CK's Blog

Riddle Me This, Marketers: Why oh why should brands have a social media presence?

I've covered the need for companies to use social media to listen to their markets more (and talk less). And I've covered social media best practices (a ton of them). Yet even after all these years, and all these posts, I repeatedly get asked a question, and a core one at that.

While it may seem a basic question to many who are already actively using social media, the question has much merit given that social media is still very new territory to many companies, and it's up to us to guide them in their learning curves. And their learning curves undoubtedly begin with this core question:

Why oh why should a company—whether a B2B or B2C organization—have a social media presence; what are the true gains to be gotten in going to the time and trouble of launching and maintaining a social media presence?

The thing is this: that there isn’t an answer to that question.

Well, there isn’t one answer.

There are many.

So it’s sort of a trick riddle. (Yeah, I'm tricky like that.)

Why, then, should companies establish and maintain a social media presence? Well marketers, the reasons are both vast and varied, ranging...

To get it right, start with asking the right questions.

I've written posts aplenty on how imperative it is that marketers--before diving into social media--truly understand this environment, both the tremendous opportunities it poses for companies and the best practices it demands from them.

Because Web 2.0 isn't just a shift in one's media spend but a shift in one's mindset. 

In recent months, I've also posted on how much upfront work is necessary before you get to the actual work of building out your social media presence and programs. Because while many things have changed in this new era, the need for a solid strategy and strong plan absolutely have not.

And a strategy warrants due diligence which means marketers need to do their research, assess their options, address their challenges... and come to a lot of answers. Yet, to get to the right set of answers you need to ensure you're asking the right questions.

(While this may seem obvious, you'd be amazed how often companies, even though they don't plan to fail, do fail to wisely plan.)

So, on that note, I've created a set of questions, organized by category, that can serve as a nifty checklist for companies when approaching this space. But it covers a lot (!) of ground so I've published the list on its own page right here.

(Happy Planning)

Oh, the irony.

When something strikes us as something other, or something opposite, than what we thought it should be--or what we projected the outcome would be--it takes us aback. Because it's ironic and that's the effect that irony has upon us.

Sometimes irony makes us scratch our bewildered heads... other times, it's embarrassing and we want to bury our heads in the sand... and yet other times it just gives us a really good giggle. One thing is sure, we don't soon forget irony because the sheer peculiarity of these moments and mishaps land them a permanent place in our minds.

It's like the universe reminding us that we can't be set on autopilot, lest we get served these *gotcha!* moments that catch us right when and where we least expect them.

And that brings me to Web 2.0 (aka "social media"), which is not just the most social of all media, but also the one most laden with irony.

Having been involved with social media for several years, I thought it high time to illuminate some of the most notable ironies that have surprised, startled and taught we marketers just how complex marketing can be when people, profit-seeking companies and new technologies converge. Oh, the irony indeed.

The world doesn’t change. Our minds do. And now that minds have changed... it's time marketers did, too.

When one says “The world has changed,” what that really means is that people’s minds have changed. Even when people discuss previous generations and past eras, they often explain, “It was a different time, the world was a different ‘place’ then.” But it wasn’t a different place. Not really. 

Fact is, the thinking, sentiment and culture of the time was different—and so the world felt different, as well.

In some cases, changes in mindsets are spurred by developments that mark a turning point, or by people whose visions amass a movement. In other cases, changes are bolstered by innovations that empower people in new ways—whether through new abilities, choices or freedoms—by giving them something that they didn’t have, or have access to, before.

Whatever the reason, one thing is sure: something so significant occurred that it altered the status-quo from that point forward. It changed our thinking and, as our minds go, so too our world.

Hi. I'm here to help you be more human. Yes, technology will be involved.

As marketer, one could think my time with clients is mainly spent developing lofty strategies and clever programs to garner gobs of market share and WOM. Oh, but if only that were the case.

Along with all the high-level strategizing, I clock plenty of time knee-deep in the trenches when training companies on the ways, whims, practices and protocols of social media.  You see, social media is a funny thing. Why? Because due to tremendous cost efficiencies and tremendously easy publishing tools, social media is the easiest medium to enter, but it's the hardest one to truly understand.

As specialists, when it comes to the wonders of Web 2.0… blogs and wikis and twitter, oh my!... we need to be mindful of making the technology “tangible” for our clients, otherwise it’s too techie and they tune out. And we also need to espouse best practices to ensure lots of signal and much less noise for audiences (trust me, it’s getting really noisy in here).

But chief among all these points is this: To succeed in social media, one must get past thinking “technology” and, instead, think “humans.”

Whether or not you like these tools doesn't matter (it NEVER did). What matters is whether your markets do (it ALWAYS has).

I've been seeing (and mainly hearing) several of my very brainy colleagues talking about how they find so many Web 2.0 tools downright inane. To be fair, many label them "just plain stupid."

Last week alone I spoke to 3 of my talented peers about this subject and was astonished at their stance. I was not astonished at their personal preference-- hey, use the tools or don't, I don't care as that choice is certainly not mine to make or impose upon another. It's up to each and every person. Oh how I love choice.

I'll only suggest my colleagues use these tools when I think they might find value in them... and if it were me, I'd be happy that my colleagues wanted me to participate since it signals that they value my opinions and like my company.

