Against the Grain: Social Media

They’re talking about you. You may not know it, but your company, its products and employees are being talked about every day online. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook… all are dotted with mentions that can affect how your company, brand and industry are perceived.

They’re talking about your competitors too.

The question is, are you listening? Are you monitoring those sites to gain insight into customer wants and needs? Are you using it to gain a competitive advantage? Are you using the same services to participate in, and drive, the conversation? It’s not conventional marketing. But then, these are conventional times.

Trilix is a full-service advertising agency headquartered in the Midwest with expertise in helping manufacturers market effectively and drive sales success. Learn more at www.trilixgroup.com or email Todd Senne at tsenne@trilixgroup.com.

Last week, I attended the National AgriMarketing (NAMA) conference in Kansas City. The 2010 conference drew a record number of agri-marketing professionals and featured two days of social media, e-mail marketing and branding discussions. Armed with my beloved BlackBerry, Twitter app and the conference hash tag, I was anxious to catch up with old friends, meet new ones and share everything I learned with my Twitter followers.

I was amazed by the number of attendees I recognized by their Twitter avatars and how many conversations began with, “Hey, I know you! I’m @KeyleeP.” As I chatted with tweeps, I jokingly suggested our Twitter handles should be listed on our name tags. But seriously, they should’ve been! How opportunities to make a face-to-face connection with online “friends” did I miss because I didn't recognize them? Most marketers would agree that we're in a relationship business and the ability to network is key to unlocking new opportunities. The beauty of Twitter is that it creates an introduction, a virtual handshake if you will, to make real life connections that can help your business grow.

In addition to its networking perks, Twitter is a great platform to raise awareness about your company and promote your products and services. Some companies are fearful of using social media because they lose control of their messaging. But it’s time for these timid, late-adapters to be brave and log-in. Customers are already talking about your company, products and services and you'd better be monitoring what they're saying. Tweets can spread through the Twitterverse like wild fire and if the messages are negative, you’d better be ready to respond — STAT!

Social media has added a new dynamic to the marketing mix. You must get engaged in the online conversation to connect with your current and potential clients and monitor what they're saying about your brand. You never know who is listening. The next virtual hand you shake may just open the door to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

On Twitter yesterday, I posted a simple question, “Any recommendations for Des Moines-area chiropractors? Prefer Des Moines or West location.”  I didn’t expect too many responses, maybe a name or two. What happened surprised me. Not only did I get almost half a dozen responses in the next ten minutes, I also received a direct message from one chiropractor letting me know she’s happy to answer my questions, and inviting me in for a free session. This particular chiropractor was also recommended by someone who responded to my question.

So what did I do? Well, I went straight to the chiropractor that direct messaged me and set up an appointment. She passed my test because she was recommended by someone else, and she responded directly to me, inviting me in for a free session.

The business lessons?  Be where your customers are. Twitter, like any other social media tool, is where your customers can make or break your business. If you are not out there and people are talking about you or your company, you’re missing out.

Set yourself apart from everyone else. If this particular chiropractor had not direct messaged me, she would have been on the list with six other doctors. By reaching out to me personally, she put herself on top of my list.

Give a business prospect/new customer a compelling reason to choose you. I get a no strings attached visit with her to find out if she’s the best chiropractor for me. We might find out we’re not suited for each other, but she’s willing to invest her time and because I don’t have to pay for the first visit, I’m not hesitant about investing my time.

Really, this is just another example of Twitter as a business communications tool. As a consumer, I’m in a winning position because I have a list of five other doctors to look into if the first one doesn’t pan out. The chiropractors win because they have clients on Twitter, advocating for them and their services. The chiropractor I’m meeting with wins because she took a few minutes to do something extra to set herself apart and it worked.  

It doesn't take a detective to notice that the media landscape is undergoing its biggest change since the advent of the Internet 15 years ago. The force of social media is forever altering the way individuals stay in touch and share ideas. And increasingly, this applies to companies as well.

