When we talk about social media and the improvements it might bring, many still can’t see how it would work for their company. The subject is hardly worthy of such confusion. Just start by putting aside the technology and first ask who’s interested in your stuff and what you might offer them. In meeting rooms all around the world, we find excited people bursting at the seams to say something… really, anything… to anyone. They have nice offices, grand desks, and thick folders full of important graphs, and they’re working hard (doing what they do) to “raise general awareness.” They don’t know with whom, or about what, but they’re determined to find a way!
How often have you heard of the team leader who enthusiastically decides it’s the perfect time to write a press release about something undefined, to “raise awareness” with the “general public.” I can’t tell you how much I love the “general public”! They’re always ready to listen to our stories, even if these stories hold no actual relevance. Truth is, there’s no such thing as a “general public” waiting for your “awareness raising.” The general public just isn’t that interested in you! Even if they’re bored, they probably aren’t that bored.
It’s time to realise that the only people we should share messages with are those who have something to get from the message. We have to suppress the urge to blather on without purpose, and instead concentrate on saying something meaningful, to people who actually might care. It’s time to target interested people with what we have to say.
The past was “top-down.” People in nice offices wrote marketing messages about new cola flavors or improved toothpaste formulas and dispatched them to the rest of us, regardless of whether we wanted to receive these messages. We’re told that because of social media, these brands walk among us. Now they call this a “flat” world, but I think they’ve made a mistake. Quite likely, we, the people have superseded the brands and they now have to play servant to our demands.
Madness you say? I argue that while many rave about the marketing landscape being flat, the whole thing has actually turned upside down. The brands that lead today were in a way elected by the people and in the future the same people will have the power to dethrone them at a moment’s notice. Brands that lie to us, or are proven inferior have no longer influence over us. We can remove and replace them whenever we choose.
Ask a few people what they think social media is, and they’ll give you some variation of basically the same story. Most will mention things like blogs, forums, content communities, virtual worlds, wikis, social networks, and probably a number of other things that I’ve skipped here. To me, that seems like saying that a car is a motor, gearbox, carburetor, bodywork, and so on. This isn’t untrue, but the parts alone aren’t the most pivotal part of the story.
Some may find flaw with my perspective, but I think it’s wise to concentrate on the big picture. For the record, here’s what I think social media represents: a collection of new and improving online tools that work together to connect us. This is important, because it makes it much easier to connect with the people who are interested in what we’re doing.
