Posted by: John Barnett, Senior Communications Analyst
“Do you know what a “clog” is?”
“A shoe or a blocked drain?”
“On the Internet.”
“I thought that was a ‘blog,’ but my English is often wrong.”
One of my guilty pleasures is the TV crime drama “NCIS.” I identify with this conversation where the older Special Agent Jethro Gibbs asks the young Mossad Officer Ziva David about blogging. A running joke on the show is Gibbs’ lack of computer skills and his lack of interest in developing any, and two years ago that really could have been me.
In reality, it is a sad truth many businesses and organizations feel the same way when it comes to developing a social media strategy. Fortunately, I consider myself a lot more adaptable to the point of recognizing a tool that works. And that’s fortunate since my Vox|Optima boss put me on the team expanding the company’s social media reach and expertise.
Social media and marketing are today’s reality. Few forms of communication reach such a wide audience, while also appealing to a very specific one at the same time. But much like the tradition-bound Special Agent Gibbs, many businesses and military organizations have been slow to embrace the advantages of social media and networking’s communication power.
I find reluctance to use social media interesting since there was a time when everyone was debating over the advantages and disadvantages of launching a Web site. That was all the way back in … when … the late 1990s, I think? Today even my dog has a Web site and many successful businesses tie their Web sites into some form of Web-based e-commerce and basic feedback collection.
So why get involved in social media? There are 400 million Facebook users, around 3 million active Twitter accounts, and according to a recent Pew Research Center study, approximately 75 percent of people get their news from email or posts from social networking sites. Fifty-two percent say they share that information with others electronically. And info is “on the go,” with 33 percent of cell phone owners using their phones to get news. Can anyone in the business of communicating pass up those potential audiences?
Doing the homework. Whether you’re a business or providing public relations for a client, having social media as part of your overall strategic communication plan is a must. But creating a Facebook Fan page and “Friending” everyone isn’t the answer. It’s a matter of understanding the audience you’re reaching for, doing the research and crafting a social media presence that adds purpose and focus to your message. I recently read a blog post on the Mashable Web site by FutureWorks principal Brian Solis that has a great discussion on integrating business and social media.
Developing and listening to your community. Whether you use blogging, social networking, video or photo sharing sites or a combination, the goal is to align your efforts and develop a community (translate audience) that will ultimately spread your messages. And it starts with conversations. Finding and talking to your potential customers, demonstrating your expertise, and listening to and engaging with your feedback … that’s the best way to build (and hang on to) a following.
There are many who consider social media the next evolution in information dissemination and management. Time will only tell because, as I mentioned before, it wasn’t that long ago when everyone had to have a Web site. Now we’re talking Web 2.0, PR 2.0 and a steady stream of new and useful social networking sites popping up. Communication is changing whether we want it to or not.
Question is, do you learn it and use the new tools available to you … or do you wait for your boss to slap you on the back of the head?
