And, look how I responded. After reflecting, it makes me cringe!
Because here's what this reader saw. And, I've been completely blind to it for 2+ years:
I Study and Write About Social Media. And I Couldn't See This!
Why? Because My Crap = My Blind Spot. A humbling, eye-opener indeed. A real "Eureka" moment. Here was a reader who wanted to share my post on Facebook. And, I lost the opportunity.
So, Here's What I Did. I checked my TypePad Content Settings for Page Footer and Post Footer. Look how every item is selected:
Too Much Crap? Then, Get Rid of It.
Prioritize to Simplify. I prioritized only a few social sharing icons. And, I kept the FeedFlare social sharing hyperlinks active at the end of each post:
Less Is More. Why Couldn't I Clearly See That?
I Got Complacent By Buying Into My Own Crap. Look at the difference.
Less clutter
Less crap
More impact
Thanks for sticking with me (despite 2+ years of my crap).
Here’s a video from The Wall Street Journal providing a synopsis of the situation:
A B2C Battle for Facebook Real Estate
The article describes how both companies sharing similar names are fighting for the URL: “www.facebook.com/merck”. The case is currently under review by the New York State Supreme Court.
Facebook's Consumer Reach Matters. The court battle demonstrates Facebook’s importance in each company’s digital marketing mix and pharmaceutical marketing consumer reach. Key quotes illustrating this point include:
“Merck KGaA said it entered into an agreement with Facebook for the exclusive use of the Web page in March of last year, but last month the drug maker discovered that it no longer had administrative rights to the page, which was filled with content related to Merck & Co.”
“Because Facebook is an important marketing device, the page is of great value, and its misappropriation is causing harm to Merck," the German company said. The spokesman said he couldn't estimate the actual costs involved in the loss of the Web page.”
Ownership of the Merck Facebook Vanity URL is TBD
Merck & Co. Last Had The Facebook Vanity URL. Here are pictures of both company’s respective Facebook pages on November 26th and November 30th:
November 26th: Merck & Co. Facebook Page:
November 29th: Merck & Co. Facebook Page:
November 26th: Merck KGaA Facebook Page
November 29th: Merck KGaA Facebook Page
Neither Side Currently Has Use of the Vanity URL.According this ZDNet blog post by Emil Protalinksi, Facebook will not allow either party to use the www.facebook.com/merck URL until both companies agree who can use it. This explains the November 29th versions of each company’s Facebook pages.
Conclusion
Platform Agnostic Is the Best Web Marketing Strategy. If you’re a subscriber and regular reader of Adam Singer’s blog, The Future Buzz, you’re probably familiar with Adam’s posts on creating and executing a platform agnostic web strategy.
Content from these Future Buzz posts reinforce this credo relative to this news event:
“You don’t rely on any single network, search engine, ad campaign, email list or other organic (or even paid) asset for attention. Rather, smartly, the mix you rely on for awareness is distributed.”
“Your long-term path for digital success is simple: don’t be lured into banking all your equity in someone else’s platform. Continue to embrace a platform agnostic approach, and thrive.”
“Remember, you’re essentially contributing to someone else’s network on Twitter – certainly there are returns, but make no mistake they profit from your attention. I know you might not have a problem with that because you gain something too, but it’s good to be conscious of that fact.”
“These are all just tools to share content and ideas, no more, no less. You need a cohesive strategy for all of them to drive conversions in one spot. A blog is the perfect place for that if you want focused attention and to build an interested community. What if any one network you don’t control falls out of favor or changes the rules? At the end of the day, self-hosted blog owners control the vertical and the horizontal, whereas on Twitter or any external network you’re at the whim of someone else.”
“Careful of how much time you devote to Twitter instead of contributing to your own channel. Spend the most time nurturing that – time spent in Twitter comes at the opportunity cost of fresh content to your blog. You can use Twitter and other micro networks to draw subscribers and interest, but the premier value is in working on your own material in a unique space.”
“Self publishing lets you become platform agnostic. You aren’t limited to one single network like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or anything else. Rather, you effortlessly plug into all of them, including reaching unloved but extremely valuable RSS and email users. Not everyone will ever use every single platform, but everyone can share, comment and subscribe to content that is published via a domain you own. In fact, more platforms makes self-publishing more valuable, because independent content can easily be shared anywhere on the web.”
