InsightIQ Blog

Social Media Is More Than Just PR

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Nov 30 2009

Remember when the Web was brand new?   Remember all the pundits' questions about whether it was a fad, if there was ever going to be ROI... or was it little more than brochureware?   With years of hindsight, those questions seem naive today; the Web has become a key vehicle for customer interaction.

These days, I am hearing the same sort of questions about social media... even admittedly from guys like myself not too long ago.    But I am now convinced that social media will be just as important to revenue as outbound direct marketing, interactive marketing and currently en vogue inbound customer interaction management.  Social media will become another channel in the marketing mix.

There is no doubt that our best customers (as well as a number of our most unhappy ones) are talking about our companys online.  Many companies have taken a first step of "listening" either by hiring an agency or finding a social media savvy staffer in the marketing or PR team to see what people are saying about their brand, or even setting up a Facebook page.  

David Cooperstein from Forrester provides a few great pointers in his recent blog on this topic.

But what is next?  The question becomes even more important when you realize that these unprompted promoters or "fans" may well be the cream of the crop of your best customers.    No doubt consumers are in control, and have all the access to all the information channels they can find.   Our brands are in the hands of our customers and they will treat us as they will... based on how we treat them.  Do we just let them tweet, update or blog away?   Can't we leverage that information like all the other customer interaction information we have?

Maybe for now, we must listen and participate in the dialogue as the social media folks tell us.   But get ready for the day when the best marketers will leverage, encourage, and analyze all of these conversations online in a measurable way.   Marketing leaders must challenge their organization not to just sit and listen... but ask these key Social Media Customer Information Questions

 

Ask your organization these key Social Media Customer Information Questions?

  • Can I add information to my customer databases about social media active customers?
  • Can I use good analytics and savvy tactics to encourage customers to become activein social media channelsfor my brand?
  • Can I leverage the wealth of text data my customers are providing in social media channels to deepen insight about behaviors?
  • Should I introduce Facebook or Twitter applications (easy to do with great open developer environments) to further encourage permission interaction with your best customers?

Or are you leaving it to the PR or market research department as another interesting but non-revenue driving activity?

 

The current efforts we see from major marketers are all over the map.   In a quick and far from scientific sample of major consumer brand companies advertising on Fox during Game 6 of the World Series, I thought to assess their Facebook page presence...

  • American Express - 10,579 fans (would have expected more given their affinity marketing focus)
  • Direct TV- 74 fans (in the Direct TV official group, but several "fan" sites ranged between 6 and 393 "fans." None look that official, and all the numbers underwhelming).
  • Dunkin Donuts -946,881 fans(with many applications, some customer developed, extolling their love of D&D products... kudos)
  • Chevrolet - 25,777 fans (although Chevrolet Camaro has 40,835... howeverthere are literally dozens of Facebook pages named Chevrolet with small numbers of fans... likely dealers or enthusiasts).

I'd be willing to bet if I did this for the entire consumer facing Fortune 1000, this pattern of widely varying leverage, focus, and customer interest would widen. Feels like 1994 all over again...  

It is time for major consumer marketers to take social media as seriously as every other channel they work so hard to manage, measure and improve. There may be more information there than in any call center or direct marketing program. Go back and ask your marketing and IT folks the Social Media Information Questions above.

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