From my experience of trying to get big brands to embrace the social revolution, there are a number of reasons why they have yet to embrace the real opportunities that involvement can deliver:
Nothing personal but long may you fail in this quest. I hope that you are successful, just not with this.
Big business is about bottom line and shareholders and is legally obliged to maximize profit ergo any use of social online networks will be just for profit.
Matt Biegacki
· 9 months ago
I think we also need to address some companies still don't want their employees offering their insight into their daily "work" lives, in public forum.
How many "big brands" actually let their employees speak openly before it goes through counsel/comm/HR?
Chandler
· 9 months ago
Steve, I agree that the big business is bottom line but what about any investment in advertising or marketing? Surely you can't claim that social media doesn't fall into those categories, or like Tom put it, somewhere in between? ... An investment is what it is - and I'm sure that we'll soon see some astounding statistics on the effectiveness behind building relationships via the many social media platforms out there...
Chandler
· 9 months ago
Matt, Agreed. The interesting thing with social media is the balance between work and play. Everyone likes to see the "real" person to some extent. I think a purely business account would be boring for people to track and would lose popularity. But then that leaves you with the aforementioned dilemma...thoughts?
Matt Biegacki
· 9 months ago
Absolutely. But, you see more and more "fan" pages popping up and user groups about a number of consumer products (obviously, those groups who have been touching the space first are at a unique advantage).
There are a number of ways to "invest" in social media (heck, there's a reason you see so many "social media" consultants floating around). Ideally, and maybe down the road, you see the medium just as what it is, a communication tool that can be adopted by any number of business units and invested in the same way they used to invest in a fax machine.
Chris
· 9 months ago
"the true return on investment comes from developing communities, creating content to be shared, and talking and listening directly with consumers."
I couldn't agree more. And on the new-media end, I am even surprised that so many new-media sites are beginning to donate so much space to advertising. (Mashable, Facebook, I'm talking to you) The content is so good, it just doesn't seem right. Currently we have a zero advertising policy at Referral Key, although that might change someday.
We're banking on relationship based ROI but as you say, the metrics aren't there and they may never be, perhaps that's what makes it not just another marketing channel.
I don't think it is the big brands fault entirely. I think almost all of social media is tailored to consumers. As social media companies come up with creative ways for consumers to engage with brands without being intrusive, they will have a big opportunity on their hands. These are the business models I expect to evolve in the down market out of both need and necessity.
Brandon Uttley
· 9 months ago
In my experience, big companies have two fears: The fear of screwing up, or the fear or missing out. Whichever of the two fears is greatest will drive their decision on whether or not to participate in social media. If they are scared of screwing up (usually fueled by overly cautious legal counsel), they'll sit on the sidelines. Fortunately, other companies that are afraid to miss opportunities will jump in and see what happens.
Brian Cray
· 9 months ago
Quoting article: Social Media is often viewed as just another marketing channel: It is of course so much more; it is a completely different approach to interacting with consumers and customers. Of course, you can advertise in a social media environment, but the true return on investment comes from developing communities, creating content to be shared, and talking and listening directly with consumers. :ending quote
Any channel used to connect and interact with customer *IS* a marketing channel. I think better phrasing might be: "Social Media is often viewed as a 1-way broadcast channel"
Michael Brito
· 9 months ago
Tom -- thanks for the Intel mention. It's been a struggle and we are still learning everyday. I think many companies will get up to speed sooner than later.
- Michael
Matt
· 9 months ago
Osvaldo,
Totally agree with you; in the idealism of "social media". If the brands stay out of it, who do you expect to be paying for the services "social media" provides?
Thanks, Matt
Bob Duffy
· 9 months ago
In many ways I'd say the hill is even steeper than you portray. I believe the online marketing mentality at many brands is to look at the web as a broadcast medium and consider social media not even as a channel but as a tool or tactic. To move forward you must realize the medium is different, the audience uses and works it it differently and therefore you need a communication strategy that is based on interactivity over broadcast publishing.
melvin
· 9 months ago
Brands and just names, the real question is why do big brand management struggle with social media. In other words, the people
Opening up the channels works both ways and most brand managers don't have the authority nor the courage to open up this tap for fear of what negative repercussions may occur as a result. Direction clearly needs to come from the very top and filter down as a new down to down to the create a cultural shift within the brand's eco system
Melvin
CJ Cenizal
· 9 months ago
Great points. An additional problem with big brands and social media is that the corporate rules of big brands often prevent them from having true, original personalities -- a key ingredient to engaging in social media. Like any social situation, if you hold yourself back because you're afraid of looking stupid, you'll never become the center of attention.