“By having a self-hosted blog or publication you control the design, calls to action and user experience. Change is not up to some external entity (whether for benevolent reasons or otherwise). Rather it is up to you. If you plan to build a community that stands the test of time it is far too valuable to place this ability in the hands of another.”
Are Both Firms Too Dependent On Someone Else’s Platform? Both firms participate in social media. But, neither Merck & Co. nor Merck KGaA maintains a company blog.
Maybe, this presents an opportunity for each company to develop a blog as the central hub for each organization’s web marketing strategy. And, the other social networks like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, et. al. take on the role of social media outposts / distribution channels.
Otherwise, what's to prevent any of the social networks from "changing the rules" where Merck & Co. or Merck KGaA currently invest their social media participation …
I studied Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel from cover to cover. And, I loved every word. My one regret: I didn’t start reading / studying it sooner.
An Important and Valuable Book. Don’t make my mistake. Six Pixels of Separation belongs in the digital marketing and leadership library of any Fortune 500 executive, small business owner, or entrepreneur who is driven to forge an organization on the principles of trust and community.
This review focuses on seven (7) pearls of wisdom from the book. But, there are so many more.
I hope this review inspires you to:
Purchase the book and study it
Share it with your family, friends, and colleagues
A 3-Pronged Approach: Building, Differentiating, and Auditing Your Personal Brand. Chapter 7: You Are Media (pages 124 – 142) is the most important chapter of the book. It focuses on how individuals can create, promote, and differentiate their personal brands by publishing digital content.
Mitch provides detailed guidance on these key branding activities:
Build a 3D Personal Brand (pages 134 – 135)
Differentiate Your Personal Brand Via a 15-Point Personal Brand Questionnaire (page 129)
Audit Your Personal Brand in the Online World (pages 139 – 141)
In the following video (timestamp 1:53 to 3:10; note there's a short advertisement in the beginning), Mitch describes how organizational brands or individual brands can market themselves in online channels by:
Participating in online conversations
Providing valuable content
Helping other people connect and engage with others
You Are a Broadcast Network. Page 137 states why we are all individual media companies:
“Individuals are creating content; the individuals are the media. The media they are creating are also a form of advertising.”
“It made me wonder: why would Robert Scoble accept a “friends invitation” from people he does not know? Why do you want to be connected to people you don’t know and alert them to stuff you’re doing? And then it hit me! Robert Scoble is media. He’s building his own broadcast network. He understands that media is completely fragmented and, by participating in all these new social communication vehicles (blogging, Twitter, Pownce, Facebook), he’s aggregating readers and viewers, thereby increasing his penetration and his worth as media.”
2. We Are All Intrinsically Connected
Six Degrees of Separation Applies to Traditional Media. On page 4, Mitch explains that today's technology and digital channels enable people to know everyone because:
“We are all intrinsically connected through technology, the Internet, and our mobile devices.”
“We are all a click (or pixel) away from one another.”
“This means that building relationships and turning those relationships into an online community is more important than ever before.”
He describes the Six Pixels of Separation Concept in the following video (timestamp: 0:08 to 1:37; note there's a short advertisement in the beginning):
Geographical Boundaries No Longer Apply. Watch the following video. It describes the true story of how the rock band, Journey, found its new lead singer via YouTube. The new lead singer lived in the Philippines (and didn’t speak a word of English). The story starts around 40 seconds into the video:
3. Digital Marketing Is About Being Slow
In Praise of Slow. Pages 31 – 34 contain my favorite Six Pixels quotes. Why? All of the lessons reinforce a long-term approach / attitude in building a credible digital presence. The misconception about digital marketing versus traditional marketing is digital results could be achieved faster and cheaper:
“Yes, you can make fast decisions, see fast results, and optimize and change things on the fly, but real tangible results take time. You can’t quickly start a blog and get results right away. It takes time to build your content, find your voice, develop a community, and earn trust and respect.”
Time Invested Drives New Media Opportunities. On page 5, he describes how the time invested in building online communities and reputations determines success in online channels (not how much money is dumped in advertising and PR):
“The new online channels will work for you as long as your are working for them by adding value, your voice, and the ability for your consumers to connect, engage, and take part.”
