PR Camp Atlanta Social Media Takeaways
This Friday I was fortunate enough have been seated on a Social Media panel at PR Camp Atlanta. Representing the “Generation Y” workforce, I spoke alongside vetted “Generation X” professionals in an attempt to address the most pressing Social Media challenges facing the Atlanta business community. While my baby face and mop-top haircut posed an initial threat to my professional credibility, I soon gained the audiences respect with a few sarcastic quips and eventually a serious, in-depth exploration of Social Media and its intricacies. On a side note, hopefully that will be the first and last time I forget my age in front of a full-house.
Moderated by Dan Greenfield, I spoke alongside the brilliant and humorous Marilyn Mobley, Senior Vice President of Strategic Counsel at Edelman PR in an attempt isolate universal hurdles the audience was facing during their professional endeavors with Social Media. We addressed a wide array of issues such as internal pressures facing those pursuing social media, the generational gap between X & Y colleagues, and the metrics used to deem a social media campaign “successful.” I was surprised to find that the Generation X crowd tweeted and blogged more than any 21 year old I know! All topics were open to public discussion, which meant there was no shortage of lengthy and heated debates. There were dozens upon dozens of thought provoking ideas and dilemmas that were explored, but for the sake of keeping this post bearable I’d like to focus on two questions every interactive marketer should ask themselves before using a social media platform;
Why should I begin using Social Media?
During the conference I unfortunately heard more often than not people getting into Social Media for the wrong reasons. What exactly IS the reason for this mad dash toward social media? I suspect that a substantial portion of companies dipping their toes into the murky water that is Social Media do so simply because they think “that’s where people or going, that’s where we need to be.” If you or upper management judges the success of your Social Media campaign success by ROI then I can tell you right now you may as well delete your Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace account. It’s almost comical that companies overlook the most vital component of SOCIAL media – socializing. As a Marketing or PR professional you should be engaging in Social Media for one reason and one reason only – to communicate. Social Media gives you access to what was once one of most difficult consumer moments to obtain – one on one personable communication.
It’s extremely rare to see the benefits of Social Media in a short time frame, but just like my Grandmothers pot roast you must begin your Social Media journey understanding that all good things come with time. I can almost guarantee you that a positive communication moment with your consumer through Social Media will inevitably lead to new revenue and increased brand power. To give you a simple example of the domino effect I’m referring to I’ll give you a real life example of how Social Media led to an increase in brand loyalty and revenue;
I purchased a laptop through Dell (which I originally purchased solely on the fact they had Live Chat support and consumer reviews – both of which are two very underutilized Social Media tools) that unfortunately had quite a few glitches by the time it arrived on my doorstep. I posted the issues in a NON Dell forum and to my astonishment a Dell representative responded to my issues on the forum along with his apologies and his contact information for continued support. It turns out his post did much more than resolve my computer bugs (which they did). This one post has not only kept me Dell loyal to this day, it has made me a die-hard Dell advocate to the point where I recommend their systems every chance I get. My brand advocacy resulted in three family members and two friends purchasing dell laptops shortly thereafter. This simple but effective personal case study is the perfect example of how Social Media communication leads to increased sales, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty.
“The goal of Social Media is to listen, monitor, and respond accordingly”
Can I just test the waters first?
A significant portion of the audience was using Social Media with one arm tied behind their back either because upper management was keeping them from making serious headway in the space or they themselves felt it better to first “test the waters” before seriously investing time and capital.
If you have started to engage in Social Media or have began considering engaging Social Media I have one word of advice for you – either dive in or stay out of the water. Do not be mistaken, poor Social Media endeavors are just as harmful (if not more harmful) than a poorly ran traditional advertising campaign. Social Media is not just about tweeting once a week and posting a press release to your blog every month – you have to spend hours (yes, HOURS) a day listening to your audience and shaping your Social Media messages. Even the most successful Social Media campaigns, Dell and Zappos for example, did not become the shining beacons of “how to do Social Media right” over night. In fact both took years a long with dedicated time and resources to get to the point they are at today.
The Bottom Line:
If you are planning to begin using Social Media you have to make a personal commitment to follow through with whichever tools you decide to leverage. Your messages must be tweaked and honed day by day, week by week, month by month in order to effectively connect with your consumer.
You may also be interested in these other posts:
Leave a comment