Who's afraid of social media?

HLTW   BLOGGING   SOCIAL MEDIA

Recently, I ate peanuts aboard a Dragon Air Airbus 33A, which was sitting on the tarmac at Shanghai's Pu Dong Airport. My "first in the queue" plane to Hong Kong had idled for three hours.

As I bit into the peanut (musing on the packet's stern warning "Caution: contents contain peanuts"), I started thinking, as one does, about social media marketing.

I'd spent the previous two weeks discussing social media and public relations with audiences in Shanghai and Beijing. As my brain began to file away the conversations, I started to doodle the questions I'd been asked on my Dragon Air napkin ("Caution: contents contain dead trees").

It seemed that four things were on the minds of the multitude of marketers I'd met with over the past couple of weeks.

In the interests of the greater good, I thought I'd try to tackle them in this column because I think they frame the necessary next steps that many companies are still struggling to take.

Question: Should my company get into social media?

Answer: First, you should understand what you're trying to sell, who you want to influence, and what influences them. If the answer is, in part, social media, then that needs to be part of the marketing program.

The fact is, your brand is probably already a topic of discussion across social media channels. Realize also, social media isn't a trend, fad or buzz. It exists because Web 2.0 tools have enabled everyone to publish. Quite frankly, the people have spoken. The underlying social media principles of openness, collaboration, participation, conversation, community and real time are woven into the fabric of communication.

Question: OK. So I should do this.

How do I start? Answer: Start by understanding the social media landscape around your product or service offering and associated themes.

This ‘mapping' exercise will help you set priorities, strategies and tactics. Once you understand the most influential channels and influencers, then representatives from your company can start to play active and authentic roles in these communities. Their mission?

To help drive conversations within the communities, and also drive discussions back to you company webpage, blog, Facebook fan page, or other ‘owned' media channels. A great way to start is to empower your 800 number helpdesk team to play their role in online communities. Why? They are already trained to manage 1-1 discussions with your clients and prospects.

Question: So I'm already "there". How do I control my message?

Answer: Sadly, you can't.

The presumption of controlling messages is a hangover from the old days of PR 1.0. Many companies in China in particular have been able to exert a significant degree of control over traditional media.

In social media, however, not responding to the inevitable negative comments means that they become part of the digital record forever. By having company representatives in social media communities, you can ensure you're across relevant discussions, presenting your point of view and adding value to the community. If you can manage this, discussions will be more balanced.

And by driving the discussion back to your company blog, for example, you'll have time to offer your point of view (and improve SEO in the process).

Question: OK. So I have some semblance of control. How do I measure this?

Answer: Social media is infinitely more measureable than traditional media. In media relations-based PR, we've relied on the collective leap of faith that says an article on page 42 of Ming Pao will be read from beginning to end, absorbed, and will play a key role in a business decision. I have nothing against Ming Pao, but surely this is an output, not an outcome.

By having company representatives contributing to social media communities, you can create measurable action and demand generation. If your representatives are compelling and people click through to your web landing page for more information, to book a place at an event or buy a product, then you've hit the jackpot.

Web analytics tools such as Google Analytics can show you precisely where those inbound links came from. Your SEO goes up, but more importantly you can make a direct correlation between social media activity and consumer behaviour.

It all sounds deceptively simple. The reality is there are places to start and the point of entry isn't so challenging. But this is a long-term commitment that fundamentally changes the way your company will interact with its audiences.

Social media continues to take many marketing managers in Asia out of their comfort zones. Through more conversation, active participation, and handfuls of Dragon Air peanuts, this is an opportunity you, as a marketer, can't afford to ignore.

Jeremy Woolf
Text 100
Senior Vice President
Global Social Media Lead
Blog: http://www.publicrelationships.blogspot.com/