Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Are PR Professionals Invited?

In many respects, social media has turned the worlds of marketing, advertising and public relations upside down. The practiced and preached marketing models, which some CEOs are still more comfortable with yet today, have been tossed aside for a completely new two-way communication approach. No more are the days when public relations professionals and marketers pushed out information to consumers, or developed flat campaigns to be disseminated through traditional media approaches. The seemingly one-way tube of communication has been broken. Let’s just say the average consumer now has an invite to the cocktail party…and he’s making a big entrance.

By entering the cocktail party at all, the consumer enters the conversation. This shift in control—or rather, loss of control—for marketers and public relations professions is a difficult thing to grasp at first. The level of transparency only increases from here, and that can sometimes hurt a brand’s image or a campaign’s objective. The voice of one unreasonable individual can be heard by all, and can raise concerns among other consumers. However, when used correctly, social media is truly the beginning of a lasting, meaningful conversation.

Companies should note that there are many, many individuals in the general public who want to speak with or about you. Social media provides a platform for conversation and increases two-way communication. No longer are websites static, they are now filled with dynamic, interactive content. With the rise of online conversational hosts like forums, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and comment functions, consumers can share opinions, concerns, questions and praise with the vast audience that makes up the Web 2.0. In this new world, your brand or company already belongs to the public. In a sense, content and information has become democratized.      

By now, big media outlets have even contributed to the shift. Time magazine, for example, picked “You” as person of the year in 2006. With all of the recent growth online in blogs and social networking sites, it seems the media is still less reluctant to accept such changes, while big business has not fully come to terms with just how effective social media can be.  

Prof. Robert Lauterborn, author of The New Marketing Paradigm, describes this shift as ‘demassification.’ According to Lauterborn, from 1950-1970, the marketing systems in the United States functioned like well-oiled machines. “Then,” Lauterborn says, “technology collided with society and human wants and needs.” In the 1950s, power was in the hands of the marketer. In the 1980s, the channel had the power; in the 1990s and after, the power shifted to the consumer.    

Take Amazon, for example. Years ago, Amazon.com allowed unfiltered comments on their products sold online; at the time, competitors were astonished. Now, this consumer-based comment forum is standard, and consumers hold the communication power.

The key is to not view this new social media shift as a public relations disaster. Yes, consumers can provide instant feedback, some good, some bad, and some certainly ugly. Jim Tobin, author of Social Media is a Cocktail Party, advises public relations firms handling a company’s communication to do two things when negative comments are posted. “One, you leave it up. Two, you evaluate the point the person is making,” Tobin says.

But it is important to remember that social media also easily positions a segmented, specific audience in the hands of public relations professionals. Instead of seeking out a target audience, public relations professionals can quickly identify and communicate with targeted groups at the start of a major campaign. What’s better? Before even conceptualizing a campaign, professionals can read about nearly any subject of interest to the campaign from the viewpoint of the consumer, as there are likely already groups online talking about it.

Perhaps even more significant is how the public can essentially create the campaign for the public relations specialist. Alongside the occasional critic are brand enthusiasts who are motivated to share their excellent customer service experience or product satisfaction with a large web-based audience. Not only is this helpful from a promotional aspect, but also in gaining consumer trust.   

It is no secret that public relations professions are known to put ‘spin’ on things. Of course, professionals are trained to present and position clients in the best possible light, but that comes with a price. Even mildly-educated consumers know, for example, that the quotes used in press releases are often crafted by public relations specialists and are not uttered by the individual at all. The consumer often becomes skeptical of promotional efforts, or even comes to resent public relations campaigns.

Enter social media, and suddenly, the communication and recommendations are being shared consumer-to-consumer. Even if a public relations department is able to publish a feature article in a local daily newspaper, for example, readers will ponder what public relations firm was able position such a piece. On the other hand, hearing information from friends, family and trusted individuals with no stake in product sales whatsoever produces results. Third party credibility only increases transparency and authenticity. Online word-of-mouth also saves the company time, money and promotional effort.

In increasingly difficult economic times, return on investment has become even more important for public relations professionals to communicate back to the company. Luckily, when utilizing social media, there are tools available to make ROI easy. Search engine optimization alone has shown huge ROI for companies. Marketing segmentation of consumers online also helps companies to target a relevant consumer population, rather than wasting money on promoting a product to an irrelevant public. At the most basic level, however, is the fact that consumers are on social media. If a company isn’t, it is missing out.

As Jim Tobin so candidly says, “The party goes on with or without you.” The fact is, if a company is not utilizing social media, it is still being talked about at thousands of online cocktail parties. The problem is, the company is not hearing the conversations, nor is it apart of the public dialogue at all.

A common misconception that exists yet today is that the segmented population using social media consists mostly of teenagers and young adults, who perhaps do not have the purchasing power of older adults. The fact is, nearly half of Facebook users are over the age of 35 and the median age for LinkedIn users is 36. Older consumers are certainly already at the cocktail party.

