With special thanks to guest Intouch blogger (and the brains behind the @IntouchSol Twitter presence) Jim Dayton!
When You Become a Relevant Topic of Conversation
Personally, I agree with Jennifer Jones of Speak Media Blog: social media is a lot like a high school cafeteria, each group with their unique interests sitting at their prescribed table discussing what's relevant to them. And that's very important, what's relevant to them. Sooner or later, a product or brand comes up in these conversations. At that moment, the conversation should shoot fireworks and send up signal flares. Because that's the exact moment a brand or product has become relevant to the people having the conversation, and the conversation has become extremely relevant to us as marketers. It is an opportunity to hear from your customer directly. And, beyond complaints, those opportunities are few and far between. It is a chance to listen to an unfettered conversation about your product or brand. And frankly, if the conversation is about your product or brand, it is your conversation. Whether you want to own it or not, it's yours.
It's simple. Be you. After all, these are your conversations. We find ourselves telling clients on a regular basis to do very similar things to what you would do at a cocktail party.
Like all interactive agencies, it's rare for Intouch to have a planning meeting or client conversation these days that doesn't include mention of social media. Brand managers are trying to get a grasp on this slippery medium, but when you strip away the "cool" factor, what is social media really?
When You Become a Relevant Topic of Conversation
Personally, I agree with Jennifer Jones of Speak Media Blog: social media is a lot like a high school cafeteria, each group with their unique interests sitting at their prescribed table discussing what's relevant to them. And that's very important, what's relevant to them. Sooner or later, a product or brand comes up in these conversations. At that moment, the conversation should shoot fireworks and send up signal flares. Because that's the exact moment a brand or product has become relevant to the people having the conversation, and the conversation has become extremely relevant to us as marketers. It is an opportunity to hear from your customer directly. And, beyond complaints, those opportunities are few and far between. It is a chance to listen to an unfettered conversation about your product or brand. And frankly, if the conversation is about your product or brand, it is your conversation. Whether you want to own it or not, it's yours.
Don't Be a Wallflower
But how do you join that conversation? Like any other conversation, participation is a requirement. Otherwise, you simply become the person standing there with a befuddled look on your face that eventually becomes invisible to the participants, or more accurately, irrelevant. And this is what many brands are going to be faced with the evolution of the Internet. We've seen this before with the Web. First, it was websites, or Web 1.0. How relevant are the companies that don't have a website today? Now, with Web 2.0, it's participating in the conversation with consumers in a way that is relevant to them. Joining the conversation is tricky. You have to say the right things, at the right time, via the appropriate channel. But how do you do that?
But how do you join that conversation? Like any other conversation, participation is a requirement. Otherwise, you simply become the person standing there with a befuddled look on your face that eventually becomes invisible to the participants, or more accurately, irrelevant. And this is what many brands are going to be faced with the evolution of the Internet. We've seen this before with the Web. First, it was websites, or Web 1.0. How relevant are the companies that don't have a website today? Now, with Web 2.0, it's participating in the conversation with consumers in a way that is relevant to them. Joining the conversation is tricky. You have to say the right things, at the right time, via the appropriate channel. But how do you do that?
It's simple. Be you. After all, these are your conversations. We find ourselves telling clients on a regular basis to do very similar things to what you would do at a cocktail party.
- First, listen. The first step in being part of the conversation is to know what the conversation is about. For social media, this means an audit of social networks, message boards, podcasts, wikis, video and photo sharing sites, blogs and micro-blogs.
- Second, learn. Once you know what the conversation is about, what value can your brand add to the conversation? Maybe your audience needs a new tool, an instructional video or a piece of information that you are already providing on your website.
- Finally, answer. Provide the things your audience needs. Let them know on the message boards or social network groups that a new tool or instructional video is available, link to the relevant information on your website, or create the podcast with the respected doctor they all want to hear from.
As long as your brand is ready to commit to being genuine and let the other participants in the conversation know you are there to help, your brand is ready to be relevant to your customers in social media. Trust me, finding the right things to say at the appropriate time fall into place as soon as you decide to be you. Amazingly, so does ROI. With Web 3.0 on the horizon, can you afford not to be part of your conversations?
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