Axel Schultze
· 9 months ago
Interesting - but sorry these are all rather theoretical assumptions - aren't they? This is what you BELIEVE is the issue right?
1) You got to think like a CEO running a 10,000 people company 2) Once you do and engage: The LAST thing you do is to advertise it 3) We all see big companies engaged without "seeing" it 4) ROI? Absolutely and the ROI is huge. You just need to know how to calculate it 5) This recession will make the biggest change in leadership position 6) Social media IS the biggest catalyst for that change and it is happening since 2 years.
Matt and Osvaldo: You are so sweet. "Leave Business out of Social Media." Are you saying the 400,000,000 people use it to share the latest vacation videos and trade old stamps and that's it? I guess you missed the point. 25% of the Social Media use is professional skill development, seeking business solutions and much more. Gen Y is not separating business and personal live like the old generation did. Again you miss out.
It's just semantics but A BRAND is the REFLECTION of it's market - and that has began to play in social media 5 years ago. What you will see in 3 years from now - in retrospect - the leaders use social media in a mutually profitable way with their customers and the others will cease operation like every 10-20 years when our society undergoes major changes.
So you can stop arguing "they don't get it" They do it - and more strategically and more active than you think ;-)
David Binkowski
· 9 months ago
What makes me laugh is that most of the so called "experts" on social media haven't actually worked on a big brand to understand what a complete mind fuck social media causes internally. Or better yet, they’re so junior that they secretly bitch about their clients who are trying to navigate the politics, budgets and mess internally to still achieve their goals and help drive the bottom line.
Remember how horrible corporate web sites were (still are?)? Well, imagine IT and Marketing and Customer Service and the CMO and the CIO and the CEO all debating who should run it, let alone who should fund it and be responsible for it. It's changing the way organizations are doing business INTERNALLLY -- something most of the (again) so-called "experts" don't understand because in their world they can set up a Twitter profile and Wordpress blog in a few seconds and wonder why a company of thousands can't do it so quickly.
I'll paraphrase everything by saying that most "experts" don't understand how change management and risk affect companies. And there is no amount of hours spend using Twitter (or Friendfeed or Blogging) that can help then get it.
David Binkowski
· 9 months ago
Axel: Dead on, man.
And I meant to say "them" in that last sentence, not "then". Typo.
David Binkowski
· 9 months ago
Axel: Dead on, man.
And I meant to say "spent" and "them" in that last sentence, not "spend" and "then". Typo.
David Binkowski
· 9 months ago
Seriously, this entire typo-laden thread should be sponsored by MacBook Air and Firefox. fields don't really allow for corrections.
Mark Joyella
· 9 months ago
Such a great post...really boils down why so many companies (and people) fail to fully understand the concept of social media and how to get in there and swim around a bit--with results. It's big companies, clearly, but also small ones, like the television stations that I focus my work on, and people. I have so many friends and colleagues who don't "get" something like Twitter, and really don't want to invest the time to figure it out, no matter how much preaching I do.
thanks again for the clear, concise post.
Mark
Joey
· 9 months ago
The extensiveness of the adoption of social media depends on the nature of the business and the audience it's targeting.
For example, social media works best for companies that are seeking out innovation from developers eg. Nokia, Yahoo, Google, Apple. Their target audience are within the developer community who mainly consumes mediA online and through other digital means. The audience are also younger and prefer word of mouth tactics like what social media can offer as compared to passive broadcast tactics (eg TV, print)
However, companies like Caltex, Carrefour for example cannot embrace digital marketing totally and abandon their traditional media buy strategy as they are targeting the mass where not all of them are consumers of social media yet...
Therefore marketers / agencies need to take a 360 approach when pitching to the big brands. By integrating strategically social media tactics that complements (being part of the media mix) the overall marketing plan
It is not realistic for a organization to change their website/content overnight and integrate with all the social media elements overnight. It must be done on a step by step basis.
Easy baby steps can start with (1) promoting a company's initiatives on facebook involving internal employees, (2) evangelise the proposition of tweeter. (3) Build a simple and product widget (that ties in with the company's value)for online distribution. (4) Contribute informative articles to external sites / forums/ networks by not doing any sales pitch (6) Follow up with outreach community activities
Experience had shown that these simple steps do help to make a difference and reap results without exhausting too much monetary resources.
Any indicative performance would defintely give the organisation a boost in confidence to allocate more resources for social media initiatives rather than selling them the idea to take the plunge while they should wait and see and fine tune accordlingly along the way.