Finally, many have predicted that social media is a fad that will die hard, as trends typically do. Many companies are still skeptical to develop departments, expand budgets or increase resources around what appears to be a communication trend. This will prove to be a costly mistake. A good public relations firm will advise its clients to integrate traditional promotional approaches with social media, even if the company is reluctant to do so.

Social media has become an important part of consumers’ lifestyles and daily routines; once integrated as a preferred communication tool, consumers will be very reluctant to let go. This makes sense. Once guests are able to engage in meaningful conversation at the cocktail party, why on earth would they want to leave?    

Brittany Rustad   
University of Minnesota
Jour 3279
Blog Assignment

Customer Service and my Social Media experience

It is said that a happy customer will tell three people about their experience, and an unhappy customer will tell ten. Now this statement is not exactly true, due to the introduction and acceptance of social media a happy or unhappy customer can tell thousands of people with just one click of their mouse.

For example, I purchased a pair of designer boots last winter. They were beautiful, comfortable and quite expensive. Since they were designer boots I was expecting for them to make it through a few winters for me. After one week of wearing them, the sole began to detach it’s self from the shoe and the hard part of the heel fell off making my boots uneven and awkward to walk in. Being that I had always been satisfied with this brand it was quite upsetting to have my new boots fall apart so soon. So, I did what any unsatisfied customer would do, I wrote a review for the world to see.

Using social media is one of the fastest and newest ways to connect with customers. Utilizing it could turn into major profits and loyal customers. However companies are not the only ones who know how to use social media. All sorts of customers now have the opportunity to share with the world their feelings about any brand or company, on many different sites. Now that conversations and feelings can be made public so quickly, organizations can no longer ignore their customer complaints. It can be a scary thing knowing that in opening your company up to the world of social media that there can and will be criticism. The trick is to listen and embrace it, and then formulate a plan for how to respond appropriately.

The shoe and boots company noticed my complaint and realized they needed to react, but first they needed to understand why I was upset in the first place and how they should respond.

Listening is completely different from monitoring. While some organizations will use the 2 words interchangeably, understanding the difference between the two will help you to understand your customer’s wants and needs more clearly. According to “Likable Social Media” by Dave Kerpen, monitoring has an impersonal feel to it and can bring up images similar to the FBI, or surveillance cameras. Listening on the other hand, involves actually thinking, processing and trying to understand about the comments that are being made about your organization.

Finding comments that are being made is easy, some may be made directly on your organization facebook wall, your organization may have been tagged in a comment, or you can use the search tool to find certain phrases or key words that relate to your organization. Searching for comments and feedback on your competitors can also keep you up to date on how you compare. It is always good to have a competitive edge and know why consumers should choose your product over another.

After listening to my comment the company needed to respond. Ignoring or deleting my comments would have continued in my dissatisfaction with the product, and likely I would have told more people.
Dave Kerpen in “Likeable Social Media” explains the Do Not Delete (DND) rule. This rule states that, “unless a comment is obscene, profane, bigoted, or contains someone’s personal and private information, never delete it from a social network”. Being deleted can be seen as the ultimate slap in the face. It sends an “I don’t care,” kind of message. It is also likely to upset a customer more, like adding insult to injury.
Additionally choosing to ignore the negative comment and hope that not many people will read it is also not an effective strategy. Not responding is a response. This will make the customer feel like the company doesn’t care about their personal business, and will likely drive them to a competitor company.

Instead the company chose to send me an empathetic e-mail apologizing for my experience and asking me to chat with a customer service representative. They also choose to respond with a similar message on the product review I wrote.

This quick public and private response is the perfect way to try and patch things up with the disgruntled customer and to show the world that this is the kind of company the cares, and wants to help. Sending a personal message and addressing the customer by name will show them that the company wants to help and understand the problem. Asking them to chat with a customer service representative shows that they also do not just want to try to “buy” the customers approval with a coupon or special offer. Offering a coupon or gift can help to heal the hurt after a customer feels as if their issue has been listened too. Listening to their comments and concerns first is key.

After receiving the e-mail I decided to online chat with the representative. She listened to my story and apologized for me having had such a disappointing experience. She also explained to me I that I could send in the boots and get a full refund even for the fee to ship them back. After sending in my boots and getting my refund, I purchased a new pair of boots from the same company. Due to the customer service representative’s ability to understand me, this company was able to turn my complaint around and make me into supporter again. Since these ones have given me no problems I decided it was worth it to write a new review and praise them for their help. I now also rave about my boots and how much I love them!

This is a perfect example of utilizing a negative social media comment and turning the disgruntled customer’s feelings around to make them a believer again. Their ability to listen to the complaint means that they can understand the customer and show that they really do care. Responding effectively and immediately in the public and private show’s their concern for the customer. Ultimately knowing how to fix the problem kept a loyal customer. While social media can result in some ugly encounters, knowing how to utilize these comments and respond appropriately can ultimately pay off.

