It is rather amazing that as a method for communicating with our target audiences, social media has already moved through an extremely quick adoption cycle.  I remember the days when even bringing the term social media up during a client meeting would get me a mixture of blank stares, rolling eyes, and pangs of panic and fear.

Funny enough, the future is here and many businesses have moved over the hump and are not only willing, but eager to have a conversation about social media.  The funny thing is that I am spending more and more time telling clients the things they SHOULDN’T be doing with their social media programs instead of pushing them to all the possibilities.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still one of Frause’s biggest proponents of utilizing social tools to reach the people our clients want to reach, but I’m all about doing it the right way at the right time.

The problem has now become one of buzz.  Because social media as a business concept has been around long enough to start proving itself as a viable way to deliver business messages, the argument for why an organization should look into creating a program is becoming easier and easier.

What’s not so easy is telling an executive that social media likely is not going to solve all of his or her communications challenges.  And to be completely honest, I don’t believe social media needs to always have a place at the table for every business, strictly from an ROI perspective.

In order to make the most use out of a marketing and communications budget, clients need to do what they have always done and evaluate the merits for implementing any kind of program – whether that be public relations, advertising, grassroots marketing or social.

So what does that mean for the Frause social media philosophy today?  It’s simple; don’t expect them to come just because you built it.  Make sure to truly understand the opportunities that exist to connect with customers/clients and set realistic expectations.  Of course, always be on the lookout for new and innovative ways to deliver your messages, but first focus on making sure the end justifies the means.  Just because it is cool and new doesn’t mean it will meet your communications goals.

Matt Smedley

Two nights ago I observed a focus group held on behalf of a client.  One of the goals was to test a few marketing concepts; we were also looking for reactions to certain words and phrases, and general attitudes about some behaviors we’d like folks to change.  We had a full house:  12 participants, most of whom seemed pretty open to sharing their opinions.

If you’ve never observed a focus group, I encourage you to look for opportunities to do so.  I always find the experience absolutely fascinating.  Some of the things people believe, their understanding of issues, the value they place on material items or intangible benefits - all of these insights can be truly flabbergasting.  Those of us observing may laugh and wonder how folks can be so misinformed.  Or we may puzzle over unexpected opinions.  But - and this is a really BIG but - dismissing the information that comes out of a focus group as wrong or not credible is a huge mistake.

Because the information shared by focus group participants is their reality.  It doesn’t matter if that information is inaccurate; for those people, it’s real.  And that’s the whole point of conducting a focus group - getting an inside look at how people actually think and feel.  One of the men in the focus group I was observing believed that a certain statewide regulation had five complex levels of implementation.  True?  Nope - the regulation in question is pretty straightforward.  But learning that it’s perceived as complicated and confusing was a news flash.

It’s not uncommon to hear things from a focus group that are a bit discouraging.  The group I observed was pretty blunt that changing one of their behaviors is not very likely.  And their reasoning was quite logical.  Although this isn’t the type of thing most clients want to hear, it’s always better to know in advance what you’re up against.  Goals can be revised.  Strategies can be changed.  Completion deadlines can be extended.  Success can be achieved!

I am admittedly a bit of a geek when it comes to research.  That said, observing the recent focus group was a blast.  Not to mention a virtual goldmine of rich information.

-Sue Gillespie

I realize that many companies and organizations are already a bit fearful of the potential drawbacks to building and running a social media program.  The best way to overcome the angst is to understand what not to do.

1) Don’t shout.  They call it social media for a reason.  If you are just posting messages and not engaging in conversation, you probably aren’t doing it right.  Look for the opportunities to engage.  It won’t happen every time, but when it does, I promise it will make the exchange more meaningful.

2) Skip the robot. Communicating to your audiences as if you are an emotionless robot is no good.  Most audiences expect and need that human touch.  It’s ok to go ahead be the flawed creature that you really are.  That’s the stuff that tends to grab and keep people’s attention.

3) Think no empire.  So many organizations first think about social media in the perspective of “what stuff can I build?”  This is a terrible approach because it generally leaves out the strategy portion.  And in complete honesty, having a presence on every social platform you can get your hands on is almost guaranteed to not be very beneficial.  Start with a plan, then grow your online social presence in a smart and targeted way.

4) Make employees ambassadors.  Sure, employees can make mistakes on their personal social media profiles or upload potentially harmful videos, but those same employees can also send harmful emails or make inappropriate comments over the phone.  Remember that your employees are ambassadors.  Empower them by giving them the appropriate training and educating them about your organization’s social media strategies and goals.  They can be your biggest asset.

5) Don’t let it alone. Unfortunately, an effective social media program doesn’t run itself.  Staffing is an important issue that is constantly overlooked.  Not only does your organization need to give serious consideration to how many financial and time resources are given to a social media program, but also the management structure.  Take a look at the highest performing components of your business – they might seem like they run themselves, but that is probably because they have excellent infrastructure built around them.  Think of your social media program in the same light.

Luckily, if you see yourself or your organization in any of the points above, it is easy to change your ways and make strides to being smarter about your social media program.

Matt Smedley