Well, it’s a new year, and yes, we’re having many of the same old conversations here and other places. Realistically speaking, the repetition is necessary because a great deal of the market still needs to come up to speed on social media communications (Viva Pinata by peasap).
Some of the back channel conversations I have with other experienced social media communicators confirms a couple of things about this trend:
1) Even though many still don’t get it, more folks do everyday. That’s evidenced by the increasing volume of quality conversations that are occurring from new voices. Have you seen the number of blogs in the Ad Age 150 lately?
2) The many who don’t get it will soon become the few. Because successful social media is really like a light switch. Once you get it, it’s on. The rest is just a matter of becoming more proficient, integrating communications 101, and learning how to deliver meaningful results.
Hitting the pinata is not that hard. That’s why it’s fun.
Social media is not that tough either once you move away from the fear about nomenclature and control, and just dive in. Heck, it’s fun, too. Why? Well, it’s really about talking with people that have similar personal or business interests.
Sometimes I wish we could go back and rename all of these “geekified” tools. They are really not that tough to use. Instead of Twitter, call it Water Cooler, instead of Plaxo, call it Online Contacts. But the bizarre nomenclature exists and therefore we have to pull people kicking and screaming through not only a cultural shift from one-way communication to two-way conversations, but through a bizarre world of translations and lingo.
The real truth is your best sales people, your best relationship developers inside the company already get conversations. Follow them around for a day or two, watch them, replicate them, and do it online. Build relationships and talk with people, not at them (Cluetrain redux here and here). You will be amazed at how simple this really is. And once you get it, well, it’s on.
The time of social media being new is coming to a close, probably at some point in 2010, if not sooner. The economy and marketers’ resulting focus on social media communications will actually hasten this process. Then our conversations will become, “Who’s really great at this,” rather than, “How do we engage?”
The transition of social media happened for me after reading Wikinomics 2 years ago and Now is Gone last year. Social media (like facebook) has become a part of all marketing functions I do. I remember back to the early 1990s when I was selling web sites. People were hestitant to buy a web site but agreed it made since if anyone was out there on the web to have a site. In my opinion this is where social media is now but will soon change to be as common as web pages and email.
Fun post, Geoff.
I agree; after spending most of 2007 and 2008 thinking, “Why are they so scared of it? Why don’t they get it? Don’t they SEE?” I think I’m finally going to spend most of 2009 saying, “Well, the light bulb went off, at last!” :)
Totally agree and one thing I hope to see more of in ‘09 is for people who do understand Social Media, to utilize these strategies and make them work for business. There obviously is a lot of talk but let’s see the hard work behind it now.
Jimmy, Sheila and Sonny: Yes, we are at the tipping point (or beyond) now. And as Sonny said, the hard work is upon us. But there will be those who endeavor to toil!
Hi Geoff:
I am seeing this trend too. New interest by the biggest marketers in the world (Ford, Unilever, PepsiCo, P&G) on how to internalize the skills needed to be successful in a post-cluetrain world.
I think we are at the end of the beginning, and the interesting part is just starting.
Tom O’Brien
MotiveQuest LLC
Social media ‘is’ not that difficult but grammar is obviously a challenge. Social media is plural and social medium singular, thus social media ‘are’…
…quite tricky to integrate into a whole. And not many understand the semantic Web and the XML files that ‘talk’ to search engine bots.
We have a tool that produces semantic mark-up and communicates to social media sites through APIs. Its output is, technically, ’social media news releases’.
Plain language understanding is improving but the semantic Web is an ongoing challenge.
Geoff,
We must always consider that there are a significant number of professionals who have yet to master basic communication skills, let alone be able to apply those skills under the perceived pressure of real time environment.
You might also be interested to know that the plural/singular status of media is in flux, and adding ’social’ to ‘media’ has yet to be ruled on by the Associated Press (as far as I know).
Best,
Rich
If ‘media’ is singular, what then is ‘medium’?
Why don’t you boys go have a fight over Eats, Shoots and Leaves at your local vegetarian diner ;)