Fendi Arie w
· 9 months ago
Nice article in this web ...
Linnet Woods
· 9 months ago
My idea of heaven would be to be employed by one or more big brands as a professional tweeter, to build their Twitter followings organically. Let's hope industry will soon latch on to the idea of outsourcing their social media presence!
thom singer
· 9 months ago
I disagree with part of your point #5. You said: "You book advertising and it’s guaranteed to work". There are no guarantees in advertising. There are many people who spend millions of dollars on ads with little ROI.
You are correct that the lack of understanding of how social media will produce any results freaks out the big brands. They want control, and social media is not there to be manipulated. You cannot fake viral. They want to "manipulate" it and when they find that they can't they dismiss the whole idea.
Your points do not just apply to big brands. Companies of all sizes have these same issues. It depends on the visionary outlook of those in charge. Big companies just have more people to have to buy in.
Javis Closewell
· 9 months ago
This makes me laugh. Big Korps have only one goal, to fleece as many chumps as possible in the shortest possible time.
The last thing they want is to see chumps as people. To them we are just marks.
The grease ball for Ford is a opportunistic weasel. Fascism is the antithesis of community.
Michael Durwin
· 9 months ago
Most of the replied here are legitimate. Companies do require RIO and numbers. They also need to be made aware that SoMe is not a hunt & gather tactic, it's more of an agricultural one. TV, billboards, PPC, is great for quick turnaround ROI. Social media is a much more long term investment. That being said, measurement is going to be of primary concern to companies. While some good tools have been popping up, few SoMe measuring tools exist that compare with those used for traditional and online media. When those tools are developed you'll see a more confident use of social media for business.
andreas.wpv
· 9 months ago
Great list, and I think you positioned No. 1 right where it belongs.
It is about engagement. Not just customer centric advertisement, but customer centric communication. Communications means both directions. Companies need to open up and start communicating. Bigger companies are struggling with that even internally and they are not very focused, so they have a hard time doing that to the outside.
(BTW, the entry form for comments is too wide. Writing a line I cannot see the last few words I key in per line. Try, please.)
george
· 9 months ago
nice site
Gadget Sleuth
· 9 months ago
I think you said it well; many companies don't understand the metrics of social sites, because they are such a new thing really. It's harder to measure "success" in marketing on these types of sites.
Brad Szollose
· 9 months ago
Excellent points Tom.
I would like to add something to what you have said: Big Brands have gotten so used to an Industrial Age model of communication called marketing. Which is really a one way conversation from on high.
Social Media creates a 1:1 peer-to-peer network of like minded people. This scares the hell out of big brands for 2 reasons: They want to control what is said about their products, and it costs very little to maintain a good copnversation - just make great products!
Marketing at peer-to-peer networks, with it's raw language is seen as intrusive and fake. Like selling Amway at your HS reunion.
Thank you for a very informative article...
Brad
Stefano Maggi
· 9 months ago
Great article, Tom, I think it has the power of synthesis! I tried to find out what stands behind the 6 reason you write about, and I think the main reason is that the "Social" os Social Media makes it all look "easy". http://stefanomaggi.blogspot.com/2009/02/nothin...
Lena
· 9 months ago
Especially in these tough economic climates, some companies stay clear of social media attempts due to point 5 in Oswald's article; no guaranteed results.
It's a difficult decision (unfortunately) for some companies as affiliate marketing and clever display strategies are so ROI transparant, whilst Twitter posts are not.
I love social media and work in a product development team where we live and breathe social stuff. Once it's easier to place a value on social work, then MD's will up the prioritizing.
Free Xbox360
· 9 months ago
If the big brands transitioned into social media, they would increase in business. Although you bring about good points to show how they can't do it.
Dave Nelsen
· 9 months ago
I'm not totally surprised at the various negative comments here. But at the risk of becoming a lightning rod, let me chime in on the side of businesses using social networking and social media. I run a social media company, www.talkshoe.com, that truly aspires to delight its customers (which frankly will make us more profitable – there, I said it). We use Twitter (@TalkShoe), GetSatisfaction, Ning, Facebook, and of course our own service, TalkShoe, to do exactly what Tom highlights in his first point:
"Social Media … is a completely different approach to interacting with consumers and customers. … the true return on investment comes from developing communities, creating content to be shared, and talking and listening directly with consumers."
This two-way social-networking-based conversation that we’ve started allows us to:
1) Deliver a better service based on actual (not assumed) customer wants and needs,
2) More quickly understand and respond to problems, deficiencies, and annoyances (our service has come a long way, but is still not easy enough to use), and
3) Learn firsthand about where our competitors are kicking our butts; meaning that we’ll adjust more rapidly, meaning that we'll be around for the longer term to serve our happier customers.
