Social media is not a magic bullet. The idea that a company can just say something clever and have it instantly “go viral” is like falling in love in the movies; it doesn’t happen that way in real life. Save the lucky exceptions, most people have to work at it, and that takes a lot of trial and error.
I’m a digital marketing and communication specialist; in other words, if you were the personification of a company, I would be responsible for your entire online presence. Everything you say, everything you plan to say and everything you “Like,” share and comment on, including all those videos and photos, all carefully planned. Next, there’s your website and all the cool stuff you want the world to know about you and all the things you care about. Finally, there’s your personal style, what you wear and how you look, even how you talk, at least the side of you we see online.
With so much to coordinate, it’s sometimes like being the director and the stage crew and the cast, all at the same time – and it’s a blast. However, I don’t necessarily need to keep all if that fun/work to myself alone, not anymore.
As for Ryan Holmes’ article, How Companies will Use Social Media in 2016 for Fast Company, I both agree and disagree on certain points. Social media for business, though different, is still a channel. PR, media relations and social media all require strategic communication.
With social, however, as with live or telephone marketing, it needs to be clear what the business objectives are, so that you can be responsive and seek customers out confidently. Similar to traditional advertising and editorials, if you don’t already have an active fan base, you might as well be shouting into the ether, because nobody is going to read that clever post unless you either pay for it (ads) or find a smart way for people to “discover” it. #trending
The best examples I’ve seen of companies making the most of digital media has been when they’ve been able to create an informal community around subject matter that is relevant to everyone. I think that this sort of exposure can seem scary to a lot of companies, but I think that the reason social succeeds is because it allows companies to connect with customers at a more human level. The person on the other end is a real person, with a name and a profile picture. They’re representing the humanity behind your brand, instead of just a logo.
It’s this, human-first approach to social media, that leads to a richer company-wide buy-in. When you have a clear social media strategy and guidelines around what’s okay, what’s encouraged and what subjects to avoid, your entire team becomes online ambassadors for your brand. People are a company’s most valuable asset.
Photo by Farrel Nobel, Unsplash.