But what's astonishing (read: myopic) is when they take their personal preferences and apply those to their markets. And that's when I become mouthy.

Because we shouldn't be speaking for our markets, we should be listening to them speak to us--be it through their feedback, media preferences, product consumption and so on.

If you're a "free" play, the deal is that you need "free" users. They're not freeloading, they're your path to profitability. Said another way, advertisers don't want you unless users want you. So, free users are actually your company's TOP asset. Eureka!

I ran this rant back in July '08. But, indeed, some rants bear repeating as I'm not convinced every company has yet had its 'Eureka!' moment. Or, it seems that once companies reach a certain level of success--or number of users--many can forget just how important those users are to their ongoing success.

This advice does not apply to technology companies that sell software, hardware or consulting services, because that quid pro quo is very defined, and there's actually no "free" involved (i.e. "I'll give you this computer and you'll give me this amount of cash").

But it absolutely applies to "free" tech plays (or companies who use new media to run their businesses that involve giving users something for free). Like companies who offer free tools, content, features, widgets, wikis or otherwise. Because these types of companies--some are 1.0 as with free content, many are 2.0 as with social media tools--need free offerings so as to lure and build traffic...in order to monetize said traffic.

After all, they have employees to pay, servers to run and a host of other expenses.

Making Sure Your Brands Don't "Boob" With Markets

A business can easily charge more when a person super-sizes their meal. Yet it's not so easy for companies that charge more due to a person's size. And a company can charge higher fees for users needing more bandwidth when hosting multiple Web sites. But it becomes very tricky when a company scales its prices according to personal width.

One certainly pays more for an SUV than a hatchback because the SUV isn’t only richer in features, it’s more robust due to its sheer mass. And we don’t mind paying more for products that are of a genuine (or perceived) higher quality than those of lower stature… just look at the price of any branded product on your local supermarket shelf compared to the generic one it's stacked next to.

In air travel, people now have to pay a premium when toting more of their stuff on the plane, or they get a discount for not using as much cargo space with their luggage. And while that has outraged some, it’s nothing compared to the heat airlines are facing in attempting to charge a higher price of plus-sized passengers that need more than one seat during their flights—even though that airline only has so many seats to sell during any given flight, and cannot otherwise recoup those costs and losses.

And that brings us to the recent debacle on boobs. Or, more specifically, the pricing of some bras supporting them.

British retailer Marks & Spencer, known for its reasonably priced lingerie, began charging more—as much as $3 USD more—for bras sized DD and up. And their brand met with some mighty backlash from their market.Find out the scoop, and all the marketing lessons when facts give way to feelings, over at my most current column at The Daily Fix. Oh don't be a boob... hop on over there right now.

Some things bear repeating...

When you're involved in social media--or perhaps I should say "participating in this conversation"--it's easy to forget that others are not yet. And by others I mean the majority... yes, fellow bloggers, twitterers, facebookers and social networkers, while the numbers are growing by leaps and bounds, we are still in the minority.

Much like we did at the outset, many people and professionals are still asking some very-basic-yet-very-logical questions. Like, for instance, why blog? What value, insight or satisfaction could possibly be derived from people sharing their ideas, opinions, preferences, passions, likes and dislikes across the Web?

Well, I have an answer for that. Actually, I have many answers. Straight from the source. (Many sources, actually!)

Way back in the fall of 2006 I asked a core question of my readers: What is the single greatest point of value that you receive from blogging? (I asked it here). And from their answers I created a piece--more aptly, I created a collage--that I frequently share with other colleagues, clients, prospects and audiences be it through presentations or via one-on-one conversations.

I rerun this piece about once a year here since new people are coming into this space daily--and a portion of them might even stop by this little blog (psst: if you're new to this blog, I officially welcome you and I thank you for spending some time here).

And as I point out, there are two key things to understand about the piece. First, it was created from opinions across the marketing community--not just mine. And, second, the answers are very diverse. We may all be receiving value from this exchange, but the core value that we receive--spanning knowledge, connection, community, self-improvement and many, many more differ for each person.

If you've not yet read it, take ten minutes and review the many answers; the first page of the collage gives short answers all on one page, and pages 2-5 give you the full comments. Perhaps it will help you, too, in understanding and explaining the myriad points of value that are derived from blogging to your curious clients and colleagues. And you might even find some new blogs in the process, as all answers are hyperlinked.

The piece is in PDF format here. And if you don't prefer downloading a PDF, a rich media version of the collage is right here. Enjoy and feel free to pass it on.

PS: for other goodies and posts on social media, just go here.

What Marketers Can Learn From The Frozen Food Aisle...

Frozen food is a gamble if ever there was one. Sometimes you luck out and lunch is a 5-minute microwaveable miracle. And other times?

You kick yourself for being so easily seduced by the scrumptious images on the package… since the product inside tastes less like those pictures and far more like the cardboard box it came in.

Enter Greg Ng; the self-proclaimed “frozen food master” who publishes FreezerBurns, a show where eats his way through the frozen foods aisle one box—and one brand—at a time.The show's genius is focusing on an aspect of food reviews that, until now, has been untapped yes is ubiquitous: frozen food.  

But what does frozen food have to do with marketing? And what could these lessons have to possibly do with marketers that don't promote frozen foods? I have all those answers and much more yummy marketing goodness in my current column over at The Daily Fix. 

(Just go here to learn all!)