Be Social but not for the sake of it

A blog created by one of the companies that I previously worked had the potential to be the corporate blog; the one face that could engage diverse audience. And, the backbone of its brand messaging; reflecting many voices that unequivocally resonate how the company is creating value for its stakeholders. Alas, it wasn’t to be. My association with it for a considerable amount of time however enabled me to grasp a few things. 

Build an emotional connect: Not easy as it sounds

Nothing new. Marketers knew this since time immemorial. However, implementing this on ground isn’t as simple as it sounds. Why? It is not a skill all marketers possess. For that matter, building emotional connect is not a learnt discipline or defined process; it is an attitude of mind that all marketers (err..all of us) should have. It should be innate, instinctive, ingrained in the DNA. Anyone who tries to learn ‘emotional marketing’ will fail. You either have the innate, instinctive ability to emotionally inspire and resonate with others including business and buyer communities or you don’t. What marketers should ensure is that if the capability is not within the team, they should find people who do and let them build emotional connect. Accept the fact that you will never acquire this skill yourself. In today’s age where more than ever consumers are seeking to connect emotionally with brands that actually stand for something, and to connect with each other, building an emotional connect would be the first step.

Be Social but not for the sake of it

Consumers are looking at social media accounts using the same parameters they look for when searching for individuals. Potential customers and consumers are looking for social media accounts that are not just smart and funny but are good conversationalists and listeners. This essentially means lowering the center of gravity to understand the pulse of the social mediascape. It implies a continued effort to engage with the audience and not just post a blog and wait for results to pour in.

Who am I engaging with? A face to the voice is a must

People like associating themselves and do business with other people, not with companies. Gone are the days when companies can create veiled messages with the hope of protecting their reputation. Take the example of what happened after the explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. Leroy Stick (an alias) began publishing the tweets of a totally made-up representative of a similarly bogus BP global public relations division. While crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, devastating the regional ecology and economy, the satirical Twitterer (@BPGlobalPR) tweeted about the division’s lunch menu and other inane matters. Tens of thousands followed his updates—far more than the number who followed the real BP Twitter account. Well, the example not only indicates people trust others but someone who would speak like them. Bottom-line – cut the corporate lingo.

According to a recent research by Spiceworks, most marketers surveyed say they are trying to connect with potential customers using tactics such as social media (95% use) and case studies (87%). However, though buyers do engage with those channels, they say they are more reliant on peer recommendations (97%) and IT forums (92%). Do you have a face to the blogs? Is he willing to connect with others?

Dedicated and committed resources

One of the daunting tasks for bloggers is to curate content within the organization. For the same reason, it can’t be a part time job. It requires quality time with business heads, marketing and communication as well as the digital marketing team. Then there is the challenge of making concise and compelling stories ensuring excerpts to social metadata, titles, captions and images. Look at what @ISRO is sharing on Twitter. Their updates are a reminder that rocket science can also be simplified for mass consumption. Just that one needs to have a dedicated and committed resource who can connect with the external world appropriately.

In many cases, a blog is the starting point for social conversations. And, if that isn’t a conversation material, forget social.