photo courtesy of dreamcicle19772006

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Myth #1: Social media is a magic bullet

Truth: Yikes people, there is no such thing as a magic bullet. Social media is not a magic bullet. If you have brand perception issues, if you’re not connected to your community and if you want to get involved in social media because “everyone else is doing it” then yes, you can leverage the social web to help you change those things. However, saying that you’re going to do social media does not in and of itself solve your problems. Just creating a Facebook fan page, a YouTube channel and even having a blog does not solve your problems. It’s what you do with these things that make the difference. It’s how you use these tools to connect and engage that shows the value of social media. I also want to highlight, underline, italicize and bold that this cannot be the responsibility of only one person. You need to have the buy-off and involvement from many stakeholders including:

– Executives
- Product managers
- PR teams
- Marketing teams
- Web teams

Without these groups’ commitment, your social media initiatives cannot grow/thrive. And, I think it’s also worth mentioning, that social media is a long term investment. Campaigns do not a social media program make.

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Myth #2: Social media is free.

Image courtesy of Don Hankins, Flickr

Truth: Double yikes. I know I’m going to break a few hearts when I say this, but social media is definitely not free. Aside from the time investment that you’ll need to take from many team members, there are also dollar costs involved. Whether that be for the analytics suites you buy, or the Twitter clients you use (note: there are many free Twitter clients, but once you start needing enterprise grade management across several profiles, including measurement and reporting…Tweetdeck just doesn’t cut it) or the developers you hire to build sweet Facebook apps for your fan page…it’s just not free.

Remember: there is no free lunch (not even online).

What social media offers in return however, is a way to scale your marketing programs and create relationships that will pay off in the long run. Once you invest and build a strong foundation in social media, than you’ll be able to cultivate a community that will help spread your message. They’ll act as online police for you squashing the naysayers, they’ll be your brand advocates and they’ll write the reviews that turn into sales in the long run–they’ll even give you feedback to ensure that your products are in line with their needs/wants. It bears mentioning that the investment you’re making in social media is probably less than you already do in many of your traditional marketing and PR efforts. Keep yourself accountable by measuring the affects of social media, and change course when the investment is not justified by the returns. But remember, it’s not an overnight thing. Just like building a friendship, gotta give it time.

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I know there are more myths circulating out there…which ones are you fighting?

Gotcha.

It’s a trick question. Personally, I think it’s a little bit of both. The difficulty with this is that in most large organizations these two groups seems to operate quite independently. SM practitioners now need to act as negotiators who combine the needs and functions of both departments, for the benefit of the online community.

PR helps drive the content, and for the most part they can also handle engagement with the community, but online marketing helps provide the infrastructure to ensure that your social media presences are discoverable and optimized.

The important thing for SM managers at large organizations, and of course for small, is to acknowledge the needs of both groups.

In my opinion the real issue is the complexity of making the best custom setting decisions. For folks who aren’t addicted to the interwebz there’s a real danger that they’ll end up with profiles that are more open than they intended. I’ve seen my dad try to work the VCR–this is way more complicated and much less gratifying. I heard one commentator liken Facebook’s options to a airplane’s dashboard (apologies, I can’t remember who said it…) and it’s true. So many nobbies and options, it’s easy to get mixed up.

Perhaps the solution is to offer a few levels of default/customization, much like the Internet Options on Internet Explorer. You know, where you have a slidebar where you go from high security to lower, and then IE makes some assumptions based on your preferences (screenshot, below). Facebook could have the same – from super open, to super closed. (or the option of selecting manually).

Some resources worth checking out:

• From AllFacebook.com 10 New Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know
• Facebook’s official Privacy Policy

What do you think?

First, let’s say what Social Media is *not*:

• Blogs
• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube

“But, Shanee, those are exactly what Social Media is, aren’t they?” Common misconception. What you need to remember is: Social Media is not the tools. I repeat. Social. Media. Is. Not. The. Tools.

“So, Shanee, what is it?”

Pretty simple, really. Social media is engaging an audience in a two-way conversation. If you are only pushing content out, regardless of the platform you’re using (Twitter, Facebook, etc), then it’s not social media. The tools are just vehicles for the conversations. I’m sure some people might be shaking their heads furiously at this, but to them I say, leave a comment and let the discussion begin.

“Why should I be doing social media?” I think a lot of companies’ answer to this now, is “because everyone in our industry is doing it, so we want to as well.” That’s really only half the reason, the other half is because your community, media, partners and analysts are already engaging online. (Of course, you should first confirm that this is actually the case, that these folks are online, see below for some first steps on how to do this and to get involved in social media). It’s like everyone’s at a party online, having a great time, they’re swapping stories and making new friends. You have the chance to attend that party and join in the fun–everyone’s really welcoming–or you can stay at home and watch The Hills.

