The October 2009 issue of PR Week discussed the findings of its Social Media Survey for this year.  In addition to the fact that 37% of the 271 companies surveyed did not use any type of social media, I found it striking that there seemed to be no consistency of use among firms.  The tone of the article (Reality Check by Kimberly Maul, pp. 34-40) gave the impression that most firms are either waiting to see what happens (as if social media is a fad) or experimenting with a completely new reality.  The list of barrier to implementation found by the survey included lack of internal resources, lack of expertise, uncertainty about ROI, fear of negative customer reaction, and lack of global scale, to name a few.  The perception of these barriers leads marketers and executives to believe that there is a chasm between social media and the rest of marketing when, in fact, there is not.  What we know about marketing, we still know about marketing, and we can apply it to social media.  The model for understanding this is simple. Social media is like using PR for marketing purposes.  There is an audience that can be reached by using information intermediaries, which I refer to as connectors.  In PR the connectors are the mainstream media.  With social media the connectors are bloggers and others who feel a special connection to a brand or product category.  Both approaches are great because they come with tons of credibility, and are reasonably inexpensive to execute.  The downside, of course, is that we are giving control of our message to the connectors and risk negative interpretation.  Social media efforts are also more likely to draw direct comments from customers and prospective customers.  These comments are feared by some companies as company execs believe that negative commentary will have an adverse impact on the firm.  That’s surely possible, but these sorts of comments were being transmitted from person to person before social media was ever conceived.  The comments that arrive via social media are a blessing as they allow firms to respond to concerns (real or imagined) as they arise.

So, as we enter the holiday season I’d like you to consider following my calendar:

November 26: Be thankful for those who make comments about our firms, brands, products, services, and people through social media.

Sometime between December 21, the Winter Solstice, and the end of the year (pick the holiday that suits you the best), give the gift of social media to your 2010 marketing plan. Yes, you need to have a marketing plan and social media should be something you look at strategically, not as an experiment. (Email me if you want help with this.)

On January 1, resolve to make your marketing public relations and social media functions one and the same, and use them as your chief brand building, and communicating strategies for at least the next five years. 

Have a peaceful and happy holiday season.

Best,

Gaetan
 


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