My advice to consumers: Don't interact with the companies that mean nothing to you. But for the products and services you depend on, participate and you'll get better products and services in return. Seems like a reasonable investment...
Brian Campbell
· 9 months ago
Social Media is primarily for the individual. I've done extensive testing and have found a higher response rate when you use a profile picture of a smiling human being.
Icons of corporations or brands are not as personal. People are using social media to connect with other people. Big Companies will figure out how to use social media, but for now it's the greatest opportunity for the little guy.
When google adwords first came out, it was like grabbing easy free money. Now companies have raised the bidding prices and it's no longer a beginners game. Social media is the "hot noew thing" so we are in the right place and time to beat the corporations.
Aloha, Brian Campbell
Mark Bradford
· 9 months ago
Precisely because "social media falls somewhere between marketing, PR, communications, content production and web development" is why smaller businesses can use it to be heard. Average businesses are more comfortable with blurry lines.
Axel Schultze
· 9 months ago
@Joey - you are so cute - naive though @Brad Szollose Not sure what planet you are from my friend @Lena - you are so sweet :-) @Osvaldo Sorry - I guess you don't READ or LISTEN @Dave Nelsen - And what are you dreaming at night? @Dave Nelsen I hate to just agree - But I just agree! @Brian Campbell and who gives you the right to say that? U luv the little guy don't ya'. @Mark Bradford SORRY but Social Media falls between Sales, Marketing, Support, Product Management, Operations and Finance. See "Blame your CEO" not the economy on Social Media Today http://xeeurl.com/A0518
All together - keep dreaming. Here is the reality: 1) There are many corporations highly engaged in Social Media - you only don't see it. They eat their competitors alive. There are firms that have over 2,000 people dedicated to social media. The LAST thing they do is advertising their initiatives. You can trust me on that one ;-) 2) There are many more corporations on the other side who get eaten alive - who, like you say don't get it. 3) There are way to few consultants who have the skill, capability, bandwidth and resources to work with corporations on social media planning and engagement. If you read Recession 2.0 http://xeeurl.com/A0470 you know what some do and others miss.
Mike Dukakis
· 9 months ago
To be successful in social media, you have to be all in. People have to be involved like you're a peer of theirs, not some guy pretending to know you. COmmenting on other blogs is tedious, but they have to do it to build some trust.
Scott Harris
· 9 months ago
Great post on many of the issues bigger companies have with diving into Social Media landscape. I believe most resist because it is viewed as something that is hard to control and big companies are fearful of negative word of mouth that might occur, which is REALLY short sided.
This misses the point. Corporations, especially public ones, traditionally hoard public communications through their pr group, and getting pr is no easy task. They don't yet understand how valuable it is to let just about everyone who works for them to be a spokesperson on items they feel comfortable discussing. And social media only works if its coming from a person at the coroporation, not the corporation as a whole. Until companies learn that they can and should loosen the reigns on public communication by it's employees, they will not succeed in social media.
LouSagar
· 9 months ago
Look, near term big companies are getting smaller, and small companies need to get smarter, media people will soon start thinking like merchants, and merchants will create new channels for selling stuff using media..social media is a mindset...we are all learning together - FYI...someone start righting the job descriptions...cause everyone will be hiring.
Kristina
· 9 months ago
Great post with very insightful points of view from all sides. One of the main reasons big brands struggle with social media is because this communication medium calls for transparency - - in how businesses operate, in expressing the real benefits of products/services, and in engaging in real conversations with consumers about how products/services impact their lives. A larger number of big businesses will thrive in this space once the transparency issue is tackled.
AlirezaM
· 9 months ago
thanks for the debate.
The Virtual Consulting Firm
· 9 months ago
Great Article, Tom! :)
Thank you for writing and sharing this will all of us! :)
So ...
How do we get the "Big Brands" and Corporations to "Get It"?
... and see that they *need* to integrate Social Media Marketing and Social Networking into their overall Marketing Strategy and Plans?
which may Create some New Jobs for those skilled and experienced in these new / Web 2.0 areas too, which would be Good! :) Right?! ;)
What do you all think?
I hope this all helps and Have a Great Day! :)
Axel Schultze
· 9 months ago
Hey you "The Virtual Consulting Firm" Here is the first step for Y O U: "LISTEN" or better said "READ". YOU are one of the reasons why people don't get it. You read the article, fly over the answer only be interested to make your mark and go off. If you would have read it - hey guess what you would have found the answer. BUT you are not interested in the answer, you are interested in making your mark - THAT IS why (at least yor) customers probably never get it. And since you are a company and not a social person I can say you are ... and not be personal by doing that which I never would.