Eight (8) Years of Blog Posts and Hundreds of Podcasts. Mitch started publishing the Six Pixels of Separation Blog in 2003. At the time of the book’s 2009 publication, the Twist Image Team published 200+ podcasts.
On pages 184 to 185, Mitch comments on the time and and work invested:
“None of this was easy to accomplish. It was (and is) hard work and very time consuming, but we have achieved great results from these efforts, and it has differentiated us and brought us out of the bloody red sea of interactive agencies and into a blue ocean (even though, on some days, it feels more lie a pond) of what the agency of the future should look like.”
Watch This Interview About In Praise of Slow (time stamp 2:30 to 5:00). Pay special attention to what Mitch says about In Praise of Slow along with his blog’s role in lead generation and client acquisition:
4. Influencers of Content Value: Time, Search Engines, Linking, and Sharing
Content’s Slow, Steady Process and the Link to Search Engines. Page 33 contains an important lesson on how content earns favorable search engine rankings:
“The older the content, the longer it has been online and searchable through the engines, the more people who have linked to it, shared, and tagged it, the more valuable it is. Content that ranks at the top of Google does not get there because of how new and fresh it it is. Content rises to the top of Google based on how long it has been available and how valuable it has been to the online community.”
“It’s a slow and steady process that makes content rise to the top of the search engines.”
Speed Is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tactic. Page 33 discusses why speed is important in online publishing. Key points about speed include:
* Speed gets your content is indexed in search engines as fast as possible.
* The sooner your content is available through search, the sooner people will find it, and the sooner it will become valuable.
* Posting your content fast means you can gain the efficiencies of content’s slow, steady process faster.
5. Attention Does Not Equal Trust
They’re Not the Same. Think about celebrities, politicians, athletes, etc. who garner significant attention. Do you trust them? Probably not. Being the center of attention is not a sustainable long term strategy.
Digital Marketing Is Not a One-Night Stand (page 34). It’s about TRUST. It’s about building real, genuine relationships with both your current consumers and potential consumers.
“There’s no such thing as an overnight sensation. Everything you’ve seen in business as an overnight sensation was, in effect, decades in the making.”
“The digital social spaces are built on trust and trust alone.Trust is always built slowly over time.”
Earning Trust. Pages 167 to 169 discuss earning and sustaining trust once your online participation receives attention. Mitch writes “to use the Web in a human way.”
* Be Helpful. Helping others online is how you turn attention into trust. Remember, the Web is built on reciprocity.
* Be Sincere. Helping others without expecting anything in return is the right attitude. Helpful and sincere people are valuable community members – just like in the real world.
6. Traffic Does Not Equal Community
Be Wary of The Mass Media Complex. Driving more traffic is good. But, the ultimate goal is not solely about achieving large numbers.
In the following video, Mitch discusses the mass media complex (e.g., appealing to everyone or trying to attract millions). Pay attention to his explanation from time stamp 0:40 to 0:57 (especially about how Six Pixels of Separation targets the digital marketing and social media community):
Focus on Building Community. The thought here similarly applies to the one about attention does not equal trust. On page 166, Mitch writes:
“Keep in mind that many people who have lots of traffic really don’t have much community at all. In fact, hunting for the traffic can be a game of diminishing returns. To really evolve and maintain, focus on the five new community members (who will, we hope, become lifetime customers) versus the 55,000 who might float in and right out simply because of an orphan link that someone posted somewhere. Namely, they were interested in your content for about five seconds, but now they are gone.”
“The long-term game of sustainability in the online channels is one of quality versus quantity.”
7. The Golden Rule
Say Thank You. Pages 41 to 42 and 210 to 212, reinforce the importance of (1) monitoring mentions of your product / service AND (2) expressing thanks to the people sharing your content:
If someone mentions you, it is now your duty — at the very least — to leave a comment back on their blog (or email them directly), letting them know you are reading, paying attention, and most importantly, appreciative of their mentioning you.
As much as you physically can, respond and be thankful to everyone who takes the time to mention you.
Make this your golden rule, and make a commitment that you will never break it.
It Shows You're Human. Practicing The Golden Rule shows others you're listening, responsive, and appreciative. In all human interactions, isn't that the goal? Make it the norm not the exception in your digital interactions.
