Almost got it...
As a part of my job and as a way to provide you with information, I'm constantly following Twitter conversations about Social Media and I've noticed that a lot of people are finally getting it, and that a surprising number of people almost get it. Like this image from headstreampr.com - a company trying to position themselves within the media-verse as a go-to company for social media and public relations integration. Take a look at the image and see if you can tell what's wrong (hint - just think about my previous post "It's about the conversation"):
This is almost the best description of a Social Media Framework I could have ever recommended to our customers/readers. Almost. Why almost and not "the best"? Because headstreampr.com's graphics person got the central idea's offshoots completely wrong. All of the arrows are flowing from the Social Media Strategy. Social Media Strategy is about the conversation, a constant feedback loop. This methodology is so old school PR it makes me want to scream. The idea presented here, without reading the accompanying text is that the strategy is static and from it flows advertising.
Your Social Media Strategy is doomed from the beginning if you think that this is just another ordinary advertising channel and all you have to do is put the ad out there and people will respond. 93% of social media users believe a company should have a presence in social media1,3. The same study also found that 85% of social media users believe that a company should go further than just having a presence on social sites and should also [ed: GASP!] interact with its customers2,3. The idea behind social media, and the idea that has always been behind social media is that it's a conversation. Starbucks has upped the ante on this sort of engagement with MyStarbucksIdea.com, a site that allows you to provide feedback 24/7 to Starbucks execs via integration with SalesForce.com's formidable CRM technologies. Nike has taken this to an all new level by introducing NIKEiD, a site that lets you completely customize your Nike kicks, and provide design ideas for the Nike shoe designers. This is not to say that every company has to take social media interactions to the 'nth' level. Just simply keeping on top of your game and watching those outlets whose users are most likely to talk about you.
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1,2Cone, Business in Social Media Study, September 2008
3Marta Kagan, What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later, July 2009
