Yesterday I indulged one of my favourite hobbies – eavesdropping. God I love it! The conversation centred around Twitter and to a lesser degree Facebook. Without doubt it was a marketing discussion.
The important thing about this conversation was that the notion of strategy and relationships didn’t make it into the conversation.
Each of the social media components were referred to as though each was an end unto itself.
It occurred to me that this approach is fairly common – especially with larger brands. I have heard of a number of marketers lately who have been presented with isolated social media campaigns.
I can’t help wondering if some agencies are including Facebook or Twitter activity on media schedules in the same way as they would the trial inclusion of a new magazine – drive the rate down the card to lessen the impact, call in some favours & let’s see how it goes.
Without an underlying relationship management strategy underpinning any social media activity this approach presents some problems. I wonder what happens when the activity finishes?
If social media is intended to establish and nurture genuine relationships then a flighted campaign approach is the social media equivalent of a show romance – intense and focused for a short period of time…and then abruptly no one returns your calls.
Seasoned marketers grasp the implications of this immediately – they understand the brand message it sends if the conversation stops when the media flight ends. They also see that an obligation exists to maintain these relationships once they are initiated.
Here are a few things that you might consider before embarking on a stand-alone social media activity…
- Is there a relationship management strategy that outlines:
- The purpose of social engagement – what value does it add to the consumer and the brand?
- What skills and resources will be required to manage the relationships your create via the various social media initiatives that you undertake? Do you have them?
- Do you have a social engagement policy – who can / will speak on behalf of the brand?
- What is the voice of the brand? I know this sounds like “if your brand were an animal what would it be”, but the real decision is whether our brand “voice” is going to be practical, friendly, formal, casual, etc. Whatever the answer, make sure it is genuine and consistent with the brand.
- How will you respond to negative comments / feedback? Fixing issues publicly and quickly can build a lot of positive equity. Do you have a plan in place to ensure that you can intervene and resolve issues swiftly?
- Does the proposed activity fit into the broader strategy for engagement ?
- Does it fit into the resourcing plan within your strategy?
If our answer to any of the above was “no” then you may be in danger of “show romancing” your customers. This type of isolated activity can create an incorrect (or correct) impression of utility friendship.
Now, you might say that you can over plan these things. Absolutely.
Everything we read tells us that brands need to embrace social media and everyone needs to start somewhere. The case for social media as a means of extending the reach and understanding of a brand and engaging customers in dialogue is a strong one.
With that in mind, first impressions are important. Please…start with a relationship management plan – not a media plan.
in senior marketing, online media and digital brand management roles. Passionate about the customer experience and cautious of false prophets, I help create genuine long term value within the digital & social media landscape. 