Have a successful week.
Paulette Erijo
· 9 months ago
I have taken the time to read every single comment here and I'm indeed impressed with the feedback on this topic. Social media in business is here to stay. Although still at its tender age, having the "right" mix of strategies will give big brands a kick. I have seen bullish companies take up this "BIG SHOE", not realizing the scale of work involved. But that's the reason a "good" social media consultant must have a know how around the business in other to provide the right change pattern to enhance the business process. The ROI is definitely long term and every enterprise ready to ride this road should be ready for change. The voice of your customers and employees will drive the business. Top executives who are used to the traditional way of doing business would have to learn and be ready to accept change or face their competitors do better.
The web space is evolving and it’s not enough to have just static websites or PR, etc. Social media bridges the gap between businesses and the customers. Enterprise social media will spring up to run daily business affairs while balancing work and play, with good segmentation between employees and customers or stakeholders, a company will benefit from being an early adopter.
Wendy DeFeudis
· 9 months ago
Nice article and you bring up some interesting points. Unequivocally, social media offers companies new ways to tune into customers and prospects like never before. Those brands that are adopting social media tools to engage and listen to their customers are staying one step ahead of the competition . With social media, companies now have direct and easy access to their brand ambassadors, or detractors, as it may be. The social media backlash surrounding last November's Motrin ads and the recent outcry regarding Tropicana's repackaging are excellent examples of brands effectively using social media to retool their messages to satisfy customers. This is one great strength of social media. Its transparency and openness demands attention. Companies that ignore these messages and dismiss social media as just another marketing channel are missing invaluable opportunities for customer interaction and brand elevation.
Joey
· 9 months ago
You probably heard about it by now.
Adidas embarked on a full fledge social media marketing campaign "Me-myself-my time" for their latest sports collection targeting woman across Asia.
A facebook calendar app was launched and users are able to input their daily activities.
Based on end-user's intensity level requirement, the app suggest some activities they can consider doing for their "Me time"
End-user can also choose and personalise their "My Outfit" for the day from Adidas digital wardrobe. They can also choose to share their calendar activities, publish their wardrobe and invite friends to join in the fun.
The campaign also gives a voice for woman to share about their achievements physically or emotionally from their "Me Time" as part of the "Comments" in facebook
The social media initiative weave in as part of their broader traditional media strategy which includes the campaign's eye candy woman ambassadors in print ads, billboards etc.
I had tried out the app tool on facebook. Though not 100% glitch-less, I think the overall idea is great and is appealing for consumers to want to engage and interact further with the brand.
As a consumer, I feel proud that I am a fan of the "Me Campaign" on facebook - not becos of the call for action but for the CAUSE for action
and most importantly I think I am going to grab that Adidas yellow tank top for my jogging attire which I discover on the facebook app
This is a fascinating dialogue. InHealth is a small non-profit institute that funds academic research into the role of medical technology innovation, so we're far from being a "big brand." Yet we think there's value in the tools of social networking as a forum to engage people in intelligent discussions about technology. We think we can gather people into a virtual dialogue about critical issues of the day – innovation, costs, benefits and so forth. Many of you sound like experts in the social media space, so I wonder what you see as the critical requirements for us to succeed in igniting constructive discussion about health care reform and the value of technology.
Paulette
· 9 months ago
@ Martyn Howgill- Yes Martyn health professionals would benefit from using this tool. Could you drop me a mail. paulette[at] letche[dot] net. We could talk more on this.
Sameer
· 9 months ago
Tom, I would like to differ on point #4 - "Social media needs a long term approach." I agree that Social Media marketing takes time to show the results, but if it is done in a channelized way, it can deliver ROI faster. I mean you should prioritize your requirements and then act on them in the best manner. So its like, you create a buzz and the social community propels your message through.
Great article thanks. Business interested in social media should check this website which provides free social media and free blog or website http://pagesforeveryone.com
mrktng
· 7 months ago
Your correct in making the analogy between marketing as push technolgy with measurable results and social networking as pull technology with no immediate results other than a long term plan for an open stream of communication. Like it!
Kilima Glenn
· 6 months ago
I am very interested in web 2.0 and letting the internet unfold naturally. Of course big business will ad an artifical element, so let the rest of us from mid-sized companies on through to individual have equal access and impact. I think this new company, linksavvy has a good ideas about sharing the power of relationships and balancing the field.