By now we're all at least somewhat familiar with Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter and the rest of the social networking landscape (Plurk, anyone?). And although the conversation is certainly taking place in board rooms all across the country, most companies are hesitant to jump into this world. Knowing that, here are five things to consider before entering the pool.

Are you ready to make the commitment?
Social media is not a do-it-today-win-tomorrow strategy. Just like offline relationships, building and cultivating your online relationships takes time. The care and feeding of your friends and followers is a daily — nay, hourly — task that must garner its fair share of your attention and resources. Social media is a cumulative process that shows minimal returns at first and can grow exponentially over time. It's about giving and sharing your time, expertise and value, knowing that it'll come back to you ten-fold down the road.

Who's going to manage it?
Unlike an individual setting up a Facebook or Twitter account, your organization's presence on these social networks is representative of multiple individuals, departments and possibly even locations. But because of the personal and real-time nature of these tools, your social network presence is not something that can be managed on a corporate level. It must be turned over to a single person or small team entrusted to be a proactive member of the community and to make responsible decisions regarding corporate communication. And all this has to happen without an approval process for interactions and postings (they would slow things down to the point of making them irrelevant).

The manager of your social media presence should be a real individual with an identifiable voice, not a booming corporate entity. But at the same time, they must serve the company's interests, not their own. It's a delicate balance... but it's achievable.

For a great example, follow Scott Monty of Ford Motor Co. on Twitter.

Can you be open and transparent?
A hallmark of social networking is open, transparent communication. If you aren't a part of an organization that values and actively rewards these things, you may find it tough to engage effectively with your community via social networks. Unlike traditional one-way marketing efforts, this two-way (or two-thousand-way) conversation requires candid, honest, open and human conversation.

This does not, however, mean that you should undermine overarching corporate strategy. Before implementing a social media strategy, be sure to sit down with management and legal to set guidelines about what is permissible and how to handle sensitive inquiries.

Will you be all business all the time?
The personal nature of social networks all but insists that you be "real." Unfortunately for companies, "real" is a synonym for "not corporate." Like it or not, this means you'll likely get less-than-stellar results from an all-business-all-the-time approach. Have some fun, show your personality and don't be afraid to be real. Got some goofy pictures from the company holiday party? Post them. Have a funny travel story that happened on your most recent business trip? Share it. Doing these things will ensure that when you do have a business-first announcement to make that your community actually takes notice.

But looked at a different way, this is an opportunity. It's an opportunity to engage your customers and prospects on a personal level and build a truly personal relationship with them.

How will you measure success?
Much like the offline relationships that social networks mirror, there's no hard and fast way to measure success. Like a lot of things in life, it's sort of fuzzy... it's an I-know-it-when-I-see-it sort of thing. Knowing that, if you're looking to tie your social media strategy directly to dollars, you're probably barking up the wrong tree.

However, because of the online nature of social networks, there are a number of metrics you can watch to gauge success — and most sites provide tools to help you do just that. Beyond measuring the growth of your various social circles (friends, followers, etc.), you can also look at interactions, private messages and posts that mention you or your company. In addition, your communications and profiles should push Web traffic to your main site, which can be tracked through your regular Web analytics package.

One last thing to think about while you're standing on the edge, considering whether you should get in the water. Don't dip a toe... dive in. Much like the offline social world, online social media doesn't reward timidity.

Last month we brought you part one of our two-part “What We’re Reading” series. This month comes round two of the books that we read to stay sharp and engaged in the world at large.

So without further ado…

Darcy Swon
Groundswell - Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies
by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

Amazon.com says: Corporate executives are struggling with a new trend: people using online social technologies (blogs, social networking sites, YouTube, podcasts) to discuss products and companies, write their own news, and find their own deals. This groundswell is global, it’s unstoppable, it affects every industry and it’s utterly foreign to the powerful companies running things now.

When consumers you’ve never met are rating your company’s products in public forums with which you have no experience or influence, your company is vulnerable. In Groundswell, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Forrester, Inc. explain how to turn this threat into an opportunity.

