January 15th, 2009 by Nils Maier
At first glance, it seems quite obvious – for the company in the area of social media – who is actually in charge of the communication with the consumers. Thereby, both marketers and communicators execs are the ones, who stand out the most, since it is after all their tasks to provide the market with powerful brands and brand’s messages. However, this presumption is only true on first sight. The old classical types of marketers are unfortunately loved to talk but seldom do they listen. Well in the era of social media, this good old push campaign without any feedback channels is definitely out. Social media leads marketers in an entirely new and different communication environment. Here, companies, brands and consumers are on the same level and they correspond respectively to one another – a two way conversation as to speak. This mutual both ways of influence means that marketing and company’s communication should pursue an authentic dialog with consumers, and yet marketers are often having troubles to do just that.
With swift and strong changes regarding the usage of media by target groups, decisions maker should ultimately break away – better soon than later- from the deep rooted belief that only marketing department and company’s communication of one’s company are the ones who should communicate with the outside world. A good networking products developer can definitely generate high coverage and more attention by using social media, compared to only just few ads campaigns. Foremost, decisions maker should take this fact as a chance instead of a threat. As foretold by Charlene Li concerning the year 2009:
everybody becomes a marketer…their front line workers will go about quietly, unobtrusively interacting with customers, partners, and other employees within their social networks. Examples like @comcastcares Frank Eliason or “Nuts About Southwest” blogger Gordon Guillory (who is a mechanical engineer) point to the democratization of social media within the enterprise.
Probably they are employers, who do actually help the company in getting the message out there in a really “social” way – e.g. like Guillory from Southwest. Rohit Bhargava affirms also the good possibility of Charlene Li’s way of thinking for brands and companies in the area of social media.
Find a way to embrace your accidental spokespeople. In the social media era, anyone can be a spokesperson for your brand, from regular employees to passionate customers. Find a way that your brand can connect with these voices and amplify them.
Rohit goes even a step further with his proposal; maybe marketers should consider using their own target group as multipliers.
It’s not of importance, whether it’s done by a networking or passionate consumer or even just a single employer. The marketing success for the companies will surely sky rocket in user generated channels through this kind of activities. Thus, an authentic communication with consumers is actually generated and well perceived. It’s not a real alternative for companies to not communicate with consumers online out of fear for losing control of their brand’s message. Brands communication does take place in social media and it gets even stronger and more intense. Hence, no companies can afford to ignore a direct and authentic consumer dialog. Nothing is worst then not taking part in a public discussion of one’s own brands.
