*Note: I’ll admit, I’ve been a little surprised by the response to my Practicing Social Media blog post. I’ve had more comments both in passing and through email that I ever expect. Like any good blog post of course it did make a few people mad, but the comments have been overwhelmingly positive. This was all originally part of a larger idea about social media that I had, so consider this post chapter 2.
I’ve watched over the last year or two as social media “experts” and companies have struggled and failed at social media. It is sometimes like watching BP trying to stop the oil spill. The problem is that this whole thing (which I will hopefully try to define) was never about social media. As soon as you try to establish yourself a social media “expert” or try to start a social media division of your company you have already failed.
Let’s return to the doctor analogy from last time. I am going to pretend that I am a cancer doctor. Now if I focus all my efforts on being the best in the world at injecting chemo into a cancer cell where does that leave me when a better and more effective method comes along? I’ve branded myself as a chemo expert, I’ve put all my eggs in the chemo basket, and suddenly I am more focused on the procedure instead of the intended outcome, which is curing cancer. Due to my expertise in chemo I am going to be slow to move past that, because I am the best in the whole freakin world at it. The reality is that my patients don’t care if I am the best or not, if there is a better more effective solution they are going to move toward using that, leaving me behind, and causing me to fail.
Now let’s say I turn the situation around. I am a cancer doctor most interested in the problem (cancer) and finding the best possible solution to reach my intended outcome of curing cancer. With that mindset I am going to continually search for better ways to reach that intended outcome. I will fail a time or two, that is certain, but in the strive to be an expert in the problem, not a specific solution, I will succeed.
Social media is the tool, it is our current treatment for an illness. Some companies and “experts” try to use it as a tool for the wrong illness. They have traditional marketing practices of bombarding potential customers with information in hopes to get a sell. That is like trying to treat cancer with an ice pick, it is going to hurt like hell and not do any good in the end.
Our ultimate goal however is a relationship. It is something I like to call Relational Marketing. My intended outcome is not to sell you anything at all, it is to form a relationship between you and me. The illness is that in mass marketing we have severed these relationships. I am not going to form a bond with Tony the Tiger any more than I am with BP. As soon as I find something better or you fail in some fashion I am going to leave you.
By creating a relationship you create loyalty. You feel like you are a part of the company, like your opinion matters. I fly @southwestair every chance I get. Have I had a bad flight with them? You bet, it is inevitable. However I know that if I have a complaint they will respond. They may not do anything to fix it, but I know that they care and will try to do better next time. On the flip side, I have no loyalty to United Airlines. I’ve never had a bad flight (been delayed but that is the airport), but I don’t feel a relationship to them. As a result I fly Southwest any chance I get, even if they have a slightly higher fare on the flight.
Social Media is a great tool for forming these relationships. It works even better in conjunction with other tools of course, just like chemo and radiation. By focusing on the tool and not the intended outcome of a relationship though quickly are passed by when a new tool comes out, and you never really reach your intended outcome because it is not the primary focus.
Be an expert in relationships. Try to connect with people. Try to strengthen those connections. Use the best possible tools for the job that are available. If you do that you will succeed an a much larger level than ever intended.
