to reach for a weapon than invite them into our tent.”
Kate Richardsons last blog post..Social Psycho: a fascinating experiment
One of the simplest and thoughtful articulations I’ve heard came from Frankie out of Naked Communications, Melbourne at a conference a few weeks back. I captured it on my blog but think it’s worth repeating here as it’s a great analogy:
“What we actually need to do is to think in different ways about brands and our interactions with people. As an example, imagine our consumers as a group of mates sitting around a camp fire sharing ghost stories. As a brand, how do you get involved? Are you a newcomer that sits down and joins the conversation? The fire that keeps everyone warm? Perhaps even the space in which everyone sits? Are you actually the story that is being shared? Or could you be the memory of the night’s events that gets passed around and repeated in the days that follow?
If we don’t develop new ways of looking at content, its creation, its consumption and distribution we will continue with a hit or miss approach. We know how badly things can go when brands and their advisors pick the wrong place to be. And if I may return to my camp fire, we should always consider the understandings and beliefs consumers currently have about us before we do anything. If a stranger turns up in the middle of a wood, and starts talking randomly about ghosts we are more likely to reach for a weapon than invite them into our tent.”
Kate Richardsons last blog post..Social Psycho: a fascinating experiment
The problem you so aptly describe is present in most disciplines, from marketing to technology to business strategy. The language is born, then overused as people grasp at linguistic straws.
I remember meetings with “experts” at the big consulting firms during the dot com boom and felt that if I heard the phrase “first mover advantage” one more time I would kill myself.
What works for me are relevant questions that require thoughtful answers. Asking how someone feels or how a technology is changing their life will steer the conversation away from buzz words and into real dialogue.
Global Patriots last blog post..Global Social Venture Competition
The problem you so aptly describe is present in most disciplines, from marketing to technology to business strategy. The language is born, then overused as people grasp at linguistic straws.
I remember meetings with “experts” at the big consulting firms during the dot com boom and felt that if I heard the phrase “first mover advantage” one more time I would kill myself.
What works for me are relevant questions that require thoughtful answers. Asking how someone feels or how a technology is changing their life will steer the conversation away from buzz words and into real dialogue.
Global Patriots last blog post..Global Social Venture Competition
I think most people haven’t even grasped the meaning of those old Marketing 1.0 principles yet, let alone Social Media. Lingo and complexity is what grows up around simple ideas so people can charge money for their “expertise”. In the process, the true meaning gets lost.
For instance, let’s take the word ‘brand’. How many times have you heard that ‘branding’ isn’t relevant any more? That is a laughable notion. I think some folks would like to proclaim it’s dead because they’re just sick of all the BS that’s become attached to it.
Simple, powerful ideas based on human nature will live on and be relevant, even as the lingo piles higher and deeper. Why would that pattern be any different for new marketing, old marketing, or yet-to-be-discovered marketing, given that human nature is involved?
I think most people haven’t even grasped the meaning of those old Marketing 1.0 principles yet, let alone Social Media. Lingo and complexity is what grows up around simple ideas so people can charge money for their “expertise”. In the process, the true meaning gets lost.
For instance, let’s take the word ‘brand’. How many times have you heard that ‘branding’ isn’t relevant any more? That is a laughable notion. I think some folks would like to proclaim it’s dead because they’re just sick of all the BS that’s become attached to it.
Simple, powerful ideas based on human nature will live on and be relevant, even as the lingo piles higher and deeper. Why would that pattern be any different for new marketing, old marketing, or yet-to-be-discovered marketing, given that human nature is involved?
Insightful, thought-provoking post. You are right. It’s happening and so many of those phrases are beginning to mean nothing. The best thing an individual or organization can do is think long and hard about their own goals. Come up with a mission statement of what you want to accomplish and forget about all of the phrases. Just do the things that help you meet your goals and fulfill your mission on a daily basis. The bottom line is interaction. Do it, and do it well. There may not be a conversation to join. You may have to create it yourself. This is not a one-size-fits all deal.
Angela Connors last blog post..Getting tough with members is sometimes a must
Insightful, thought-provoking post. You are right. It’s happening and so many of those phrases are beginning to mean nothing. The best thing an individual or organization can do is think long and hard about their own goals. Come up with a mission statement of what you want to accomplish and forget about all of the phrases. Just do the things that help you meet your goals and fulfill your mission on a daily basis. The bottom line is interaction. Do it, and do it well. There may not be a conversation to join. You may have to create it yourself. This is not a one-size-fits all deal.