“How do I start doing social media?” There’s no right answer to this, but I’ll give you a few easy steps to kick you off.

1. Set up some listening profiles. Use Google Alerts, Twitter search, RSS feeds, whatever. Just figure out what people are saying about you online. Get a sense of what people feel about you and where the hot spots for conversation are. The good, bad and ugly. (note, there are amazing premium tools that can also help you do this, but if you’re short on cash, don’t be afraid to do the legwork). If you see there’s a need for you to jump in, based on your findings, then move on to…
2. Put together a plan. This is one of those important steps I think a lot of folks are jumping right on over. But, without the plan you’re not really going to be able to keep your program on track. You’ll just be shooting in the dark. The plan can be simple, think about answering the following:
• What is our goal? (Increase sales? change perception? address FUD? get input on products?)
• Who are we trying to reach? (Customers? partners? analysts?)
• How will we measure success? (use your goal you outlined in bullet point #1 to decide what to measure)
• What internal resources are available to us? (Social media takes time, especially if you want to do it effectively. Figure out who can help and how much time they can dedicate. Budget’s of course something you’ll want to figure out as well)

One thing I do want to mention here is that bigger isn’t necessarily better. 10 super engaged fans are more valuable than 100 people who followed, then forget you. You’ll need to factor in this type of context to your reporting, so you can decide if there’s a need to course-correct your social media strategy.
3. Get started. Choose whatever vehicle you want, (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook etc) based on where your listening profile shows you your audience is, and start talking, listening and responding. Keep your expectations realistic and know that if you give your community value through things like exclusive content/offers, customer service/support etc, they will respond in-kind.

For most of you, all of this is old hat, and to you I say, keep on truckin’ and keep on sharing your wisdom with the rest of us. For those of you who are new to social media, just remember not to get caught up in the tools. Yes they’re important, but if you know who you’re trying to reach, why you’re trying to reach them, and how you’ll measure if you’ve reached them successfully the tools will be interchangeable.

Additional resources:

• What the *** is Social Media? Mashable
• Social Media in Plain English
• How to Measure Social Media
• Understanding the Big and Small of Social Media Measurement

Questions? Comments? You know what to do.


Tagged: how to, Social Media ]]> http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/12/07/what-is-social-media/feed/ 2 sbenzur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/11/23/pinch-me-so-i-know-its-real/ http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/11/23/pinch-me-so-i-know-its-real/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:08:23 +0000 Shanee Ben-Zur http://shaneebenzur.com/?p=317 ]]> Well, one week in and I’m still alive. Lots to do, and even more to learn. I’m trying to find my footing in this huge company (I am coming from a company of about 50 to a company of 5,400). Everyone warned about the transition, and they were right. It’s amazing to see how efficient a huge company is, out of necessity. It’s also scary to think about being a small fish in such a big pond. But, those of you who know me know I live for a challenge.

This morning I walked out of a meeting thinking, “wow, I can’t believe I was just in a room with so many smart people…and having them listen to me.” It’s surreal, like, how did I get so lucky? How did I get to this place where I get to talk about something that actually interests me (no, I’m not talking about trashy television) as my job. Now I have to figure out how to best convey all the knowledge that’s in my head, to all the said smart-people.

In terms of logistics, I’m sitting in a sweet cube, which is more like a mini office. I don’t have any pictures up….I’m not much of a decorator. But I do have a half eaten apple that’s helping me get through the mid-morning hunger.

Another small, yet nonetheless pleasing perk of working at NVIDIA now is having a cafeteria. I know that even if I forget my lunch I won’t have the desperate hungry feeling…you know the one that makes you look in the shared refridgerator and say “who would be the least mad at me for eating their food?”




Tagged: nvidia, work ]]> http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/11/23/pinch-me-so-i-know-its-real/feed/ 0 sbenzur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/11/16/my-new-adventure-from-voce-to-nvidia/ http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/11/16/my-new-adventure-from-voce-to-nvidia/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:05:29 +0000 Shanee Ben-Zur http://shaneebenzur.com/?p=314 ]]> Well I’ve been radio silent for a while, and you may (or may not) have been wondering, “Hey, what’s up? Where’s Shanee? Where are the comics?” Worry not, I’m fine — having a lot of exciting new things happening in my life including taking on a brand-spanking-new opportunity at NVIDIA, where I’ll be serving as the company’s Social Media Manager. Today’s my first day, so wish me luck

Leaving Voce was an extremely difficult decision because it’s an amazing place to work and grow. I’m going to miss my clients, colleagues and managers like crazy but, like a little birdy, it was time for me to fly the nest. It’s really been an honor getting to collaborate with and learn from the smartest folks in social media at Voce (yes, I’m biased) including Mike Manuel, Josh Hallett and Ryan Lack. These are guys who really get it – they don’t just talk or hypothesize like many of the other self-proclaimed “social media gurus,” they actually create and execute successful social media programs for their clients: major brands from PlayStation to eBay to Logitech to Yahoo!. So what I’m trying to say in way too many words is, if you have a chance to work with these guys in any capacity, don’t hesitate!