Aaron Irizarry
· 6 months ago
Thanks for this piece very useful will be sharing it with our team
~ Aaron I
alisonjuli23
· 2 months ago
We are your premier source for information that will expand your presence on the web and help your business grow. www.contentunltd.com
realtorinoverlandpark
· 2 months ago
Measuring success (guaranteeing results) is difficult to impossible right now.
All Comments
the social revolution, there are a number of reasons why they
have yet to embrace the real opportunities that involvement
can deliver:
Nothing personal but long may you fail in this quest.
I hope that you are successful, just not with this.
Big business is about bottom line and shareholders and is legally
obliged to maximize profit ergo any use of social online networks
will be just for profit.
How many "big brands" actually let their employees speak openly before it goes through counsel/comm/HR?
I agree that the big business is bottom line but what about any investment in advertising or marketing? Surely you can't claim that social media doesn't fall into those categories, or like Tom put it, somewhere in between? ... An investment is what it is - and I'm sure that we'll soon see some astounding statistics on the effectiveness behind building relationships via the many social media platforms out there...
Agreed. The interesting thing with social media is the balance between work and play. Everyone likes to see the "real" person to some extent. I think a purely business account would be boring for people to track and would lose popularity. But then that leaves you with the aforementioned dilemma...thoughts?
There are a number of ways to "invest" in social media (heck, there's a reason you see so many "social media" consultants floating around). Ideally, and maybe down the road, you see the medium just as what it is, a communication tool that can be adopted by any number of business units and invested in the same way they used to invest in a fax machine.
I couldn't agree more. And on the new-media end, I am even surprised that so many new-media sites are beginning to donate so much space to advertising. (Mashable, Facebook, I'm talking to you) The content is so good, it just doesn't seem right. Currently we have a zero advertising policy at Referral Key, although that might change someday.
We're banking on relationship based ROI but as you say, the metrics aren't there and they may never be, perhaps that's what makes it not just another marketing channel.
best,
Chris O.
Blog Director
http://www.referralkey.com/small-business-blog/
Social Media is often viewed as just another marketing channel: It is of course so much more; it is a completely different approach to interacting with consumers and customers. Of course, you can advertise in a social media environment, but the true return on investment comes from developing communities, creating content to be shared, and talking and listening directly with consumers.
:ending quote
Any channel used to connect and interact with customer *IS* a marketing channel. I think better phrasing might be: "Social Media is often viewed as a 1-way broadcast channel"
- Michael
Totally agree with you; in the idealism of "social media". If the brands stay out of it, who do you expect to be paying for the services "social media" provides?
Thanks,
Matt
struggle with social media. In other words, the people
Opening up the channels works both ways and most brand managers don't have the authority nor
the courage to open up this tap for fear of what negative repercussions may
occur as a result. Direction clearly needs to come from the very top and filter down as a new down to
down to the create a cultural shift within the brand's eco system
Melvin
1) You got to think like a CEO running a 10,000 people company
2) Once you do and engage: The LAST thing you do is to advertise it
3) We all see big companies engaged without "seeing" it
4) ROI? Absolutely and the ROI is huge. You just need to know how to calculate it
5) This recession will make the biggest change in leadership position
6) Social media IS the biggest catalyst for that change and it is happening since 2 years.
Matt and Osvaldo: You are so sweet. "Leave Business out of Social Media."
Are you saying the 400,000,000 people use it to share the latest vacation videos and trade old stamps and that's it?
I guess you missed the point. 25% of the Social Media use is professional skill development, seeking business solutions and much more.
Gen Y is not separating business and personal live like the old generation did. Again you miss out.
It's just semantics but A BRAND is the REFLECTION of it's market - and that has began to play in social media 5 years ago.
What you will see in 3 years from now - in retrospect - the leaders use social media in a mutually profitable way with their customers and the others will cease operation like every 10-20 years when our society undergoes major changes.
So you can stop arguing "they don't get it" They do it - and more strategically and more active than you think ;-)
Remember how horrible corporate web sites were (still are?)? Well, imagine IT and Marketing and Customer Service and the CMO and the CIO and the CEO all debating who should run it, let alone who should fund it and be responsible for it. It's changing the way organizations are doing business INTERNALLLY -- something most of the (again) so-called "experts" don't understand because in their world they can set up a Twitter profile and Wordpress blog in a few seconds and wonder why a company of thousands can't do it so quickly.
I'll paraphrase everything by saying that most "experts" don't understand how change management and risk affect companies. And there is no amount of hours spend using Twitter (or Friendfeed or Blogging) that can help then get it.