Angela Connors last blog post..Getting tough with members is sometimes a must
Great post Amber, in fact it has inspired me to make a contest post for the SOBCon blog. I will run it on Wednesday…
@Stephens last blog post..Working the List
Great post Amber, in fact it has inspired me to make a contest post for the SOBCon blog. I will run it on Wednesday…
@Stephens last blog post..Working the List
Hi Amber,
I love your statement “Give me articulate points about how this moves the ball down the field for my business.” Frankly, unless you are doing this to just purely socialize, which is fine, it needs to monetize, it needs to create new business and it needs to retain more business.
How many folks walk across the street from their place of business and talk for hours on end to the adjacent business. Not many, but yet there are lots folks yapping for hours each day on twitter.
Hi Amber,
I love your statement “Give me articulate points about how this moves the ball down the field for my business.” Frankly, unless you are doing this to just purely socialize, which is fine, it needs to monetize, it needs to create new business and it needs to retain more business.
How many folks walk across the street from their place of business and talk for hours on end to the adjacent business. Not many, but yet there are lots folks yapping for hours each day on twitter.
As for the overuse of buzzwords and general noise on Twitter, I agree with Leigh Dunan-Durst that it’s possibly not noise to everyone on Twitter, especially enthusiastic, newer users. For example, I commented on blogs about listening this week and tweeted a lot about listening, because it’s all new to me, as I start blogging in earnest and commenting on others’ posts, in my first initial and very genuine wave of social media engagement.
I’m in a very different place on what Leigh so aptly called “The Social Media Engagement Continuum” from folks like you, so noise is really in “the ear of the beholder.” Folks can opt out, from a lot of this kind of noise, based on their respective engagement levels, through the use of monitoring tools like TweetDeck.
When you say, “I want people who can explain WHY those relationships matter, and what differences they make vs. transactions”– I think the noise you are referring to is not coming so much from the newbies, but from the more experienced social media users, who are higher-up Leigh’s Engagement Continuum–those who aren’t providing more specifics and ROI arguments—the information the decision-makers are going to want to see.
Noise travels from the top-down…if the general Twitter user (lower on the Engagement Continuum) were hearing more ROI & specifics from those higher up the continuum, then it’s those ideas that would become the new buzzwords, tweet trends, and blog post topics.
Chris Brogan hit on very similar themes in his “While Others Paint the Trim” post. I liked how he moves into specifics in a later post “What the Tools Can Do.” There, he uses a formula, based on Possibilities + Function, to help determine whether a tool makes sense for a company’s needs, and helps integrate social media efforts with company goals.
I was disappointed that this post, which I considered hard-hitting from a how-to perspective, that Chris Brogan received only 16 comments. More specifics like the “What the Tools Can Do” post and Chris Brogan’s Pirate Moves series is exactly what we need.
As an aside, related to buzz words, in a post this week [Terminology Matters: Why ‘Social Media’ Sucks: http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=136016%5D, Josh Bernoff questions whether we should be using the term “social media” at all, pointing out that the term “media” conjures associations with traditional one-way marketing. He prefers “social web”, “social application”, “social site”. I wonder what folks here think? Or is this just more semantics? (In this particular case, I personally think the terminology is very important.)
Peg Mulligans last blog post..A Baker’s Dozen: Links on Cloud Computing
As for the overuse of buzzwords and general noise on Twitter, I agree with Leigh Dunan-Durst that it’s possibly not noise to everyone on Twitter, especially enthusiastic, newer users. For example, I commented on blogs about listening this week and tweeted a lot about listening, because it’s all new to me, as I start blogging in earnest and commenting on others’ posts, in my first initial and very genuine wave of social media engagement.
I’m in a very different place on what Leigh so aptly called “The Social Media Engagement Continuum” from folks like you, so noise is really in “the ear of the beholder.” Folks can opt out, from a lot of this kind of noise, based on their respective engagement levels, through the use of monitoring tools like TweetDeck.
When you say, “I want people who can explain WHY those relationships matter, and what differences they make vs. transactions”– I think the noise you are referring to is not coming so much from the newbies, but from the more experienced social media users, who are higher-up Leigh’s Engagement Continuum–those who aren’t providing more specifics and ROI arguments—the information the decision-makers are going to want to see.
Noise travels from the top-down…if the general Twitter user (lower on the Engagement Continuum) were hearing more ROI & specifics from those higher up the continuum, then it’s those ideas that would become the new buzzwords, tweet trends, and blog post topics.
Chris Brogan hit on very similar themes in his “While Others Paint the Trim” post. I liked how he moves into specifics in a later post “What the Tools Can Do.” There, he uses a formula, based on Possibilities + Function, to help determine whether a tool makes sense for a company’s needs, and helps integrate social media efforts with company goals.