I’ll continue to write/illustrate here on the blog about my own personal thoughts, as well as on my Twitter profile twitter.com/sbenzur — I’ll update you all when I have a more NVIDIA focused profiles you can follow as well.

For now, thanks for all your support and, again, wish me luck!

-sbz


Tagged: jobs, nvidia, voce communications ]]> http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/11/16/my-new-adventure-from-voce-to-nvidia/feed/ 0 sbenzur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/06/post-it-comic-ftc-and-blogging-regulations-with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility/ http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/06/post-it-comic-ftc-and-blogging-regulations-with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:12:26 +0000 Shanee Ben-Zur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/06/post-it-comic-ftc-and-blogging-regulations-with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility/ ]]>

Post it comic: FTC and blogging regulations, originally uploaded by Shanee BZ.

Alright- don’t anyone shoot me, but I did want to make a point. Regulation is necessary, unfortunately. Because, well, the honor method just doesn’t seem to work in society and on the internet. I think the main point is that the FTC wants bloggers to disclose relationships when endorsing products (or, otherwise reviewing them. even if it’s a bad review) Why? because consumers need to know about any biases that might exist when they’re making buy-decisions.

I know most of us in the Silicon valley consider ourselves to be savvy in these kinds of things, but just think about the rest of the world. Someone has to be there to help them see how this whole process works. In PR/Marketing/SM we always talk to our clients about transparency, so it’s really important that level of clarity pervades all aspects of the comms cycle. Bloggers shouldn’t be worried – in the end it all helps build the trust and relationships on which social media is hinged.

So let’s all be big boys and girls, and accept the fact that with great power comes great responsibility. (credit: Spider Man)


Tagged: blogging, ftc, regulations ]]> http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/06/post-it-comic-ftc-and-blogging-regulations-with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility/feed/ 0 sbenzur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/05/post-it-comic-twitter-whats-the-point/ http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/05/post-it-comic-twitter-whats-the-point/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:05:02 +0000 Shanee Ben-Zur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/05/post-it-comic-twitter-whats-the-point/ ]]>

Post it comic: Twitter-what’s the point?, originally uploaded by Shanee BZ.

Ok, so this is sort of basic stuff, but I think the diagram helps make conceptualizing it easier. Why should you be on Twitter you ask? Well – because one person says something and then all his/her followers see that message. Then if his/her followers respond (@reply) or syndicate (retweet) the comment, all of their followers see the message. It’s a ripple affect, whereby your message can be carried instantly to a large group of people. What’s more, by virtue of the relationships (ie. I only follow people/things that matter to me, and presumably people only follow me because I talk about things that matter to them) the content is being spread to the most interested and relevant audiences.

That’s enough learning for today. . . but if you still have questions, just ask!


Tagged: twitter ]]> http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/10/05/post-it-comic-twitter-whats-the-point/feed/ 0 sbenzur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/24/pic-18-emergency-2-0/ http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/24/pic-18-emergency-2-0/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:00:53 +0000 Shanee Ben-Zur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/24/pic-18-emergency-2-0/ ]]>

What happens when it’s the apocolypse and only land lines work? Well I think we’re all kind of in a bind, because, really, who knows phone numbers by heart anymore? When Gmail was slow this morning, and said that “contacts were temporarily unavailable” I didn’t think it’d be a problem. But then I startd working, and trying to send people emails took twice as long. I had to dig up old emails, and I didn’t have anyone’s phone number…it was pretty horrible. And then I thought, geez, what’s going to happen in a real emergency? Time to start memorizing my phone book.


Tagged: web 2.0 ]]> http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/24/pic-18-emergency-2-0/feed/ 0 sbenzur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/22/pic-17-european-launches-take-a-lot-out-of-a-girl/ http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/22/pic-17-european-launches-take-a-lot-out-of-a-girl/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:57:44 +0000 Shanee Ben-Zur http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/22/pic-17-european-launches-take-a-lot-out-of-a-girl/ ]]>

photo.jpg, originally uploaded by Shanee BZ.

Love, love LOVE working with clients around the world. But, when I’m in the office at 6am, I start drawing all crazy like here’s one from Tuesday morning.


Tagged: international ]]> http://shaneebenzur.com/2009/09/22/pic-17-european-launches-take-a-lot-out-of-a-girl/feed/ 1 sbenzur