Over the past several days I’ve been having conversations with my fellow Twitter-ers about the aspect of Corporate Social Media and its role in this new world of communications and brand extension. Many of them, as I, agree that the ease and accessibility of social media tools are making the conversations quicker, more direct and rewarding. But as soon as I started asking about corporate branding in social media, the conversations turned quite serious.
I asked a simple question to a select few that I thought would have the position and backgrounds to give honest, insightful answers.
“So, What’s your “position” on 3rd party twitterers? (i.e.- hiring someone to tweet & track on behalf of your company?) Ethical? No?“
The responses (35 in all) received from that question were pretty clear. In no uncertain terms would “posing” or “positioning” in social media be accepted. Transparency is key.
Microblogging professional, Mike Templeton‘s(on Twitter as @miketempleton & @microblink) answer was indicative of the overall tone of the mini-survey.
“…people like to know who it is. If you say you work for them (liaison), that’s ok”
And another social media stud,Andy Brudtkuhl, (on Twitter as @abrudtkuhl & @48web) says that “…as long as they maintain a consistent message…“ the ethics question should be a mute point.
So, with that, I want YOU to sound off. When you’re on FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter or any number of social media venues, do you expect real corporate/brand connections (i.e. – @Starbucks, or @TheHomeDepot) Are those actually Starbucks / Home Depot employees? Are they a marketing firm hired to “Brand” those companies into the social media stream? Heck, check out @DisneyWorld, @DisneyLand, and @Mickey_Mouse — I bet Walt and Mickey are curious about that, hum?
What is your position on Corporate Social Media? Are there issues that concern you about integrating brand (further) into our online conversations? How about ethics and transparency? Do companies have a greater responsibility for truth when utilizing these tools? More than Joe-surfer?
AND NOW, THE POLL RESULTS (poll ended 11/26/08):
Thank you all for taking part in the poll. Please check back for more!
I have seen some pretty heavy-handed attempts at networking. I think we’ve all experienced it, from telemarketers to Chamber functions and “that guy” that just won’t back down.
Over at The Society for Word of Mouth, Ulla Jones offered up a simple, yet profound slogan to remember when you’ve found yourself in these networking opportunities, “Share don’t Scare.”
If you click on this link, you can read some of the comments/conversation that followed.
From my experience, it’s not so much about spewing your mission statement out there and then force-feeding it to everyone in the room – or even one person. It’s more about building a relationship and a TWO-WAY conversation about commonalities you may (or may not) have with the other person. Make an introduction that causes the other person to ask more and leave it there. (Engage them…)
Ultimately, this leads them to ask more (e.g – “What the heck is a Brand Chef?” or “TRUE Branding, what’s that?”).
I can then comfortably work in to how TRUE branding is an acronym for True, Relevant, UniqueandEngaging… Or I could tell a story about how our marketing and communications company is a lot like a professional kitchen – a place where delicious brands are cooked up for patrons using unique ingredients to spice up their brand.
Once the dialogue is started, then it’s your duty to engage, not preach. Find out what they do and where their interests/pain points may lie. And for God’s sake, let them talk. And don’t forget to listen.
That’s just my approach. Sometimes I get some sideways looks, but most of the time it creates an interesting conversation. And isn’t that all we’re really after?
Remember June Cleaver and Harriet Nelson of early, family television fame? You know, those “typical” stay-at-home moms that, according to their husbands, (and NOT me) sat around and gossiped over tea all day? Did you ever, in your wildest dreams (okay, maybe not that wild), consider them marketing pioneers? No?
Me neither, but according to e-Marketer Daily, these domestic goddesses, with all of their neighborhood gossiping, beauty salon chats, and over-the-fence “did you know’s” shaped a word of mouth (WOM) trend that has become a (although unexpected) powerful, yet under utilized force in marketing.
In the e-Marketer article, and according a 2007 BSM Media study, 64% of moms asked other moms for advice before purchasing a new product, and 63% considered other moms the most credible when they had questions. That’s powerful info in the hands of the right marketers (Attention: Gerber, Graco, Playskool, Kraft, Tyson, et al).
The article goes on to site a study from SheSpeaks stating,
“…87% of female internet users will mention a favored product in conversation and 64% will forward an e-mail link to others.”
Astounding.
How do you, as marketing and communications professionals, utilize moms and this powerful WOM process? Do you have clients that could benefit from this kind of buzz? Let’s open a discussion on how we can empower June, Harriet and their sisters and get this sagging economy buzzing again.