I was disappointed that this post, which I considered hard-hitting from a how-to perspective, that Chris Brogan received only 16 comments. More specifics like the “What the Tools Can Do” post and Chris Brogan’s Pirate Moves series is exactly what we need.
As an aside, related to buzz words, in a post this week [Terminology Matters: Why ‘Social Media’ Sucks: http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=136016%5D, Josh Bernoff questions whether we should be using the term “social media” at all, pointing out that the term “media” conjures associations with traditional one-way marketing. He prefers “social web”, “social application”, “social site”. I wonder what folks here think? Or is this just more semantics? (In this particular case, I personally think the terminology is very important.)
Peg Mulligans last blog post..A Baker’s Dozen: Links on Cloud Computing
I hear you on this one. I’m constantly thinking about other ways to describe all this, not necessarily because the things you listed are buzzwords (which they are) but frankly I’m just plain sick of hearing them. I get nauseous every time I hear “join the conversation” and even the term “social media” because it’s like beating a dead horse. (In writing I use “SM” a lot just because I like leaving people wondering if I’m into kinky stuff.) (That was a joke.)
I love language, and I love finding new ways to express ideas, whether they’re semantically, by metaphor, example, or whatever. Although there is truth to the buzz phrases you listed (esp. “you need to be listening”) I’m not settling for just that. If someone is going to say “You need to be listening” they better damn well follow that up with, ” … and here’s one way how,” otherwise they might as well be telling someone they need to brush their teeth every day. Well, duh.
Stacy Lukass last blog post..The Tweetoprahcalypse is here.
I hear you on this one. I’m constantly thinking about other ways to describe all this, not necessarily because the things you listed are buzzwords (which they are) but frankly I’m just plain sick of hearing them. I get nauseous every time I hear “join the conversation” and even the term “social media” because it’s like beating a dead horse. (In writing I use “SM” a lot just because I like leaving people wondering if I’m into kinky stuff.) (That was a joke.)
I love language, and I love finding new ways to express ideas, whether they’re semantically, by metaphor, example, or whatever. Although there is truth to the buzz phrases you listed (esp. “you need to be listening”) I’m not settling for just that. If someone is going to say “You need to be listening” they better damn well follow that up with, ” … and here’s one way how,” otherwise they might as well be telling someone they need to brush their teeth every day. Well, duh.
Stacy Lukass last blog post..The Tweetoprahcalypse is here.
@Peg, you and Leigh make a solid, solid point. It’s not those new to social media that are abusing the words per se, but the ones who really ought to know better. Perhaps that would have been a better clarification.
For example, it’s not the talk of listening that bothers me – that’s such a critical topic and one I wholly support. It’s when the discussion STOPS at that statement, when the words themselves are meant to serve as the definitive statement without anything else to go on.
And what those newer to this space need are the how-tos. I’ve been spending a lot of time contemplating big picture lately, but I value the ability of others like Chris to articulate the bricklaying work. It’s so important, and I’m going to redouble my commitment to do just that, for all the reasons you outlined.
Thanks so much for adding your thoughts.
You’re quite welcome, Amber, and thanks for replying to me here, as well as on my own fledgling blog, after you moderated the corporate blogging session at Digital Marketing World. It’s quite encouraging for a newbie like myself to be validated in such a way, by someone who understands that big picture and is speaking from the voice of experience.
Your point that the conversation often stops after the buzzwords (like listening) is something that I’ve recognized even as a newbie, and it’s important that you have the courage to remind us all not to get lost in the rehetoric. Instead, you encourage us to remember our goals, focusing on why relationships matter in the first place (and by implication, finding new ways to quantify that relational impact, wherever possible).
Thanks again for your responses and a great post.
Peg Mulligans last blog post..Peer Review Checklists for Writers
You’re quite welcome, Amber, and thanks for replying to me here, as well as on my own fledgling blog, after you moderated the corporate blogging session at Digital Marketing World. It’s quite encouraging for a newbie like myself to be validated in such a way, by someone who understands that big picture and is speaking from the voice of experience.
Your point that the conversation often stops after the buzzwords (like listening) is something that I’ve recognized even as a newbie, and it’s important that you have the courage to remind us all not to get lost in the rehetoric. Instead, you encourage us to remember our goals, focusing on why relationships matter in the first place (and by implication, finding new ways to quantify that relational impact, wherever possible).
Thanks again for your responses and a great post.
Peg Mulligans last blog post..Peer Review Checklists for Writers
When we use social media buzzwords, what I think this primarily shows or reveals to prospect clients is that we can’t reinvent the wheel and we use these words as default instead of subjecting ourselves to non-verbal pauses while in pitch mode.