And, Mitch Joel is a Man of His Word. These acknowledgements from Mitch show how he practices The Golden Rule:
Today's eMarketer article, Executives Fail to Focus on Social Media Marketing Strategy, shows how far we still have to go in convincing the C-Suite about social media marketing's importance in the overall marketing mix and overall corporate strategy.
Here's the executive summary (no pun intended):
1. Executives Think a Social Business Strategy Is Important. 78% of executives thought a social business strategy was somewhat important or very important.
2. But, Social Business Strategy Is Neither a Top Priority Nor Even Necessary). 27% listed social business as a top strategic priority. Nearly half (47%) say it's necessary but not a a strategic priority. And, 19% say social business strategy was simply not necessary.
This Surprises Me
Small Business Executives Say Social Media Is Not a Strategic Priority. 58% of C-Level respondents say social is neither a strategic priority AND 21% say it's not necessary.
Why Does This Surprise Me? Social media and inbound marketing levels the marketing playing field for small businesses lacking the marketing budget to compete with larger competitors. The small company response is similar to the large company response (i.e., 47% for not a strategic priority and 18% for not necessary.
This Is Not a Surprise
Metrics and Measurement Continue To Mystify. Accountability and metrics along with social media strategy and tactics rank very low on the 2011 and 2012 executive priority list.
The Circular Feedback Loop Between Strategy and Measurement. The social media strategy has to be linked to the overall corporate strategy (i.e., what is the objective: increase revenues, decrease costs, increase customer retention, lower customer acquisition costs).
Without those necessary links, accountability and metrics along with social media strategy and tactics will continue languishing as priorities.
Conclusion
Social Media Can Power Customer Acquisition. According to Huspot's 2011 State of Inbound Marketing Report, social media marketing (especially a company blog) can address the top priorities of the C-Suite:
Lead Generation. 57% of companies using blogs reported that they acquired customers from leads generated directly from their blog.
Operational Profitability. Blogs, social media, and organic search maintained the top slots as least expensive lead generation channels.
B2B Firms Value LinkedIn and Blogging For Acquiring Customers. 61% of B2B firms say LinkedIn is their top acquisition channel. 55% of B2B firms say the company blog is the second leading acquisition channel.
Full Disclosure: My employer provides management consulting advice to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. The opinions and content published within this blog post are mine only.
The Challenge. As cited by the article, the FDA will conduct a hearing on June 28th – June 29th to "focus on competing interpretations of medical data about Avastin's effectiveness in delaying the spread of late-stage breast tumors." The FDA wants the upcoming hearing focused on scientific data. However, Avastin's manufacturer, wants patients to be able to testify.
What's at Stake: Drug Access and Reimbursement. The Wall Street Journal quotes Avastin's cost around $88,000 for a series of injections. The article further states: "The Kalley's say that if the FDA withdraws approval for Avastin as a breast cancer treatment, insurers and Medicare might not cover the costs, even though doctors can still prescribe it for breast cancer."
A Case Study in Integrated Public Relations Strategy
Traditional and Digital Public Relations (PR). Mr. Kalley's and AQABA Web Technologies public relations strategy aligns the support of influential legislators and policy makers and builds public awareness through social media channels. These traditional and digital tactics form an integrated public relations strategy that informs, publicizes, and rallies support from important stakeholders:
Breast cancer patients
Physicians
Lawmakers
News media
* Traditional PR. Meet face-to-face with key Michigan legislators and influential Capitol Hill policy makers. In addition, The Wall Street Journal article references that The Kalleys would be meeting with Avastin's company representatives.
* Digital PR. Publicize in the online channels when meetings with Michigan legislators took place and with who (readily observable in the Freedom of Access to Medicines Twitter stream).
* Digital PR and Traditional PR. Promote within the online channels (i.e., Twitter, Facebook) positive media coverage (i.e., the recent Wall Street Journal article appeared on the front page of WSJ's print Marketplace Section).
Building Public Awareness Via a Social Media Home Base
The Freedom of Access to Medicines Home Page. Mr. Kalley and AQABA created a foundation web page to increase public awareness and build patient advocacy. The web page acts as the home base for the foundation's public and media awareness activities:
Easily Connecting Through Social Channels. If you scroll further down the home page, you'll find the following social media "buttons" on the bottom right-hand section of the foundation's home page. Easily finding these social media "buttons" is critical so the foundation can quickly connect with supporters and advocates who can further spread its mission through online word-of-mouth.
LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are Social Media Content Distribution Outposts
Four (4) Social Media Outposts. The "home base and outpost model" leads viewers back to The Freedom of Access home page from selected social networks. The four outposts distribute content that:
Describes a physician-patient discussion on drug access and reimbursement
Provides real-time updates of important meetings with key legislators/policy makers
Promotes the mission of the foundation
Thanks supporters sharing testimonials
For more information on using a content outpost approach as part of an overall public relations or social media strategy, here are additional resources:
How Freedom of Access to Medicines Leverages Twitter. Real-time updates about meetings with key government officials and policymakers are part of the content strategy. Twitter plays a significant role in promoting the foundation's activities with these stakeholders:
How Freedom of Access to Medicines Leverages Facebook. The foundation's Facebook page provides more detailed updates beyond Twitter's 140 character limits. Facebook's status updates provide summaries and links to online articles the foundation wants to share with supporters.
How Freedom of Access to Medicines Leverages LinkedIn. Mr. Kalley leverages the SEO benefits of his LinkedIn Profile because the #1 Google search result for his name is his LinkedIn Profile:
His LinkedIn Profile describes the foundation's patient advocacy mission and objectives in the Professional Experience Summary Section:
Conclusion
The Freedom of Access to Medicines Blog Launched on May 1st. As of the original publication of this post, the missing piece in the Freedom of Access to Medicines digital public relations portfolio was a blog. However, The Freedom of Access to Medicines Blog launched on May 1st.
Initiative and Creativity in Public Relations. The Freedom of Access Medicines example showcases how an organization can harness The Internet's global scale and reach particularly through social media. Similarly, The Wall Street Journal article references how Avastin's manufacturer employs Weber Shandwick (a large, global public relations firm) to garner public and media support.
One Person's Individual Efforts Augmented by Integrated Social Media Tactics Can Make a Difference. I'm sure other organizations and individuals are taking notice of Mr. Kalley's and AQABA'S combined face-to-face and digital efforts. I plan on following the results all the way to the June 28th – June 29th finish line.
Here's the eMarketer graphic showing a demographic breakdown of the Harris Interactive data:
The survey results show 76% of Gen X'ers (34-45 year olds) are either "very confident" or "somewhat confident" their privacy settings in social networks are functioning properly. I'm part of Generation X so this result interests me. Also, I actively participate in social networks. I agree with the Harris Poll based on my participation in The Big 3 U.S. Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn).
Will Something Bad Result From Tweeting, Blogging, or Sharing?
Not So Much. The survey represents 2,331 participants. Based on the research, only 7% of respondents had gotten in trouble at school or work or lost a job opportunity because of social network activity.
But, Always Think Twice. Use common sense as your guide. Similar to when email entered our 1990s professional lives, think twice before selecting "send, publish, or share" when posting something on your social network or blog.
On the Worldwide Web, You Are What You Publish
It's a Cold, Hard Fact. That headline is one of my favorite David Meerman Scott quotes. It also explains why 90% of my social media / social networking participation represents a professional purpose:
Networking with other like-minded professionals (i.e., LinkedIn, Twitter)
Providing links to useful articles / research / blogs about social media, technology or the pharmaceutical / biotech industry (i.e., Twitter, this blog)
Commenting on industry blogs or social media thought leaders' blogs to expand my professional connections and build my online reputation
The other 10% of my social network participation represents a personal purpose (i.e., Facebook). I made the choice to restrict my connections on Facebook to personal friendships only. In Facebook, I connect and share with only a select, few individuals from my professional life. I have a trusted friend who works in the Human Resources function, and this is how she manages her Facebook account.
Here's a direct quote from Mitch's post: "While you retain the rights to the text, images, audio and video that you post online, always consider that the content is now public and shareable forever."
Forever. That's a long time.
Conclusion
There is a Personal Cost Associated with Online Participation. When I made the choice to start actively participating in social media / social networking, I understood this cost. Always be mindful, someone is reading and reacting to your online activity (either positively or negatively). Always be aware of what you tweet, what you post, and who you connect to.