And I meant to say "them" in that last sentence, not "then". Typo.
And I meant to say "spent" and "them" in that last sentence, not "spend" and "then". Typo.
media and how to get in there and swim around a bit--with results. It's big companies, clearly, but also small ones, like the
television stations that I focus my work on, and people. I have so many friends and colleagues who don't "get" something
like Twitter, and really don't want to invest the time to figure it out, no matter how much preaching I do.
thanks again for the clear, concise post.
Mark
targeting.
For example, social media works best for companies that are seeking out innovation from developers eg.
Nokia, Yahoo, Google, Apple. Their target audience are within the developer community who mainly consumes
mediA online and through other digital means. The audience are also younger and prefer word of mouth tactics
like what social media can offer as compared to passive broadcast tactics (eg TV, print)
However, companies like Caltex, Carrefour for example cannot embrace digital marketing totally and abandon
their traditional media buy strategy as they are targeting the mass where not all of them are consumers of social
media yet...
Therefore marketers / agencies need to take a 360 approach when pitching to the big brands. By integrating
strategically social media tactics that complements (being part of the media mix) the overall marketing plan
It is not realistic for a organization to change their website/content
overnight and integrate with all the social media elements overnight. It must be done on a step by step basis.
Easy baby steps can start with
(1) promoting a company's initiatives on facebook involving internal employees,
(2) evangelise the proposition of tweeter.
(3) Build a simple and product widget (that ties in with the company's value)for online distribution.
(4) Contribute informative articles to external sites / forums/ networks by not doing any sales pitch
(6) Follow up with outreach community activities
Experience had shown that these simple steps do help to make a difference and reap results without exhausting
too much monetary resources.
Any indicative performance would defintely give the organisation a boost in confidence to allocate more resources
for social media initiatives rather than selling them the idea to take the plunge while they should wait and
see and fine tune accordlingly along the way.
and it’s guaranteed to work". There are no guarantees in advertising. There
are many people who spend millions of dollars on ads with little ROI.
You are correct that the lack of understanding of how social media will
produce any results freaks out the big brands. They want control, and social
media is not there to be manipulated. You cannot fake viral. They want to
"manipulate" it and when they find that they can't they dismiss the whole
idea.
Your points do not just apply to big brands. Companies of all sizes have these
same issues. It depends on the visionary outlook of those in charge. Big companies just
have more people to have to buy in.
as possible in the shortest possible time.
The last thing they want is to see chumps as people. To them we are just marks.
The grease ball for Ford is a opportunistic weasel. Fascism is the
antithesis of community.
It is about engagement. Not just customer centric advertisement, but customer
centric communication. Communications means both directions. Companies need
to open up and start communicating. Bigger companies are struggling with
that even internally and they are not very focused, so they have a hard time doing that to the outside.
(BTW, the entry form for comments is too wide. Writing a line I cannot see the
last few words I key in per line. Try, please.)
social sites, because they are such a new thing really. It's harder to
measure "success" in marketing on these types of sites.
I would like to add something to what you have said: Big Brands have gotten so used to an Industrial Age model of communication called marketing. Which is really a one way conversation from on high.
Social Media creates a 1:1 peer-to-peer network of like minded people. This scares the hell out of big brands for 2 reasons: They want to control what is said about their products, and it costs very little to maintain a good copnversation - just make great products!
Marketing at peer-to-peer networks, with it's raw language is seen as intrusive and fake. Like selling Amway at your HS reunion.
Thank you for a very informative article...
Brad
I tried to find out what stands behind the 6 reason you write about, and I think the main reason is that the "Social" os Social Media makes it all look "easy". http://stefanomaggi.blogspot.com/2009/02/nothin...
social media attempts due to point 5 in Oswald's article; no guaranteed results.
It's a difficult decision (unfortunately) for some companies
as affiliate marketing and clever display strategies are so ROI
transparant, whilst Twitter posts are not.
I love social media and work in a product development team where we live
and breathe social stuff. Once it's easier to place a value on social work,
then MD's will up the prioritizing.
business. Although you bring about good points to show how they can't do it.
"Social Media … is a completely different approach to interacting with consumers and customers. … the true return on investment comes from developing communities, creating content to be shared, and talking and listening directly with consumers."
This two-way social-networking-based conversation that we’ve started allows us to:
1) Deliver a better service based on actual (not assumed) customer wants and needs,
2) More quickly understand and respond to problems, deficiencies, and annoyances (our service has come a long way, but is still not easy enough to use), and
3) Learn firsthand about where our competitors are kicking our butts; meaning that we’ll adjust more rapidly, meaning that we'll be around for the longer term to serve our happier customers.