Then again, getting too far in with terminology turns companies off to the conversation. So what do you know?!– We have to be illustrators of the social media message.
Tim Otiss last blog post..Susan Boyle’s Transparency and Why We’re All Eating It Up
When we use social media buzzwords, what I think this primarily shows or reveals to prospect clients is that we can’t reinvent the wheel and we use these words as default instead of subjecting ourselves to non-verbal pauses while in pitch mode.
Then again, getting too far in with terminology turns companies off to the conversation. So what do you know?!– We have to be illustrators of the social media message.
Tim Otiss last blog post..Susan Boyle’s Transparency and Why We’re All Eating It Up
Is this different for large and small companies?
I wonder a lot about this. I’m not Nabisco, here, so I cannot actually “join the conversation”, because there ISN’T a conversation about us going on until we start one. Or, more likely, we join a conversation about something related to what we do, and that conversation eventually morphs into a conversation about us. Maybe. Once in a while.
Is the math different for me, then, being the chief monetizer for my company, as well as 20% of its workforce? Can I afford to invest 5%, 10%, or what have you of my business day into Twitter and Facebook?
I don’t have an answer, but I have a hypothesis, and I’d be interested in some punditry on the subject. I think that if I and my tiny company are going to have a place in the market going forward, that we MUST invest that time, so that we are constantly marketing the only thing that permanently differentiates us from all the other players in our space, and that is US. WE are different. Therefore, if we don’t display that difference with authentic communication, we will eventually disappear, because why would anyone care enough about us to preserve us in the face of the multibillion-dollar behemoths that we compete with?
We’re in the process (thanks for the help, too, Amber) of testing that hypothesis. We do much more local social work than online, but we’re exploring those online communities where we can add value to people’s lives, too. Personally, I think we have to. There is internal debate about that, though, I confess.
It occurs to me that if my hypothesis is right, that there is therefore no difference between the large companies and the small ones. The big boys might survive for years where we’re gone in two months, because they have larger reserves and momentum, but it’s just as true of them as it is of us, that what makes them different is their people, and if those people don’t care, nobody is going to care about them. And eventually, they’ll be gone just as surely as we will.
Or not. Am I anywhere close here, people?
Chris Joness last blog post..Hey Dude, Where’s My $8000?
Is this different for large and small companies?
I wonder a lot about this. I’m not Nabisco, here, so I cannot actually “join the conversation”, because there ISN’T a conversation about us going on until we start one. Or, more likely, we join a conversation about something related to what we do, and that conversation eventually morphs into a conversation about us. Maybe. Once in a while.
Is the math different for me, then, being the chief monetizer for my company, as well as 20% of its workforce? Can I afford to invest 5%, 10%, or what have you of my business day into Twitter and Facebook?
I don’t have an answer, but I have a hypothesis, and I’d be interested in some punditry on the subject. I think that if I and my tiny company are going to have a place in the market going forward, that we MUST invest that time, so that we are constantly marketing the only thing that permanently differentiates us from all the other players in our space, and that is US. WE are different. Therefore, if we don’t display that difference with authentic communication, we will eventually disappear, because why would anyone care enough about us to preserve us in the face of the multibillion-dollar behemoths that we compete with?
We’re in the process (thanks for the help, too, Amber) of testing that hypothesis. We do much more local social work than online, but we’re exploring those online communities where we can add value to people’s lives, too. Personally, I think we have to. There is internal debate about that, though, I confess.
It occurs to me that if my hypothesis is right, that there is therefore no difference between the large companies and the small ones. The big boys might survive for years where we’re gone in two months, because they have larger reserves and momentum, but it’s just as true of them as it is of us, that what makes them different is their people, and if those people don’t care, nobody is going to care about them. And eventually, they’ll be gone just as surely as we will.
Or not. Am I anywhere close here, people?
Chris Joness last blog post..Hey Dude, Where’s My $8000?
“These phrases don’t *say* anything. Give me articulate points about how this moves the ball down the field for my business. Talk to me about benefits and progress.” THANK YOU! There needs to be more people out there spreading this message. Thanks for the great insights in this post Amber, and keep up the great writing.
Candis Hidalgos last blog post..Are You Tracking Your Conversions?
“These phrases don’t *say* anything. Give me articulate points about how this moves the ball down the field for my business. Talk to me about benefits and progress.” THANK YOU! There needs to be more people out there spreading this message. Thanks for the great insights in this post Amber, and keep up the great writing.
Candis Hidalgos last blog post..Are You Tracking Your Conversions?