When marketers use the word “campaign,” it tends to suggest an initiative to get a message out to a targeted group of constituents. It also implies there will be a beginning and, somewhere down the road, an ending. This kind of thinking creates a danger zone for marketers when it comes to social media. Let me explain –
When starting a blog, podcast series or even a community, marketers have to think in longer terms than a standard campaign. A podcast series may not catch on for several months, heck, for even a year! I have been writing my own blog for two years now, and on this blog for six months. My blog recently earned distinction as a Top 50 Blog to Watch in ‘08! (Ok, shameless plug, yes, but it’s hard work!)
Here’s the point: There is no overnight success when it comes to social media. Sure, we all are reading about some superb viral results out there, but they are the exception, not the rule. And to say you can systematically achieve those results for your clients (either internal or external) is not accurate.
Another aspect of this is the idea that social media can be incorporated into every campaign you are doing. It’s like “slap a podcast onto that campaign, and we’re going social.”
That’s wrong. You need to prepare for social media with a strategy. See Forrester’s social media guidelines, which they call POST, for ideas on how to formulate your own social media strategy.
Another point of differentiation between campaigns and social media is the latter’s endless need for content. When your content runs out, so does your social media audience. That means you need to be prepared with much more content then you ever anticipated.
2008 is going to be a big year in terms of dollars migrating to the Web and to Web 2.0 tactics aimed at creating a more social version of many companies. Marketers are going to need to adjust their thinking about typical campaigns and what they mean in the social media realm.
The bottom line: If you want to go Social, it takes time, content and a strategy to measure success.
Tags: Social Media
Great post, Paul. I agree. But I think we need to think bigger than social media. That’s just one component of a MOVEMENT. And isn’t that what we should be trying to ignite? Movements?
I wrote about the concept of “Campaigns vs. Movements” a couple of years back, and it’s still my favorite post…
“Campaigns have a beginning and an end. Movements go on as long as kindred spirits are involved. Campaigns are part of the war vocabulary. Movements are part of the evangelist vocabulary. Campaigns are dry and emotionally detached. Movements are organic and rooted in passion. Campaigns rely on traditional mediums. Movements rely on word of mouth. Campaigns are part of the creationist theory. Movements are part of the evolutionist theory. Campaigns are you talking about yourself. Movements are others talking about you. Campaigns add to awareness. Movements add to credibility. Campaigns are “you vs. us.” Movements are “let’s do this together.”
Hi Paul,
Exactly, I was referring to this issue yesterday in a comment I sent to Brian Solis, from PR2.0, who is doing great work on the Social Media Release.
I was wondering how to ‘trigger’ the communication if I was to implement a Wordpress environment for publishing SM releases? I understand that the mere fact of posting will ping Technorati, Google Blog Search, etc. But this will still not trigger any conversations (in the short-term). If a company is just setting up a Blog (together with a SMR platform) and they don’t yet have any subscribers, trackbacks, authority,… how can they initiate any buzz? Pairing it with the traditional release obviously makes sense but how do you get to the “effective outbound media/blogger/influencer campaign” Brian Solis is mentioning? Herein lays the challenge I guess? How do you trigger the conversation?
Regards,
Greg
Paul, totally agree that creating a corporate social media strategy takes planning and time.
As far as campaigns, there are many great uses for social media inside campaigns. If I add voting options for content generated by me or visitors, then that becomes a social aspect of my campaign. I agree I can’t now say I’m going “social” but for the objectives of the campaign, adding a social media component my help me reach my objective.
And because my campaign objectives are not likely to be to create a movement, as Spike points out, I don’t have to go all the way with social media, I can dip my toe in and leverage only those aspects of social media that are appropriate.
I think the real struggle so many companies are dealing with is whether to have a corporate social media strategy at all, and how best to start.
And so much of that depends what you’re trying to achieve, and the readiness of your audience, your market, and your company. If your target audience isn’t participating in social media, then you probably don’t need to either. If they’re creators of content and in highly active communities, then you should get in the game in a big way or you’ll lose out to competitors who do.
It’s feels like the Wild Wild West out there when it comes to social media. Thanks for keeping the conversation going.
I think it depends on what is meant by campaign? If the Campaign is “doing good business via relationships” and the end date is left blank then that could be one meaning.
The old rules, words, terminology, are either being changed or the meaning altered every single day.
Mike Ashworth
Business and Coaching Consultancy
Brighton and Hove, Sussex, UK
Spike
I love the idea of starting a “movement” – I havent used that terminology before. It sure feels more like doing things together than a campaign does which seems like more of a one way street.
Good call …
Greg
It is a step by step process. I get this question alot and there is no pixie dust marketers have that can take from 0 to 60 in 6 seconds.
Buzz is work like anything else and needs to be planned for on top of a solid strategy that relates back to a brand positioning you want to explore.
The good news is there are tons of great new vehicles like SMPR, blogging, podcasting that can help you get the word out in a multimedia sense but here is the secret
If you have a story worth repeating, bloggers, podcasters, etc will repeat your story all over the world
The trick is having the cool story!
Social media marketing is like loosing weight. Diets don’t work, changing your lifestyle does.
Mike
here is the definition by Dictionary.com of Campaign
a systematic course of aggressive activities for some specific purpose: ex a sales campaign.
Social media is like branding, high-tech.
‘Campaigns’ were run to ensure the long-term prominence of the brand name & what the brand stood for.
I think in the same aspect, we can run ‘campaigns’ on social media that contribute to the longer term awareness of the brand. In this sense the ‘campaigns’ would refer to once off periods of promotion.
Posting every day to your blog might then be equivalent to meeting with your clients and customers at social gatherings – which you would have done offline anyway.
(My 2c anyway!)
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