226: The number of brands on a growing list of social media marketing examples. Just under two weeks ago, I posted a list of about 120 examples of brands either using social media for marketing or being impacted by users exerting influence in the channel. Since then, the list has almost doubled based on the contributions of individuals who added additional insight. I’m grateful for the power of word-of-mouth and generosity of those who have shared.
The reason I started the list is that for the past few months, I’ve been continually asking myself, “What is social media?” I find the Wikipedia entry lacking, which you’d think would be authoritative on this, if any subject. I must admit that after hours of building and maintaining this list, I’m left with more questions than answers.
Paul Dunay asked the key question on this blog about a month that gets right to the heart of the matter: “Is Podcasting Social Media?” I don’t think his question was ever definitively answered.
When I look at the list of 226 examples, blogging is the most common activity (52% of companies), followed by social networks (47%), microblogging (20%), and online video (18%). Then when I check the references, many are sadly no more than [an analogy that can't be used safely anymore because of political reasons].
Let’s get back to Paul’s question, but let me ask it in a different way: When marketers use social media for marketing purposes, do the “social” aspects of the channel dissipate? Why do so many social media marketing efforts look so much like traditional marketing stuff with a “2.0″ sticker slapped on top?
Why do so many social media marketing efforts look so much like traditional marketing stuff with a “2.0″ sticker slapped on top?
I’ll try to tackle this one: I don’t believe that most businesses entering social media see it as anything other than a set of tools. And until they recognize that the tools much follow an aligned and integrated marketing strategy, complete with measurable goals and a change management strategy and process, social media, like all tools before them, become simply tactics melded into traditional marketing.
Peter,
I don’t know how to answer Paul’s question because it will sound like marketing spin and I don’t want to be one of those people.
I constantly toy with getting rid of the word “marketing” all together. But that’s another topic.
In my opinion, YES, social media will be compromised by traditional “marketing driven” activities. That type of approach flies in the face of the people who are drawn to these channels and won’t yield anything remarkable.
At the same time, I do believe that companies that find ways to use these channels for active customer listening, dialog, as a gateway to proper service, for co-creation will win in the long run.
Getting there is half the battle.
I’d assert that part of the reason so many marketing efforts suck in social media is the skill gap that exists between traditional marketing and new media marketing.
There’s a wide gap between traditional marketers and those who understand new/social media and grasp the principles of interaction design. Another challenge is that while we need those new media skills, we also need those people to have strong business skills and the understanding of how to build and measure a social media presence. It’s all critical stuff.
To resolve the lack of internal skill, many companies are HIGHLY dependent on advertising agencies. However, it’s important to remember that those agencies (even social media agencies) are, at some level, ALSO learning as they go — AND they’re having JUST as hard a time recruiting social media specialists.
This is compounded by the fact that because of the engaging nature of social media… staff become EASILY mired at a task-level in projects … and lose the ability to maintain strategic focus.
Beyond the lack of skill – the inability to innovate and pioneer is also a result of a lack of resources, a lack of structure and governance, a lack of “standards” and varying levels of flexibility and freedom individuals are granted inside the organization to pioneer in these channels.
I think that many of us immersed in social media run the risk of forgetting that, by and large, we are early adopters in this space. As a result, we tend to expect “magic” from companies testing social media. It’s such a rapidly evolving space, and measurement is a wiley exercise. This has gotta be tough on those mired in the realities of day-to-day business, where social media is a mere DOT on the radar…
Just my rushed .02 cents!
Lew, Leigh – I hear you. You remind me that scalability is problem. Social media performs best at an individual level. Companies can’t participate – only employees can. So the marketer’s dilemma becomes how to incorporate social media successfully without burning out by getting personally involved in the process. Scale comes from the community, but activating the community in the first place requires some personal insight into how the tools work. Chicken and egg. Or egg and chicken?
Peter,
You said that so well. Further, the more “successful” and big, and deep the community interaction become, the more hairy it is to manage.
That’s why being selective and conservative about the approach is important. MORE importantly – figuring out in advance how the social media activity will directly support the overall customer experience the brand desires to create!
Otherwise, it’s little more than some employee, for example, tweeting on behalf of the organization in a back corner… trying to justify the benefit to the rest of the organization.
Unfortunately, planning and strategy require time — slow agility…
More chicken/egg/chicken/egg
Bock bock!
Leigh
Actually Peter I thought out of all the comments I got on this post that Christopher Penn nailed it with this comment
Podcasts are not social media per se. Social media is a subset of new media, and podcasts are new media – media produced in new channels that previously did not exist.
Point taken, Paul..then what is social media?
Sorry to be a post hog, but timing is apropos as I’m working on a related topic. Paul – well said. I agree.
Peter, wouldn’t social media be any medium that allows/enables users to connect with other users for discourse? It’s certainly not new. Web 1.0 was social too, right? It’s just now become a buzz word.
We have this need to categorize stuff… In fact, I just posted (and may repost on mprofs) in an attempt to categorize the current “social media landscape” as well as the attributes realted to each category and would **LOVE** your input.
http://livepath.blogspot.com/2008/09/social-media-categories.html
THANK YOU, GUYS!
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Great information Peter. Everyday, Social Media is becoming more of a preferred method of communication.
I just wrote a post on “Social Media For Health Care” I would love to know your opinion on it.
http://blog.business-bits.com/?p=12
Keep up the great work.
Jim
Wow this list is great and comprehensive. This is the perfect way to show clients and people just how effective and growing social media is as a marketing/conversational medium.
The question I ask: is social media inherently or only just allegedly for the users/by the users, to share and discuss within trusted circles of peers
Companies that use social media as marketing tools often miss out on the basic state of mind of what I the user want social media to be …. they go the allegedly way. When it is used to push marketing messages, and so intrude user centered environments, such marketers abuse the good will of users to listen to them.
Can the Internet be turned on its head, so that I am the center of my micro-universe of one, an Icentered paradigm that is INHERENTLY for the users/by the users, to share and discuss within trusted circles of peers
When marketers become sensitive to an Icentered point of view that sees the world from the prismatic lens of the user …. they will understand that it takes much more than reaching them technologically in their social sphere.
For more on Icentered visit http://icentered.org
My personal opinion is that podcasts are not social media, but they can be. Blogs are not social media, but they can be. The concept of social network marketing is for the company to provide value above and beyond just selling their product. This makes you a valuable part of the community.
Much of what I see doesn’t do that and it should. I wrote a white paper titles “Having a Blog Is Not a Social Media Strategy! ”
Downloads are available at http://www.octanecorp.com/portals/5/whitepaper/Ablogisnotasocialnetwork.pdf