But, The Benefits Outweigh the Costs. Online participation provides access to professional and personal development opportunities traditionally reserved for select individuals:
* Publishing a blog provides an opportunity to demonstrate and build your reputation and thought leadership on a global scale
* Tweeting and connecting provides an opportunity to professionally network on a global scale
* Commenting on industry and thought leaders' blogs provides an opportunityto demonstrate your knowledge and augment another person's research, thoughts, and opinions on a global scale
Sounds Globally Opportunistic, Doesn't It? It is! And, I wish I'd started sooner. And, I'm running as fast as I can to make up for lost time.
Part 6 of The Business Value Behind Social Media focuses on the use of social media in disaster recovery and crisis communications. Chris Brogan, Charlene Li, David Meerman Scott, and Martin Giles (moderator) discuss how organizations should:
* Respond quickly and use the same online channel in which the event occurs
* Learn from the Motrin Moms and how Johnson & Johnson responded
* Learn from Chris Brogan's personal experience with negative backlash
* Understand United Airlines' poor response to the United Breaks Guitars YouTube Video
The panel's discussion on this topic takes place from 51:04 to 55:32 of the embedded video. Where appropriate, I've also supplemented this post with entries from Open Leadership by Charlene Li and Real Time Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott.
Respond Quickly in the Same Medium Where the Crisis Takes Place
Online Crisis Management Requires Speed (51:25 – 51:47). David emphasizes responding as quickly as possible is crucial. Running your responses through various departments (aka Legal, HR, CFO, etc.) slows things down. The longer you take to respond, the more your organization looks guilty or non-human. Non-responsiveness is quickly interpreted as the typical, corporate "no comment" response.
Respond in the Same Social Media Channel (51:48 – 52:35). If the event occurs in YouTube, publish a YouTube video response to your detractor(s). Issuing a press release as the response is a mistake. If someone writes a blog post criticizing your organization, go directly to that blog and post a comment. Don't make the mistake of conducting a radio interview to tell your side of the story. The response medium counts just as much as your response time.
Chapter 8: What are People Saying About You This Instant
Chapter 9: Tap the Crowd for Quick Action
Learn from the Motrin Moms and How Johnson & Johnson Reponded
Upsetting a Vocal Population Segment (52:36 – 53:12). Chris explains that whether or not the circumstances were right/wrong is not the point. Johnson & Johnson took action because the advertisement garnered a lot of negative attention within the "mommy blogger" community.
Background on Motrin Moms Situation (from pages 231 to 233 of Open Leadership by Charlene Li). In the fall of 2008 McNeil Consumer Healthcare posted a commercial on its motrin.com web site. Charlene points out the advertisement appeared on the site for six weeks with hardly a comment. However, one consumer took offence.
And, that's when all hell broke loose …
How Johnson & Johnson Responded. On pages 232 and 233 of Open Leadership, Charlene writes how Johnson & Johnson admitted its mistake and immediately took the advertisement from its website. It also responded in two social media channels during the event:
Channel #1: The JNJ Corporate Blog.Key marketing executives posted apologies and updates on The JNJBTW blog. Here are links to these posts:
Channel #2: Twitter.One of the marketing VPs reached out to key mommy bloggers on Twitter.
"Real-Time Means Moving in Matters of Minutes Rather Than Hours." This is a paraphrased quote from Marc Monseau, Director of Social Media for Johnson & Johnsonon page 233 of Open Leadership. It underscores the importance of response time and online monitoring. The following quote from Monseau also on page 233 of Open Leadership speaks volumes:
"There are more and more businesses taking a hard look at what they need to structure, to create a program, and at least beginning to listen to the conversation. The Motrin Moms situation really reinforced the importance of starting to really listen and to observe more carefully."
Learn From Chris Brogan's Personal Experience
Background on the Online Situation (53:14 – 53:43).On pages 230 to 232 of his book Trust Agents, Chris describes a social media campaign he participated in with Kmart. This campaign helped Kmart achieve some of its best results in years. However, Chris received significant criticism from the blogger community.
The Source of Criticism: A Sponsored Post Chris Wrote on Kmart's Behalf. On page 231, Julien Smith (Trust Agents co-author), writes: "All sponsored posts had always been disclosed before, but the dollar amounts involved had never been public. In readers' eyes, this somehow crossed the line between social and marketing norms." On page 232, Julien points out the key learning: "In this case, we discovered that there are agreements, often implicit, between people and that these social contracts need to be clear and understood at all times."
