May 31, 2010 | blog
Much of what social media is can be viewed differently from different angles. There’s a marketing side, a public relations side, a technical side, a communications side, and a human side.
It’s these different aspects of social media that combine to confuse what “it” is for. It’s so easy for people working for an organization to mistake the varying degrees of social media for things that seem frivolous or unneeded. Instead, focusing on the one facet that appeals to them or their role in the organization without recognizing the opportunities of a fully integrated approach.
Taking a broader view of what social media can bring to an organization is a difficult proposition for many companies due to the differing needs of each department. Its those internal differences that sometimes conflict with each other and keep progress from happening. It takes some really special people with multiple talents to keep the idea moving forward.
These people are multifaceted, or better put, multi-disciplinarians. The people spreading the message in your organization need to be able to talk tech, marketing, and corp-speak to multiple groups. They’re the ones you need to identify, recruit (especially internally), train and empower. Give them the leeway and the lines of communication they’ll need, in essence set them up to succeed. Hamper them in any way and you’ll not have the results that you’re looking for.
I’ve seen numerous organizations that just can’t get around the idea of one spokesperson for the organization, or seeing security vulnerabilities and productivity losses at every turn. These organizations can’t seem to find consensus on who should “own” (you loose already if that’s the culture) the message, let alone even participate.
At the same time, I’ve seen organizations that “don’t get it” but still end up doing it right. These are the organizations that not only recognize that they don’t totally understand, but they’re also the type know the world has changed and that they have to embrace new ideas. Its these types of corporate cultures that end up getting it right for their customers and learning more about how they can best solve their needs.
So understanding the multiple facets of social media and how they can be applied inside a company is crucial. That’s what the job of a social media strategist, architect, analyst, or other similar role really is. There’s more to each of these roles of course, but the ability to identify the needs, opportunities and the tools & solutions required to meet them is the key set of knowledge and experience required.
Photo credit: biggertree
Apr 14, 2009 | blog
It’s hard to be a medium or large corporation these days. The demands are not small, with expectations of investors, disappointing market performance, employee needs, government regulations and oversight… there’s almost no time left for the most important part of any business: customers.
Of course, that’s where the current craze around social media comes in. The expectation is that any company can use all sorts of free tools to stretch marketing and PR dollars, and maybe make the customer feel more welcome picking up your brand at Wal-Mart.
But that whole scenario is bound to bust as surely as your pick of economic bubbles.
The reality is that to really engage using social media and realize honest benefits requires more than a passing interest in new shiny things. Social media requires real openness, and if you’re not willing to be open, people can tell.
The power of this new ideal comes from the willingness to have an open culture. That means that there are no artificial barriers between departments, positions, business units, or people. It means that interacting with the public is a part of every position, not just the domain of marketing, PR, and an occasional press release from the CEO.
Openness means that the C-level is talking in public forums alongside the shipping department, or accounting, or human resources. Bringing openness to a culture means that everyone is able to talk about nearly anything.
With that being said, it’s ok to still have intellectual property and protect that. You’re right in protecting developing business plans, or new products, or several other types of information an organization holds and makes money from. However, beyond that, an organization can talk openly about the challenges it faces, or hold up a consumer enthusiast group as a model, or any such thing that shows a human side of a company.
Sometimes we, that is companies, worry too much about what the competition may think. Organizations can get wrapped up in being too professional. Being open about things doesn’t take away from any of this. When done from a position of transparency, and honest intention of open interaction, a company can grow a much more loyal consumer base, and open source their own PR army. But that’s another post.
Mar 21, 2009 | blog
It’s been there for awhile, quite awhile really. I’ve been able to ignore it for the most part, though it is getting a bit old.
I’m talking about those MLM types, thinking they can gain some advantage through sheer following numbers on Twitter. Fancy schemes to gain thousands of new followers in 48 hours or less.
What purpose does this serve? If your tweets/following percentage can’t even break 1%, why are you there? Why would I even care? Why are you gaming my account and others? We can see through what you’re trying to do.
Do you want to know why?
Like a bad 70’s disco LP, stuck in the past. Singing the same tune like so many previous polyester leisure suit wearing, used-car salesman before you. Am I stereotyping? Gee, sorry – there’s a reason for it. Your last-century marketing efforts are lost in the reality of the 21st century. You might as well try selling toothbrushes door to door for all the good your Twitter account does.
Take your glossy commercials with pop stars, your shiny hummer, that damn inflatable Gorilla, delete your spam account and start over. We’re not buying it.
Photo credit: Sunfrog1
Dec 24, 2008 | blog
I’ve been working in the technology field for a long time and the thing that really keeps me engaged is the fact that it’s always changing. Technology evolves and there is a constant need to be upgrading or planning on upgrading. It’s made a great career for myself with a number of great projects and experiences that I can look back on with fond memories.
"IT" as it’s called has also enabled me to push boundaries that were uncomfortable for me, allowing me to grow and continue to learn about things that I needed to but was uninterested in. To my mind, this is what a career should deliver; experiences, personal growth, team participation, leadership, and providing a decent living for a family. This is something that a technology career has rewarded me with for my investment.
So with that knowledge, experience and expectation, I wonder just how big the social media market is for it’s practitioners. As every site integrates more social media and "web 2.0" technologies and methods, how will social media professionals remain in demand? Ensuing generations will be even more well versed in the concepts, tools, technologies than even the much celebrated millennials today.
As the online world continues to circle around and pick up the once-forgotten "human face" that it lacked in the .com boom/bust, it becomes harder to distinguish just what a social media professional is. I fear that most of them will simply be absorbed into the existing professions as Marketing and Public Relations – already, the social media sphere is mostly made up of this demographic.
Am I off base here or is there really a career path for social media specialists or professionals as we know them today? Or will it just become another skill listed by bullet point on the resume of future marketing professionals? What do you think?
Photo credit: Jay Dugger
Oct 5, 2008 | blog
It’s time to start talking about the next SMB in Minneapolis/St. Paul! We’re going to be meeting at the Deluxe corporate headquarters in Shoreview, MN on Oct. 31st.
What better way to wrap up the month of October and start your Halloween weekend than to meet up with your local social media peeps? How about how about a chance to talk social media with the bestselling author of the hit book The New Rules of Marketing & PR: David Meerman Scott? In addition we’ll have a chance to talk with startup entrepreneur Steve Nielsen, President & CEO PartnerUp, a Deluxe Corporation Company.
The fine folks at Fallon will talk about their Twitter campaign for SciFi’s “Eureka”. Each attendee will get a free copy of David’s Book (up to 100 attendees), which he’ll be happy to sign — courtesy of our friends at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers.
Event Info:
- Where: Deluxe Corporate Headquarters, 3680 Victoria Street North, Shoreview, MN 55126 (Map it!)
- When: October 31st, 2008 from 8am to 10am
Agenda:
- David Meerman Scott – “Thought Leadership & Viral Marketing Strategist”
- Each attendee will get a free copy of David’s Book (up to
100 attendees), which he’ll be happy to sign — courtesy of
our friends at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers.
(link: www.nhmn.com)
- Steve Nielsen, President & CEO PartnerUp, a Deluxe Corporation Company.
- Fallon folks talks about their Twitter campaign for SciFi’s “Eureka”
- Post-Networking with David, Steve, and everyone else!
- Our continuing conversation on social media in Minneapolis & St. Paul
RSVP at our EventBrite page:
Sponsors:
