Social Media Myths Dispelled

21 Jan

I’ve heard more than a few myths recently about social media that paint it as some kind of magical unicorn in the marketing work. Unfortunately, these myths are completely untrue–they’re the kind of myths that get corporate marketing teams very excited, and social media managers very scared. I’d like to look at a couple of the biggest offenders, and then the truths that will help bring things back to reality.

Social Media Unicorn

photo courtesy of dreamcicle19772006

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Should Social Media Fall Under PR or Online Marketing?

15 Jan

So, what do you think? Is social media an extension of online marketing, or is it public relations?

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.

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Facebook’s Privacy Settings – What’s the Real Issue?

4 Jan

Everyone’s up in arms about Facebook’s default privacy settings, but that leaves me a little perplexed. Default settings are just an option, they’re not a requirement. Much the same way when you install software – there are default installations and custom installations. If you install the default you can rest assured that you’re going to get some bloatware, or erroneous copies installed in places you can never remove, or something that otherwise benefits the software creator, more than you, the consumer. So, why should Facebook be held to different standards?

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:

What do you think?

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What is Social Media?

7 Dec

Seems like the answer to this should be pretty simple, considering the fact that you can’t turn a corner without a marketer throwing the term social media at you. But, alas, it is not.

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:

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Pinch Me, So I know It’s Real

23 Nov

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?”

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