Nothing gets the social media communities more kicked up then the debate over whether businesses should absorb social media internally or outsource (outhouse?) the entire thing to an agency partner.
I have heard all arguments for the merits and limitations from both sides—and most agencies will offer very passionate and unsolicited argumentative advice that the only sensible thing to do is outsource your entire process to them. I’m sure they’ve told you this—they are the social media experts after all. And why wouldn’t they? You are their next business opportunity.
But why does it have to be an either/or decision? As a Social strategist—I aim to educate, offer fresh ideas, and then leave the tools behind with the door wide open. Maybe it’s the philosophical in me… you know, the whole teach-a-man-to-fish thing.
I understand the real-world limitations. Not wanting to divert people from their existing responsibilities, or even having to hire new staff. I can empathize with learning curves, and I certainly don’t expect busy professionals with (already) full workloads to invest the kind of time and money that I (and other colleagues) have done into learning about social media, or to be anything close to as engaged as some of us are on a daily basis. And I can even appreciate old dogs not wanting to learn new tricks. But I believe the merits outweigh the limitations in this debate—primarily in opportunities alone.
The opportunity exists for you to really own your social media investment. Own the strategy, own the day-to-day learnings, know how to handle the tools, and learn first-hand from your mistakes. Your customer is not out-sourcing their role as your consumer, and they are engaging and connecting in the social web at unprecedented rates. Don’t risk becoming less connected with your customers, own the behaviour insights that only familiarity will give you. Your company can’t afford to be headed in any other direction—no matter how practical the limitations of in-house may seem to you. It’s time to learn and lead.
This is where it doesn’t have to be an either/or decision. Investing in a Social Media strategist up-front can make all the difference for long-term Social Media implementation. Strategists can teach you the tools, train your team members, and make recommendations as to which core processes should be managed in-house. Strategists help with the plan and execution—in whatever capacity your business needs. Learn how, when and where to fish.
Keep that strategist in your pocket and put yourself on the path of practical learning and enriched understanding. Today’s business environment is socially connected—who’s telling your brand story?
Need more info? Contact me at catherine@uberscribbler.com.
The success of any social media program is irrevocably tied to the initial expectations of the program. What did you think was going to happen?
Magazines were the original social networks. They filled a void for otherwise isolated individuals and the content transported them outside their community. Brands promoted their products through this early network with static advertising placement that shouted “LOOK AT ME. BUY ME. LOVE ME.”
With that in mind, let’s use Coca-Cola’s 70/20/10 content rule. 70% of your stories should be the low-risk, solid useful content your audience expects—appealing to all audiences. 20% of your stories should be higher-risk, solid useful content that is directed to specific segments of your audience—your loyal consumers. The last 10% of your stories are where you can set your hair on fire. It’s the content that reaches out to the edges, or comes at your idea in an entirely new way. Your audience might not be there yet or they might be right there with you. It’s the crazy, never-been-done-before-and-might-fail ideas. This is high-risk, but it has the potential to achieve the highest share rate and is also where your future 70-20% will come from.
A good example of a Brand leading their story through innovation is the grocery retail chain, Longo’s. They are telling you their brand story—quite literally. They are exercising their 10% and pioneering into new content configuration frontiers. They are bringing journalistic blogging together with traditional publishing techniques for a compelling story that is fun, engaging, and worth the attention of their audience.
Net policy or social media policy? I hear both of these terms being thrown about as if they were interchangeable. There is a difference. There should be a difference. The main distinction is the focus on what employees can do in the web world, rather than what they can’t. An internet policy typically outlines employee internet use during work hours—and consequently the monitoring of that use. A social media policy governs the individual interactions of your employees in the social sphere—as it relates to your brand—and can be much harder to monitor once an employee has clocked out and is operating in their own time.
I’ve been following Google’s launch of Google+ Pages for brands with some anxiety. I envisioned Social Marketers everywhere flocking to Google+ and spamming my circles with brand promotions.
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One of the biggest challenges I face in my day-to-day business is trying to help clients evolve their thinking. I say challenges, but I mean frustrating-bang-my-head-against-the-wall-soul-crushing experiences. It’s SO easy to think that a social media strategy is about joining social network sites as a clever way to push your same tired old junk. And you’d be kind of right. That’s exactly what a social media strategy is—because that is EXACTLY what most organizations are doing. But PEOPLE, listen up! It’s not about social media anymore—in fact, it hasn’t been for a couple of years now.
Stephanie Rosenbloom, of the New York Times writes, “One in every 4 1/2 minutes spent on the Web is spent on a social-networking site or blog. And last year the average visitor spent 66 percent more time on such sites than in 2009, when early adopters were already feeling digitally fatigued.
