Thinking & Acting Effectively with Social Media for Your Business
By David Bullock Co-Author – Barack 2.0: Social Media Lessons For Business
Summary : Are we paying attention to the wrong things in regards to social media?
Recently, I attended a “social media” luncheon. What I heard was interesting.
- How social media could be used.
- How social media should be used.
- Great stories that are inspiring to hear.
All about building trust, non-marketing and non-sales. How this media is so different.
No hard numbers. No metrics. Just nice stories about what would, should and could happen with this thing called “social media.” The concepts are there but meaningful frameworks and tactics are lacking. I guess folks are trying to figure it out.
But I did not hear anyone talking about how social media is being used:
- to increase revenues,
- leverage communications,
- support business objectives and
- easily reach new markets.
And more importantly, what I did not hear was how could this “new media” be used to create predictable outcomes. I was not looking for tips, tricks and the newest tools. I was looking for thinking or a methodology that just works because it is based in sound principles and known outcomes.
Sorry folks. I am an engineer. I build things. And I think social media is a tool that should be used to generate business outcomes that matter.
On the other hand, if you are using social media to just be sociable then this post is not for you. But if you are a business owner looking to use social media as a means to connect, engage and communicate with your audience, here are some of the questions that are running in my mind as I move both strategically and tactically in the marketplace.
For Business Owners And Managers Only
Not in any order, but this is a loose framework…
Social Media for Business:
- What are you doing?
- Are you doing anything meaningful? Or are you waiting for something?
- If you are doing something, why are you doing it?
- What is your message?
- It is a valuable message?
- How do you know it is valuable?
- Who cares? Who’ll listen?
- Where and who are they listening to?
- Who is it (specifically) valuable to?
- What is the expected outcome?
- Are you achieving your outcomes?
- What kind of time, energy and effort are you deploying?
- Is it working?
- What part of it is not working?
- How do you know it is not working?
- What is your metric?
- What is your measurement device?
- Is the device accurate?
- How do you know your device is accurate?
- Is the online media the right engagement media?
- Should social media be used with other channels?
- Do you have a story that is worth repeating?
- Are people repeating your story?
- Have you isolated the elements of your story that make it valuable to others?
This is the short list of questions that I am asking as I move across channels.
As a business owner who has to communicate, promote and engage with clients and prospects everyday, the “30,000 ft view” of the newest of social media platform or trend has little to no meaning to my day-to-day business.
Seeing the “buzz” in the marketplace is interesting only in regards to the traffic and connections that are created because of the buzz. Having a “buzz meter” with no application for the “buzz metric” is meaningless.
This is just like having complete analytics and not knowing what to do with the numbers.
The question I am always asking is, “What can I do with this?”
The exhaust of data from the social media space is incredible. But again I ask, “now what and so what?” What are we as business owners going to do with the data so that it becomes actionable information that creates the business outcomes that you (or your clients) are looking for?
Business owners and managers are looking for the “Do this. Measure this. Look for this. If you see this, do this next.”
No theory. Pragmatic, actionable, measurable and tangible, results.
Business owners want outcome-oriented blueprints because dynamic markets require thoughtful action and timely execution.
Things are moving too fast for inability to act and analysis paralysis.
Just my thoughts after too many theoretical conversations that lead to more theoretical conversations. What do you think?
Filed in Business Development by David Bullock
Comments on Thinking & Acting Effectively with Social Media for Your Business »
David,
I ask myself the question “What can I do with this?†a lot because there's some new social media must have/do on the scene every week. It's a given that most business owners believe they should be using social media, but don't really know why, other than they've heard that it's good for business.
I saw you recently at SNL8 – you rocked BTW – and other speakers there talked of how one should use SM to build relationships not as a sales platform, good to know, but like you, I want to have a blueprint that has been proven to work – not coulds and shoulds.
Thanks for giving me something to contemplate over this morning.
Fran.
Hi David, Fran.
"What can I do with this" is the base question, and I totally agree with the chasm between social media and actionable tactics.
We have used SocMedia to build LOCAL customer base. More a system of keeping in contact with our customers, providing services, creating leads, opportunities, than direct sales.
The focus of our online endeavours is to get the local customer (within about 200 miles) to show up in person in our store, either to buy or sell antique items. Since it's a "unique and collectable" item, travel is sometimes part of the transaction, and this type of item fares better than "off the shelf" stock in most retail.
We use Twitter, Ning groups (one full control, other open), our own website, email, blogs, all with ONE focus – promotion of our B&M store. Online sales are considered bonus.
I believe the metrics can be better measured with a specific focus in mind, our being local. As such we KNOW it has led to many sales, sales opportunities, branding, purchase opportunities, service opportunities and more.
Not all businesses can measure such outcomes from each effort, but in our case we ensure we ask our customers how they found us. We no longer us PRINT advertising of any form, and we can easily isolate which customers have come in thru relationships built on twitter, a blog, our own website or our online groups. We utilize all channesl in a cross-promotional method to achieve our final result – a customer in front of us (personal best, virtual, ok).
In a small business, even without specific metrics, we KNOW with some clarity exactly what is working and what doesn't.
For example: our Shop-NING at website my link goes to… is by far the most succesful (and also most "social") endeavour we have used to date for direct sales. Have a quick look at that site, I think you will be surprised at the power, and future possibilities, such a platform provides.
Best of all, of course, it is a FREE experiment.
In the future, I can see millions of small B&M stores concentrating on local clients using such groups. In fact with the rapid inclusion of geo-tracking on social network apps, this will rise more rapidly than even I envisioned.
What do you think? Does social media effort become more easily quantifiable if done with a local focus?
@Fran – Thanks a bunch of the feedback. There is so much going on in the social media business space it is incredible. Have you seen the book Barack 2.0 http://www.Barack20.com? We have mapped the process and sequence within the case study.
Great post David, and much detail on this. Social media is here to stay and the possibilities are unlimited. To think you can simply turn a no name brand into a brand quickly, virally and get traffic is amazing. I didn't use to use social media about a year back, I didn't think it converted, I'm glad that I got into it earlier this year, it's been the backbone to traffic in my business.
@Vince Wow. Talk about getting it done. Your assessment of the local marketing/social media is spot on. The local markets are ripe for social media geo targeting utilization. Getting your tracking in place to maximize your efforts is key to future success. Let us know how your project moves forward.
@Terrance Social Media is here to stay. The line between social media, social networking and business is getting blurred. Glad that you can "see" that traffic = people's attention. The channel from which the traffic arrives increasingly is from the "social space".
Keep moving. This media is here to stay and is working for both local merchants and large brands.
Great information David, thank you. otomatik kepenk adana