FRANKthoughts

In the last few weeks we’ve noticed many brands having interns manage, investigate and pursue their social media presence. This might be because interns are usually young people who “get” the space or the organisation state of mind where “this new thing” is something that sits outside of the normal/traditional media/marketing dept. Although it’s good to start somewhere I don’t believe leaving social media to the interns is the best use of resources for the following reasons:

1. Yes, Interns know how to use facebook but do they know how brands should act on facebook? do they have the experience needed to comply with legal requirements, customer service or negative buzz? Knowing how to do something doesn’t mean you’re good at it and brands should realise it’s not a tech thing, it’s a marketing thing.

2. Interns usually leave quickly. They’ve done their part and left you with an excel spreadsheet with some sketchy strategy. There is no implementation, no buy-in from management and in most cases no one to pick up the project where the intern left it.

3. Interns cant see the big picture. They will usually be working on the “social media stuff” focusing on one platform (probably facebook) without considering other aspects of the business. Social media should be part of your communication strategy and if your intern isn’t part of that team in your business your social media strategy will be lacking.

What are your thoughts? Is an intern better than nothing? thanks to Drew for getting me to write this post.

“Social media” is all the buzz now and clients want to “get on it”, “use it” or “leverage it”. Many people think social media is just another media. It’s not. (Tip: if it’s not a dialogue between your company and users it’s not social media). Many people also believe that social media is just another part of their “Marketing”. It’s not. Being social starts from the inside. From your organisation. You cant start a conversation only to leave the room a month later. To fully understand what needs to be done to GET IT RIGHT lets take a step back.

David Armano’s latest presentation (from the SXSW2010 panel picker) about “social business strategy” (what we call immersion).
I like the term “social business strategy” – probably the biggest and toughest part of social media because it’s not about paid for/set and forget marketing solution. It’s about asking questions first, research and probing. It’s not about “Lets do it” it’s about “Lets think about it”. It’s about your organisation being ready for it. So, bringing this down to the essential ingredients, it is about 1. strategy 2. tactics 3. measure. I also love Armano mentioning the scale element of this approach.

Seth Godin’s post “when tactics drown out strategy” is highlighting the difference between strategy and tactics. “Building a permission asset so we can grow our influence with our best customers over time” is a strategy. Using email, twitter or RSS along with newsletters, contests and a human voice are all tactics. In my experience, people get obsessed about tactical detail before they embrace a strategy… and as a result, when a tactic fails, they begin to question the strategy that they never really embraced in the first place. Seth is right. Most brands want to go viral/facebook/youtube before they have a clear strategy. It’s like attempting to drive a truck before taking any driving lessons.

Matt Dickman summarize this nicely in his post: Want better digital strategy, ban seven dirty words. If you don’t have a strategy you shouldn’t talk about “what we’ll do with xyz tool”.

To end this up here’s Paul Isakson’s post that started my search (Thanks Paul).
If you don’t want to fail in “social media” don’t treat it as an add-on. Have someone in charge of it, have a plan and create a budget. But first, start with a strategy. Only then you can start talking about “that viral idea on youtube”.

The garden – your (community) garden needs some dedicated care taking.
You can’t grow any kind of community without caring. Who in your organisation have the skills and passion to take care of your community? I believe every brand will have a community person in the next couple of years.  A garden is also not a short term project (or “campaign”). Your online strategy is not the end of the road but the beginning – your road map.  You should follow the instructions, ask for help and not be scared to fail and learn from it. (Your facebook group doesn’t work for you? Plant something else instead!) For more garden analogy visit Armano’s Debunking The Myths of Social Media.

The doctor – To find out the best treatment, start with some tests!
Social strategy should be dealt with like any other pain. Your stomach hurts? We’ll have to do some tests. Chest pain? Ex-ray. Sometimes you’ll need three or more tests to provide you with a diagnosis. Your treatment might take a few weeks and will require an investment of your time, money & will power. If you’re thinking about taking up social the best thing to do is to your organisation a thorough checkup.

The tool shed  – Use different tools for different purpose.
There are hundreds of social media tools out there and more are added every day. What should you use? Should you use twitter? Well, this is a bit like asking should you use a screwdriver. It depends what you plan to do. Don’t’ just enter the tool shed, pick up some tool and start to play around. We usually have something in mind before we even consider entering the tool shed. We probably have some sort of paper with some drawings and measurements. Create a plan, draw some measurements. then take the right tool for the job.

The funniest (and the most accurate) analogy comes from the slideshare presentation: What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later: “Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it. Nobody knows how. When it’s finally done there is surprise it’s not better.” well, we didn’t stop trying right?

Should you use social media tools? Should social media be used to enhance your sales and get more eyeballs? How about a “social media campaign”? The simple answer to all these questions is no. Earned media (aka social media) should be practiced all the time. It should have an annual plan. It should be treated as a customer service tool. Have you ever heard about a customer service campaign?  right. So what IS the way to go? Here’s FRANkVizeum’s three steps to earned media strategy. We call it “Immersion” and it’s about listening, learning and researching.

Step 1. Listen and learn – survey your most passionate lovers. Start with your employees and the people who open your newsletter. Ask them how they feel about you, what would they like to see and where are they spending time online. You can also ask what is the most frustrating thing about your industry. This will bring you GOLD.

Step 2. Create a SWAT analysis of your brand online. What’s your online profile? what are your competitors doing? what is the industry doing and what trends can you see emerging? You’ll be surprised what you’ll find when you search youtube, flickr and twitter for your competitors brands.

Step 3. Collate the data and brainstorm. Think about management. Do you have the resources to invest in this space? Imagine having a customer service/call center without people who answer calls. Silly right? so there’s no point  in creating a faceboook group without a community manager. Think about the value for your users not only about the traffic you’ll get.

What do you think about these steps? We hope to post a case study next month and keep you posted on our progress. Meanwhile here’s the latest about “social media” from other blogs:

Where Social Media Fits Into The Marketing Mix – Daniel Oyston

Social media? It’s not actually about selling anything… – Stephen Collins

Marketing: Answering the wrong question – Jonathan Crossfield

Self interest or principle? – Ben Shepherd