Yes, there are holdouts, but social media adoption is as fast as anything I’ve ever seen. It took at least 7 years for companies to stop asking “why do we need a Web site?” We’ll have nearly universal social media usage at a corporate level long before then.
If you believe Forrester’s predictions on interactive spending, by 2014 U.S. marketers will spend twice as much on social media, as on email. Wow. Email marketing is a pretty fundamental building block of modern communication, and to imagine twice as much being spent on social media is exhilirating. It also scares me to death.
I’m scared because in their zeal to get on the social media train, companies are starting to treat it like a linear equation, like a Paula Dean recipe, like a formulaic summer blockbuster starring an impossibly handsome young man in great peril.
Social media is not a checklist.
“Let’s see. We have a Twitter account. We have a Facebook page. We have a blog. I guess we’ve covered all the bases. We’re all done.”
Yikes.
Your Grandkids Will Be Community Managers
Social media is about fundamentally changing the dynamic between brands and their customers. From master and servant, to peer to peer. That necessitates a nuanced, shifting, sustained effort that requires winning hearts and minds on an individualized level. Just being there isn’t enough.
The checklist approach causes two types of problems. First, companies are engaging in social media without any sort of meaningful, long-term social media strategy that gives a rationale for each component. Maybe Facebook isn’t right for your brand. There’s no law (yet) that says you have to have a Twitter account. Your results may (and should) vary with regard to social media implementation.
The second problem is that without a strategy, the specific social media tactics tend to pull apart and operate independently over time. The Facebook approach no longer syncs with the blog, etc. This creates the social media version of a golf hat, where you have about 8 different logos in one place, with no apparent reason why they are adjacent, all fighting for a share of attention.
The Long Haul Speech
I know it’s all the rage right now. But if you’re going to get your company involved in social media, at that very first kick-off meeting where you convene your cross-functional team, make a very important statement.
“If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right. And that means we cannot turn back. Once we’ve engaged with customers in an authentic, human way, to stop will feel like a slap in the face. So, we all need to realize that our social media efforts are likely to continue beyond this quarter or this year. Our social media efforts must be sustained forever, just like our phone number and our Web site. Is everyone on board with that concept?”
Will you tell them that? Have you already?
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Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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I love the golf hat analogy…it could also be a Nascar! So many logos is it really effective after a while?!
The one thing I’d like to ask is this… If companies really (and I mean really!) embrace social media and building those peer-to-peer relationships will community managers still be needed? Right now we act as a liason between community and company (among other things), but if the company embraces SM, is there really a need for a CM? Won’t all employees just do what they should? Where do you see a CM in 2-5 years? (I have my thoughts…but their still percolating.)
Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
.-= Beth Harte´s last blog ..Top 10 Online Retailers, July 2009 =-.
Whoa! Big question, especially from a community manager. I have haven’t had coffee yet, but I’ll do my best.
If companies embrace social media end-to-end, I don’t believe the cheerleading role of the community manager will be as critical. But, for consumer convenience and impact, I’ll always believe that having one main “face” of the brand (the community manager/quarterback) is more advantageous than 12 people, each from different departments in the company.
Community managers in the future will still be necessary, but like with all things new media, the role will continue to shift. That’s what keeps it fun, right Beth?
What an excellent question, Beth! Not too shabby of an answer either, Jay. To build on your brilliant reply, I’d add the following:
I think that the concept of having one main “face” is not realistic. To me, more feasible is a *team* of Community Managers – much like other departments have – Sales Team, Marketing Team, *Social Media* Team. Comcast seems to be doing this quite effectively (at least on Twitter). Mind you, I’m saying this as a Director of Community at a small (25 person) company…and feeling a bit overwhelmed the past few weeks (ha ha).
Do you both agree?
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
(P.S. I like your signature, Beth!)
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Push It: Always Have Fun =-.
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From @jaybaer “Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist” [link to post] The Long Haul Speech is a must.
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Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist | Social Media Marketing … [link to post]
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socialhelp: Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist | Social Media Marketing … [link to post]
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Well said from @jaybaer – Incinerate your Social Media Checklist – [link to post]
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RT @InnovationTrend – Social media is about fundamentally changing the dynamic btwn brands & their customers [link to post]
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Show this to your clients: via @jaybaer: Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist: [link to post]
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RT @misskatiemo: Well said from @jaybaer – Incinerate your Social Media Checklist – [link to post]
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Thinking long term and digging beyond the tools is critical.
Everyone, like you say, is getting into social media. In the nonprofit world is’t Facebook and Twitter. They just need to get account and start doing sometihng, but I’m not sure how much effort people put into planning long term.
The ones I’ve seen succeed so far are the big ones that have a large following already. They have the advantage of being known in other ways so once they get on Facebook/Twitter/etc… people just start finding them.
What have you found be helpful in educating businesses so that they listen and hear this message?
http://twitter.com/franswaa
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Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist | [link to post] | For those in social media who want to know how clients might be thinking.
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Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist [link to post] #socialmedia #marketing
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@jaybaer Couldn’t have said it better!
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Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist [link to post] #socialmedia #marketing (via @camiloolea)
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Really interesting article, helpful information RT @jaybaer Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer: Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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Just being there isn’t enough! Great post RT @jaybaer Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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Insightful message: “Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist” [link to post] (RT @EyeTraffic)
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RT @spurdave: Show this to your clients: via @jaybaer: Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist: [link to post]
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Show this to your clients: via @jaybaer: Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist: [link to post] (via @spurdave)
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RT @jaybaer Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post] – Agreed.
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RT @jaybaer Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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RT Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist [link to post] #socialmedia #marketing
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RT @jaybaer:Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post] -reminds me of build site, run banners, redo in 1 year
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RT @jaybaer: Why your social media program should not look like a golf hat. [link to post]
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My guess is that most everyone that’s reading this blog has bought into the idea of a SM strategy. It’s important and significant, we all agree.
The challenge, of course, is reaching the non-converted. And how best to to do that? Just *telling* our clients or bosses that covering the checklist is not enough and that they/we need a thoughtful strategy isn’t enough. We need to show case study after case study of who’s done it right and who’s done it wrong. That will be compelling. Can you point us to some case studies that we can use to share with our clients and/or bosses? Or is there a better way to make the idea of a strategy more *real* to people?
Thanks for another great post, Jay. You always get us thinking…
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oh damn.. mine does I’m a sad panda RT @jaybaer: Why your social media program should not look like a golf hat. [link to post]
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Why your SM program should not look like a golf hat. Plus an inspirational speech from @jaybaer! [link to post]
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Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist: [link to post] by @jaybaet via @spurdave
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RT @jaybaer: Why your social media program should not look like a golf hat. [link to post] – Social Media is NOT a checklist
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RT @jaybaer Why your social media program should not look like a golf hat. [link to post] http://url4.eu/MMdq
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RT @tweetmeme Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist | Social Media Marketing | Social Media Consulting – Convince &… [link to post]
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RT @tweetmeme Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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GREAT post re social media approach from @jaybaer “Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist” [link to post]
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Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist | Social Media Marketing | Social Media Consulting – Convince &… [link to post]
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Incinerate Your SM Checklist (CMs: make sure your client communicates strategy/plan to all employees.) [link to post] RT @jaybaer
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Srategy and social media go hand in hand, as thise blog post has illustrated.
.-= Randy Kemp´s last blog ..Help Me Readers: Is This Company Real? =-.
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Article: “Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist” [link to post]
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RT Article: “Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist” [link to post]
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RT @JeffHurt: Incinerate Your Social Media Checklist: [link to post] by @jaybaet via @spurdave This is a must read!!!! #e4chat
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RT @jaybaer: Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post] http://myloc.me/vT5q
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RT @jaybaer Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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Brav – f’ing – O. Too many just want to “DO” the SocMed thang because it’s the shiny tool. Great. What will you “DO” when you get there?
Stealing immediately (but crediting, of course. we are gentlemen)
.-= Lally´s last blog ..What Does "Clean" Really Mean Anyway? =-.
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RT @jaybaer: Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post] (via @jaybaer)
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RT @jaybaer Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post] good article.
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Guess you’ve taught me well. Told client this today. RT @jaybaer: Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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Great article RT @ jaybaer Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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Love the statement at the end. RT @jaybaer: Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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RT @carol_phillips: RT @jaybaer: Grab a torch. Why you should Incinerate your Social Media Checklist [link to post]
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