Understand United Airlines' Poor Response to "United Breaks Guitars"
In case you haven't seen the United Breaks Guitars Video, here it is:
A Non-Response Makes Your Organization Look Less than Human (53:44 – 54:17). David points out how a lack of responsiveness is perceived as the typical, corporate response of "No Comment." Approximately 10 million views (and counting) of this video occurred. What's worse is United's lack of responsiveness only reinforced the negative portrayal of treating its passengers and their belongings poorly.
United Had No Previous History of Posting Videos on YouTube (54:18 – 55:10). According to Charlene, this is the reason why United decided not to post its own video response. No previous relationship existed on this social media channel so United felt like "it couldn't just show up." However, David disagrees. In his opinion, United should have at least responsed by a blog post or some other social media channel.
Conclusion
When a negative, online event involves your organization, remember three (3) things:
Respond quickly
Publish the response in the SAME online medium where the event took place
At a minimum, execute #1 in at least one relevant social media channel
Is it fair, what happened to United Airlines? Not entirely. But, they executed none of the above. Fair or unfair, the court of public opinion has little sympathy for large corporations when they fail to respond:
COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION Lack of Response + Viral, Social Media Evidence = Guilty
Still, the negative PR impact of this event is inescapable. I can think of approximately 10 million reasons / YouTube views why.
What Do You Think? Thank you for reading this far (if you didn't fall asleep). Please tell me what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
2010 is already coming to a close and it has been quite a learning experience. I want to thank each of you for becoming a member of the Social Media ReInvention Blog community. Your comments and emails about how the content published in this blog helps you means so much to me.
Please let me know which posts were your personal favorites or if your favorite 2010 post didn't make the list, please leave me a comment and let me know.
Even more importantly, please let me know what type of content, topics, or subjects you'd like for me to address in 2011. I want the content in Social Media ReInvention Blog to be of value to you. If there were posts that missed the mark (and based on going through this Top 10 exercise, there absolutely were some turkeys), I'd appreciate you telling me.
I'm Going to Experiment and Try Some New Things in 2011. I hope you'll have the patience and trust to stick with me as I try out some new stuff like:
* Video Book Reviews. If authors are willing to stake their individual reputations on social media and digital marketing with their books, then I should have the courage to provide a video portion to accompany the written review. No security blanket of hiding behind the keyboard and an Internet connection — time for me to put some skin in the game on the online scrutiny front.
* Social Media and Inbound Marketing in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry. First, I want to assure you I'm not going to focus this blog solely on one industry regarding the use and applications of social media and inbound marketing. Personally, I find that kind of focus too confining. Secondly, I think it's important to understand how social media and inbound marketing are leveraged in multiple industries because so many lessons can be learned by observing other organizations. As I continue studying the books Real -Time Marketing & PR and Open Leadership, those multi-industry lessons are highly evident.
I've worked in the pharma / biotech industry for almost fourteen (14) years, and this industry's current use (or more importantly its existing fear) of how to use social media for customer engagement fascinates me. This is a highly regulated industry confronting significant challenges not only on the business side but also the public relations side as well. I hope you won't mind if I add my personal two cents about what I observe and recommend (either rightly or wrongly).
* eBook Publications Stirring in My Head. I have some ideas for eBooks that I'd like to publish in 2011. These books will be completely free for download, and I when I say free, I mean absolutely no strings attached (e.g., providing contact information or personal information). I've got the ideas scoped out, and have already started writing about two of these topics in this blog. Now, it's just a matter of doing it and making it happen.
Conclusion
Many Thanks for investing your valuable time in reading and subscribing to my blog. It means so much to me that you think I have something noteworthy to share.
I promise to hold up my end of the deal by commiting myself to learning as much as I can about social media and inbound marketing in 2011. And hopefully, I will publish a variety of thoughtful and engaging content that supports my point-of-view and makes you think.
May You and Your Families Have a Safe and Happy New Year!
I love studying books on social media and digital marketing. They provide sources of inspiration for this blog, and constantly stimulate my creativity on the people and events driving marketing reinvention.
