We all desire to
contribute in a practical way to the social media revolution, but this is obviously easier to envision than to actually accomplish. As I have sifted through what seemed an endless barrage of white papers, tips, and top-ten lists, it was hard to find a definitive source with relevant information on social media.
What the marketing world lacks is pragmatic advice and a comprehensive book on social media. In fact, by the time a
book is published its content is already out-of-date. So, where does one go to
find advice on social media?
And, is the evolving social media landscape impossible to keep up with?
It seems that every other day a new start up is attracting millions of
followers. The frenetic pace can be a bit overwhelming, not to mention that the standard
email is becoming cluttered with icons that taunt us to share, pin, tweet, or
any number of verbs that were recently conjured up by a clever marketing team.
With that said, we can all breathe a thankful sigh of relief
because Brian Solis (the quasi-social sage) has summarized the
social media confusion for all who want a real look at the social world—minus
the hype.
In his book, fittingly titled, Engage, he doesn’t mince words and cuts through the social fluff,
further affirming that our sociological forefathers knew what they were talking
about: that social media isn’t about technology, it’s about being human. Engage is
concise, easy-to-read, and breaks down the social media world into byte size chunks for easier processing.
Here’s five bits of social wisdom I picked up:
Balance (traditional vs. non-traditional)
First and Foremost, Solis encourages professionals to
maintain a “sustained balance between the pursuit of new influencers and the
incorporation of proven traditional methods”
We all can’t be as avant-garde as Mark Zuckerburg, dropping out of
Harvard in pursuit of a digital utopia. Solis is quick to point out, that although
social media is changing the media landscape, we still need to pay attention to
the lessons we learned from our marketing professors. According to Solis, “social science is no
longer an elective,” and wise social media practitioners should give heed
to the proven methods already established in the fields of social science,
(e.g., anthropology, ethnography, and sociology). After all, the social
web is basically a collection of cultures, or as I like to call them
digital neo-tribes.
Understand Culture
Which brings us to our second point, Solis shares that: “The
secret to successfully navigating the new landscape of marketing and service is
. . . that social media is less about the technology and more about
anthropology, sociology, and ethnography.”
It’s about understanding culture. We don’t necessarily have to go live with an
indigenous tribe to immerse ourselves into their culture, but we may want to investigate
their nomadic behavior, as they gather in millions of forums, social
networks and blogs. Put simply, we need to look deeply at the collective
behavior of the masses. Where are they gathering and why? Let's leave the
question of how to the technical department.
Listen
Third, Solis advises us to really
listen to our customers and stakeholders— to not just
speak at them, expecting them to absorb our messages. He terms this "unmarketing.” In other words, we need to retrain our
marketing sensibilities. The one-to-many bullhorn doesn’t work anymore,
especially when technology enables us to have a more intimate one-on-one
conversation.
Collaborate
Fourth, Solis proclaims that, “the democratization of
content will only continue to further our global society.” Move over Rupert Murdoch,
the dawn of the little guy has arrived—you know the nerd that hides away in
their bedroom blogging about some esoteric subject. Niche communities are
gathering—and marketers need not be afraid of these communities, but embrace,
investigate, and curate their content. Consumer Generated Media (CGM) and
User-Generated Content (UGC) can actually build proactive bridges between
marketers and their customers. Don’t be
to prideful to take advice from your customer.
Collaborate with them to make your product or service better.
Humanize
And
finally, don’t be afraid to be human, throughout the book Solis invites us to
engage with those on the other side of the computer screen; to laugh with our
customer, to celebrate their accomplishments, to reach out to them in genuine
ways. We all relate to the funny post sent out during our
afternoon doldrums. They make us smile. They help us get through the day.
So,
what should we take from Engage? Remember the jumbled picture above
representing the social media landscape? Solis introduces us to a much
more organized picture he calls "The Conversation Prism." He organizes the above social mess and presents a graphic that breaks down the social world into set categories.
Okay,
so you might be asking: Where is the practical step-by-step instructions,
you know the ones that tell us exactly what to do next? Well, Solis
doesn't fail us, he meticulously describes the many technical
details involved in various social tools, yet he acknowledges and warns us
that the tools themselves are always evolving and often fade or become
obsolete. What doesn't change is human behavior.
We
appreciate the attempt to organize the social universe; however, even Solis admits
“that the act of categorizing social networks within a visually rich graphic
would be temporary at best, demanding endless iterations." Where we
can find solace is that we’ve always been social beings and where Engage
really shines is by reminding us that it’s about relationships, and just like
our predecessors, “the only way to evolve is to forge rewarding, long-term
connections with the very people we wish to reach and compel.”