Rachel Geertsema
University of Minnesota
Jour 3279
Blog Assignment

Six Pixels of Separation: Book Review

The title of Mitch Joel’s book, Six Pixels of Separation, is adapted from the idea of “six degrees of separation,” referring to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth. With the continuous development of social media and technology, “by way of introduction” is no longer necessary.  Joel explains, “We are all intrinsically connected through technology, the Internet, and our mobile devices [so that we] all now live in a world where we can know everyone-and everyone can know us.”

                                                                                     

Published in 2009, Mitch Joel’s book on business strategy in the age of social media is a laudable effort to tie in the disparate threads of the online world for those keen to experiment in this space.  Covering a broad expanse of concepts and ideas, from crowd sourcing, community building, content creation, to platform specific strategies, the book provides a good introduction to the world of social media and digital engagement.

Six Pixels of Separation is a book with practical advice about the Internet, online social networks and new media.  It is also a helpful and easy-to-read resource about branding, entrepreneurship and digital marketing communications. By using actual case studies and his personal experiences, Joel offers a readable, entertaining guide to the often over-whelming and constantly changing world of digital communications.

He talks in detail about the many ways that companies can create “new business models” by using online channels.  He discusses ways to, in his words, “harness the power that lies in online communities” and stresses the importance of clearly defining your business brand and strategy before getting involved in online communities.  Visible through interviews posted on YouTube, Joel enthusiastically encourages business owners to “embrace your digital footprint.” The book’s writing style is approachable and non-technical by breaking down concepts into an understandable language for all readers.

Joel quotes liberally from new age thinkers like best selling author Seth Godin, author of Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki, staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, Malcolm Gladwell and editor-in-chief of Wired, Chris Anderson, while he offers advice and insights on topics such as starting a blog, developing a community, and extending one’s business in the age of “Participation 2.0” (Mitch 110).  Regular followers of social media gurus will probably be familiar with many of the strategies proposed.

The building of social networks through either major platforms like Facebook or Twitter cam across as a “must do” strategy in the book.  Businesses can ill afford to depend on the power of mass media and the old broadcasting based model to get their messages out there.  According to Joel, they should cultivate their followings on a variety of platforms and work through consumer advocates and their connections to spread the word.  Here, readers are given a short introduction to each of these platforms including Wikipedia, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Ning and so on.  Readers are given a better understanding of the capabilities of social network sources and how they can effectively work for them.

A key part of the book discusses the growth of user-generated content, and the shift from mass media to mass content.  In the age of social media, users are putting up more avenues and sources of information online-text, audio, images, videos- on a variety of channels. According to Joel, with the empowerment of the democratization of media (the concept of Web 2.0), companies ought to work with their communities to engage rather than advertise and push products and services.

The rise of personal brands and tribes are the other heavily cited concepts.  “The age of ‘Me’ Media has resulted in individuals- employees and consumers alike- becoming more and more empowered,” explains Joel.  Through blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, and Youtubing, these digital denizens could carve out niches and brand names for themselves.

I particularly liked the section on the mobile web (Digital Nomad).  Here, Joel suggested that building a huge feature-rich website with all its bells and whistles may not necessarily work.  Instead, business venturing into this space should provide utility and simple solutions to consumers navigating a tiny 4 by 6 inch screen.  Quoting from Andy Nulman, Joel cited that Mobile Marketing (not advertising) is about the acronym N.O.W. The “N” is for nearby meaning customers need to be in your radius, close and local. “O” is for only, in which he says there has to be a limit to any offer (e.g. “Only 29 left” or “The offer is only valid for the next two hours.”). Last, “W” stands for wow, meaning make a compelling offer for consumers to attract attention.

Unfortunately, certain concepts may have changed from the time the book was published to the present. Some of the ideas suggested, such as podcasting, may be difficult to implement unless one has the wherewithal to provide stimulating audio content.  While the platforms are mostly free in the digital domain, the production of interesting quality content is not and therein becomes a challenge. I hesitate to say this book is a textbook for new media, but Mitch Joel has a plethora of updated sources including his blog (http://www.twistimage.com/blog/), interviews posted on YouTube and frequent podcasts uploaded on iTunes.

The mass adoption of social media channels also means that companies and business’ venturing into this space now will find competition much steeper.  While the concept of finding your own micro-niche and loyal following is a nice novel idea, making it work profitably could be a challenge in volume-oriented businesses.

With the subhead “Everyone is Connected, Connect Your Business to Everyone,” Six Pixels of Separation provides an easily readable introduction to the world of social media marketing.  Those who are new to the world of social media and mobile marketing would find it a useful source that is understandable and easy to follow.  The book was jam-packed full of stories and examples on how people and business’ have succeeded in the online world.

For more information or questions, please contact Krystle Cruz at cruzx093@umn.edu.