I read the Duct Tape Marketing blog every once in awhile. It resides in my Google Reader, updating ever so often, giving me small tidbits of information. I usually get some good pointers from John Jantsch. Today he wrote about a new Universal McCann Wave3 research into social media citing it as a great example to help employees sell social media to their “older” (John did not say that. It was me) employers.
Here are the points of reference:
- 73% of online users read a blog
- 57% join a social network
- 45% have started a blog
- 83% have viewed a video online
- 39% subscribe to RSS Feeds
- 36% think more positively about companies that have blog
John uses the research to give advocates of social media key points to throw out at corporate board meetings. “I don’t think we should be doing the whole blogging thing.” “Well, check out these stats from Universal McCann Wave3! We should do it.”
In my humble opinion this is completely the wrong approach. There is a reason why 73% of people read blogs. They want authentic information from individuals and companies. Can you truly create authentic communication when the only reason a corporate culture decides to blog is because of a stat?
“OMG. People are reading blogs and joining social media? We should be a part of that social media stuff! Wait. Bright shiny object. Where?”
Strategy. Strategy. Strategy. Don’t do something because it is the new best thing! Do it because you have a planned approach. Do it because you want to communicate in a REAL way with your clients. Do it because it is a part of a communication PLAN.
If you jump into social media with a fractured plan, you will get a fractured response. Everyone needs to be on board, from top to bottom. It need to be from the mail room student to the CEO.
A couple points of clarification – selling to “older” employees are your words, not mine – I simply said to folks who were not convinced social media made sense for an organization.
Second, I agree with your point completely and have written about it often – so, in that context what I was saying was use the data to convince people that it’s worth developing a strategy around.
Ahhh. Does everyone love the time when you feel like you eat your own words? It just happened.
Thanks for posting John. I was merely trying to say that sometimes it is better to always put the strategy aspect into the mix.
Whenever you are speaking on the topic of corporate blogging.
Offering statistics to make an idea palatable to a corporate executive is the equivalent of putting cheese on broccoli for a child.
My kids loved cheese, and we could get them to try almost any vegetable if coated it in a layer of cheese. Not the healthiest way to start, but over time we reduced, and even eliminated cheese. As a result, today, my adult kids eat every vegetable ( except mushrooms, cause the cheese mushroom thing was gross).
Corporate execs are a lot like children (more like kids then you would want to believe) and sometimes you have to bury new ideas under a layer of cheese (or statistics) to help them get used to the taste.
Ultimately whatever you are serving, ideas or food) have to taste right on their own.
In Response to: Duct Tape Marketing Misses On Corporate Blogging
John uses the research to give advocates of social media key points to throw out at corporate board meetings. “I don’t think we should be doing the whole blogging thing.” “Well, check out these stats from Universal McCann Wave3! We should do it.”
Don’t do something because it is the new best thing! Do it because you have a planned approach. Do it because you want to communicate in a REAL way with your clients. Do it because it is a part of a communication PLAN.
Response:
Kyle fact is the people who are asking and desiring these stats aren’t experiencing authentic communication through social media.
I totally understand your argument that we should make decisions based upon a solution to a problem. But….. I argue most executives don’t see this as a solution. In fact they probably don’t even see something that needs solving.
All social media is to executives that aren’t using it is another distraction.
These stats aren’t useful to change someone mind about the whole concept they are helpful in knowing that people actually use it.
The most helpful stat is 36% of people think more positively about a company that uses it.
Individuals (45+) have to overcome their life stories which do not include social media in order to accept the tool.
Boo ya