If you're looking for some last-minute Christmas gifts for a family member, friend, or colleague who loves learning about social media or digital marketing, here's a list of books I recommend.
Social Media and Digital Marketing Books I've Studied, Written Reviews On, or Cited in this Blog
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Many don't consider this book a social media / digital marketing resource. I do because of the word-of-mouth insights Gladwell writes about particularly in the chapter on Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen)
Social Media and Digital Marketing Books I'm Studying Now
I hope you find these resources helpful, and if you've read some or all of these books please let me know your thoughts by submitting a comment.
Any books you'd recommend or suggest I add to this list? I'd love to hear your suggestions. Please let me know what you learned and enjoyed about that particular book(s).
Many thanks for being part of this community and may you and your families have a Safe and Merry Christmas!
The Challenge of Managing Stakeholder Expectations: Social Media is not Free
Social Media Initiatives Requires Budgetary Funding. Here are some direct quotes supporting the fact that social media requires financial investment (even in a large organization like Intel).
* "We like to remind management and stakeholders that social media is not free."
* "Intel has been an early adopter in social media, but we haven't funded it as well as many of us would like."
* "We anticipate funding in three areas: expanding tools, infrastructure and analytics, because we need to expand our ability to measure and drive insight; social network site development; and campaign activation."
* "We'd like to scale social media [globally] in 2011. We're hoping that we secure budget to move funding into this area."
When Williamson asked Malone about budgets expanding at Intel to support social media marketing, she replied: "Yes, it would be an expansion and a more defined social media budget to support scaling, more interesting and dynamic social content and our enablement goals.
Processes, Infrastructure, and Marketing Integration Supporting Social Media
Intel's Social Media Center of Excellence Manages Social Media Guidelines, Training / Education. Intel established The Social Media Center of Excellence as part of the marketing strategy and campaigns team. This team reports to sales and marketing and ultimately to Intel's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The Social Media Center of Excellence manages social media guidelines and governance which is important because this team's role is to drive strategy, enablement, use of social media, and social media training and education within Intel.
Centralized Social Media Training and Guidelines. At Intel, the Social Media Center of Excellence makes sure that Intel's employees using social media (corporate marketing group and other business units) understand and know the latest guidelines. These guidelines include employees disclosing they are Intel employees in their Twitter "names or handles" and blogs.
Social Media Integration with Overall Marketing Requires Infrastructure. Social media started off at Intel organically, unstructured, and was led by early adopters. According to Malone, 2009 and 2010 have been about operationalizing social media and putting in an infrastructure. The goal in 2011 is to scale up social media use but ensure Intel does so strategically.
Successful Audience Engagement Requires A Social Media Team
2011's Biggest Challenges for Successful Social Media Engagement. Williamson asked Malone what will be the biggest challenges she faces in making social media engagement successful in 2011 and beyond. Malone makes two key statements:
"The resource issue is a big obstacle, because social media can be time-consuming. To be successful you need to fully engage in a two-way dialogue."
"And so I think the challenges are around having enough resources to get social media to scale."
You Need an In-House Social Media Staff Participating in Conversations. Malone points out how successful social media engagement must come from within the organization. In her view, the organizations successfully leveraging social media are participating and engaging with their own teams or as she says: "We believe it's important to stay engaged firsthand."
You Can't Outsource Genuine Social Media Engagement. Furthermore, Malone implies that "handing off social media execution to an agency" is a mistake. I agree with this point. I think her direct quote says it all:
"It's not the same a putting a media plan together, where you are briefing an agency to complete the plan. You can do some of that in social media, but I don't think the companies that are most successful in social media are handing off a whole lot."
Most importantly, Ms. Malone's viewpoint that genuine social media engagement requires significant resources in time and people (e.g., a dedicated team) bears repeating. The guidelines, the processes, and the team members required to enable Intel in "scaling up" its social media strategy will require major investments in time and people.
Social Media Engagement Requires Time + Commitment.This is "the commitment investment" that many organizations fail to honor. Social media engagement isn't about the technological tools (i.e., Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs, Facebook, etc.). Social media engagement is about interacting with another human being who enjoys participating in the online conversation by sending out tweets and updating their personal status.
And it takes a lot of time, hard work, and commitment to genuinely and consistently engage those folks if you want to earn their trust over the long haul …