Darcy says: It used to be that the goal of the Internet was to drive traffic to one's site. It is now focused on driving your site to the traffic. The Internet has clearly re-defined how we work, live and play with the rise of social networking. This book is full of great case studies on companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Best Buy and Dell, to name a few, that have embraced this change and have gained insight into their customers, generated more revenue, energized and created stronger relationships with their own customers and saved money.

Drew Jones
The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
by Leonard Mlodinow

Amazon.com says: A drunkard's walk is a type of random statistical distribution with important applications in scientific studies ranging from biology to astronomy. Mlodinow, a visiting lecturer at Caltech and co-author with Stephen Hawking of A Briefer History of Time, leads readers on a walk through the hills and valleys of randomness and how it directs our lives more than we realize. Mlodinow defines such tricky concepts as regression to the mean and the law of large numbers, which should help readers as they navigate the daily deluge of election polls and new studies on how to live to 100. Books on randomness and statistics line library shelves, but Mlodinow will help readers sort out Mark Twain's damn lies from meaningful statistics and the choices we face every day.

Drew Says: I’ll be honest, I picked this book up because of the title. But what I got when I began reading was a crash course in statistics and number theory — a thoroughly interesting and engaging subject that is usually presented in a thoroughly uninteresting manner. Well, not in this case. In the spirit of A Brief History of Time and A Short History of Nearly Everything, The Drunkard’s Walk presents scientific subject matter in a way that makes it engaging, interesting and understandable for the layperson.

Brett Adams
Often Wrong, Never in Doubt: Unleash the Business Rebel Within
by Donny Deutsch

 Amazon.com says: Though his celebrity may sell it, it's Donny Deutsch's street smarts and humanity that make this one of the most enduring lessons on running a small business, in this case advertising. Part memoir, part primer on managing clients in a creative business, the material also discusses managing oneself with integrity, a healthy respect for other people, and an honest perspective on one's individual talents and contributions.

Brett says: I read this book because the Deutsch Agency and particularly Donny Deutsch are fascinating case studies in how you can go from a small startup to a multi-media giant with the right attitude and foresight. This book provides some great insights into how advertising has changed over the years and how some of the best are always one step head.

Yancy de Lathouder
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
by Daniel Tammet

Amazon.com says: This unique first-person account offers a window into the mind of a high-functioning, 27-year-old British autistic savant with Asperger's syndrome. Tammet's ability to think abstractly, deviate from routine, and empathize, interact and communicate with others is impaired, yet he's capable of incredible feats of memorization and mental calculation. Besides being able to effortlessly multiply and divide huge sums in his head with the speed and accuracy of a computer, Tammet learned Icelandic in a single week and recited the number pi up to the 22,514th digit, breaking the European record. He also experiences synesthesia, an unusual neurological syndrome that enables him to experience numbers and words as "shapes, colors, textures and motions."

Yancy says:
The book does cover Daniel’s amazing accomplishments, but focuses more on Daniel's life and recounts the difficulties of growing up with Asperger's Syndrome during a time when Asperger's was rarely diagnosed. In particular, Daniel gives a window into the world of autism, explaining the attraction to seemingly nonsensical habits, such as repetition, spinning, cover the ears, etc., in addition to the fears surrounding the most simple human interactions. If you've known someone with autism, or if you simply want a better understanding of the syndrome, this book will certainly help.

Ron Maahs
New Ideas from Dead CEO's: Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office
by Todd G. Buchholz

Amazon.com says: In selecting great ideas from dozens of entrepreneurial CEOs, Buchholz insisted that these business pioneers had to be innovators, teachers of lessons, and interesting—and gone from this earth. All nine CEOs represent household names and, some may argue, overexposed brands. Yet Buchholz, with compelling and fast-reading narratives, drills to the core of each personality and his or her business.

Ron says: It's a great mix of history, biography and insight into the success of some of the 20th Century's greatest business leaders. The lessons and ideas of innovation, hard work, grabbing opportunity, and making your own way in the world may not be new, but they are still true today.