It has occurred to me that the reason most companies (and corporate marketing departments in particular) just don’t get it when it comes to social media is that they are having a hard time leaving behind the rapidly receding world of asymmetrical communications – i.e., of top down, “command and control” programs, where the marketing department pushes out messages in one direction, generally with and through various media channels.
There is nothing that radical or insightful in the above statement, many have been saying for some time that marketing these days needs to be more of a conversation and less about one sided lectures and interruption.
The challenge is to find a practical way to put this into practice. It seems to me that success will mean first understanding that old style, top down marketing tactics will seem increasingly shrill and out of step.
Instead, forward thinking companies will become more decentralized in their marketing and communications. They will increasingly put tools out there to arm influencers, peers, enthusiasts, customers and prospects, as well as employees – and then get out of the way and let the magic happen. This means providing brand stewards and fans with tools and content to help them spread the word.
The loss of control that comes with a decentralized approach may seem scary. Here’s a news flash: we really have no choice because it is happening anyway. Brands lost control over the message long ago.
A decentralized approach does not necessarily mean resigning yourself to having the “unwashed masses” run roughshod over your brand as they pull it in a million directions while you stand by powerlessly. Marketers can and should listen and engage when appropriate – not in a heavy handed way, but with the right approach you (and your fellow brand loyalists) can defend the brand and gently try to guide the dialog where appropriate.
Dave Evans said this very eloquently in his recent ClickZ piece Take Control by Letting Go.
Relax the reins on your social efforts, and let your participation and
the great experiences you create with your operations team guide the
conversations. When they take an odd twist, don’t panic: Instead, jump
in and gently guide the conversation. Be a part of it. Ultimately, if
what you deliver syncs with the values of your customers, the
conversation will go where you want. That’s a beautiful thing.
In an article in Media Post Online Spin a couple of weeks ago, Joe Marchese posed the question:
There is a quiet battle raging in the
advertising industry over who will become the Agency of Record (AOR)
for marketers’ social media efforts.
In light of the above, I am not sure I agree with the premise that monolithic AORs are the way of the future.
I’ll be blogging more on this topic so please stay tuned.