My advice to consumers: Don't interact with the companies that mean nothing to you. But for the products and services you depend on, participate and you'll get better products and services in return. Seems like a reasonable investment...
Icons of corporations or brands are not as personal. People are using social media to connect with other people. Big Companies will figure out how to use social media, but for now it's the greatest opportunity for the little guy.
When google adwords first came out, it was like grabbing easy free money. Now companies have raised the bidding prices and it's no longer a beginners game. Social media is the "hot noew thing" so we are in the right place and time to beat the corporations.
Aloha,
Brian Campbell
@Brad Szollose Not sure what planet you are from my friend
@Lena - you are so sweet :-)
@Osvaldo Sorry - I guess you don't READ or LISTEN
@Dave Nelsen - And what are you dreaming at night?
@Dave Nelsen I hate to just agree - But I just agree!
@Brian Campbell and who gives you the right to say that? U luv the little guy don't ya'.
@Mark Bradford SORRY but Social Media falls between Sales, Marketing, Support, Product Management, Operations and Finance.
See "Blame your CEO" not the economy on Social Media Today http://xeeurl.com/A0518
All together - keep dreaming. Here is the reality:
1) There are many corporations highly engaged in Social Media - you only don't see it. They eat their competitors alive. There are firms that have over 2,000 people dedicated to social media. The LAST thing they do is advertising their initiatives. You can trust me on that one ;-)
2) There are many more corporations on the other side who get eaten alive - who, like you say don't get it.
3) There are way to few consultants who have the skill, capability, bandwidth and resources to work with corporations on social media planning and engagement.
If you read Recession 2.0 http://xeeurl.com/A0470 you know what some do and others miss.
I recently wrote a post about why these same executives often hesitate when it comes to anything social online. You can read more at:
http://sharris.wordpress.com/2009/01/07/why-exe...
Great post Tom, keep them coming!
Thank you for writing and sharing this will all of us! :)
So ...
How do we get the "Big Brands" and Corporations to "Get It"?
... and see that they *need* to integrate Social Media Marketing and Social Networking into their overall Marketing Strategy and Plans?
which may Create some New Jobs for those skilled and experienced in these new / Web 2.0 areas too, which would be Good! :) Right?! ;)
What do you all think?
I hope this all helps and Have a Great Day! :)
Here is the first step for Y O U: "LISTEN" or better said "READ". YOU are one of the reasons why people don't get it. You read the article, fly over the answer only be interested to make your mark and go off. If you would have read it - hey guess what you would have found the answer. BUT you are not interested in the answer, you are interested in making your mark - THAT IS why (at least yor) customers probably never get it.
And since you are a company and not a social person I can say you are ... and not be personal by doing that which I never would.
Have a successful week.
The web space is evolving and it’s not enough to have just static websites or PR, etc. Social media bridges the gap between businesses and the customers. Enterprise social media will spring up to run daily business affairs while balancing work and play, with good segmentation between employees and customers or stakeholders, a company will benefit from being an early adopter.
Adidas embarked on a full fledge social media marketing campaign "Me-myself-my time" for their
latest sports collection targeting woman across Asia.
A facebook calendar app was launched and users are able to input their daily activities.
Based on end-user's intensity level requirement, the app suggest some activities they can consider doing for their
"Me time"
End-user can also choose and personalise their "My Outfit" for the day from Adidas digital wardrobe.
They can also choose to share their calendar activities, publish their wardrobe and invite friends to
join in the fun.
The campaign also gives a voice for woman to share about their achievements physically
or emotionally from their "Me Time" as part of the "Comments" in facebook
The social media initiative weave in as part of their broader traditional media strategy which includes the
campaign's eye candy woman ambassadors in print ads, billboards etc.
I had tried out the app tool on facebook. Though not 100% glitch-less, I think the overall idea is great and is
appealing for consumers to want to engage and interact further with the brand.
As a consumer, I feel proud that I am a fan of the "Me Campaign" on facebook - not becos of the call for action
but for the CAUSE for action
and most importantly I think I am going to grab that Adidas yellow tank top for my jogging attire which I discover
on the facebook app
Check this link out for more details.
http://www.brandrepublic.asia/article/news/2009...
Yes Martyn health professionals would benefit from using this tool. Could you drop me a mail. paulette[at] letche[dot] net. We could talk more on this.
See how Intuit used social technologies to Propel Customer Business - http://vizedu.com/2009/02/propel-customer-busin...
~ Aaron I
www.contentunltd.com