Acknowledging the Why Factor

photo credit: Flickr.com - Plymouth Devon

Five fundamentals taught in every freshman journalism class are who, what, where, when and how. Questions that form the basis for every news article in print or broadcast media. These same questions are also relevant when it comes to social media; whether it be online news sites, blogs and, even, social media marketing.

Lurking in the shadows is that rogue sixth question of "why". The “why” factor is speculative and, at times, dangerous; especially when the story is still fresh and the facts haven't been fully fleshed out. The writer staying true to their craft and omitting any reference to the "why" factor question avoids the risk of appearing biased. The reader or viewer will automatically be left to insert their own perspective into the process. It is this use or non-use of the "why" factor that creates a bias in the ever evolving world of social media.

No media outlet (whether it be in print, broadcast or online) is exempt from utilizing some sort of bias in its reporting. Bias is simply another word for opinion. It has been present in both an overt or covert form since the inception of mass media. There are several gospels of the bible which never made it to the final edit based on the church’s bias. Town criers did not report all the news in the village square unless it served the whims of the village elders.

This bias is not restricted solely to the news media. Question five people who have read the same book, or have seen the same play, movie, music video or television episode. At least three, if not five, different interpretations will be received in response. Society has been inserting its own bias since the beginning of time. Case in point would be to compare what the impression two separate groups have upon viewing the Mona Lisa or the ceiling at the Sistine Chapel for the first time. People bring their own life experiences into the mix when processing information.

The explosion of social media sites on the Internet has heightened this bias. How people process what they come across on the Internet is more reflective of their own preconceived opinions on the topic. Once this innate bias is acknowledged, online information can be processed in a more informed manner.

The Internet has afforded society the opportunity to familiarize itself with a larger spectrum of opinions and ideas than our forefathers. Once people realize that a modern day town crier’s view on an issue, product or brand is never going to be free of a certain amount of bias, our social media experience will be less stressful and frustrating. 

Going into the process already acknowledging an existence of the "why" factor on social media channels; we are given reason to pause before going off on an all capitalized rant or, worse yet, unfriending our childhood sweethearts because we couldn’t agree on why we broke up back in high school. There it is again, that dreaded “why” factor.

Marketing Strategy: Staying the Course

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Whenever a company hires a social media marketing manager, either internally or through an outside agency, they are entrusting them to promote their brand, image or service to a diverse audience across the wide spectrum of social media platforms; usually given carte blanche when it comes to the content posted. However, are they always keeping the best interests of their employers (or clients) and those of the brand's fan base in mind?

I recently came across a Facebook page for a local business. Since I was interested in the service they provided, I liked their page and began following it. Unfortunately, my initial interest quickly waned due to constant posts about sports which had no bearing on the company or its services. It's not like I hate sports; I have been known to cheer on a favorite team virtually. However, continually posting about the local water polo team on a company's business page doesn't entice me to spend money on that business' products or services. It might, however, cause me to buy season tickets to the matches being held at the local swim center. I don't think that was the original intent of the company's social media marketing strategy.

This is not an isolated incident. More and more, personal preference seems to be permeating throughout posted social media content. We have all been told that marketing on social media needs to be kept light and friendly. The hard sell approach is as much of a turn off as continual posts of the office cat or the boss' Caribbean cruise. We need to engage our followers in a conversation; a conversation that's relevant to the brand or business. Targeting your content is one thing; but targeting it in a way that it does not benefit the company or brand that you represent is a big marketing misstep. 

Clearly, there is nothing terribly wrong with an occasional post featuring the office mascot or pictures of the receptionist's new baby. In fact, they do tend to lend a human touch to our marketing. It all comes down to knowing when the conversation has completely strayed off course. Being creative in your posts and finding a way to showcase Fluffy with one of your products or services will keep your marketing strategy on track while at the same time keeping the conversation light and whimsical. 

There is also nothing wrong with the occasional sharing of a post by another page. While it shows that you are willing to be an active participant in their social conversation; be wary of it becoming one sided. Your sharing of their posts with no reciprocity on their part simply turns your page into another marketing tool for them; a free one at that.

Take a hard look at the pages that you follow. Are you seeing irrelevant content popping up more often than you would like?  Are you beginning to second guess why you followed them in the first place? Is your brand loyalty strong enough for you to stick it out?

The Consistency and Fluidity of Branding

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Congratulations, you did it!  You broke that elusive 100 Facebook page fan mark. Granted, the initial fans of your page are usually your own family and friends that felt obligated to accept your invitation to "like" it. 

Nonetheless, you have crossed over the mark that many find unattainable. What you do next will set you apart from the all the other business, nonprofit, community and political pages out there.

Many Facebook page administrators see their pages as merely an advertising tool; which is fine as long as you have established your brand and set your marketing strategy. We all do not start our Facebook pages as universally established brands; ones evoking childhood memories such as Coke, McDonald's or George Takai. It takes dedication and hard work to get to that point. 

There are businesses and organizations that bypass branding; jumping directly to marketing and advertising, especially via social media. Many tend to forget that there are distinct differences between branding, marketing and advertising. Before you can successfully market and advertise, you must establish your brand. Branding establishes who you are or what your business stands for.  Marketing is your plan to tell people about your brand. Advertising encompasses the ways in which you tell those people. 

It doesn't matter if your business or organization has been in existence for 100 years; utilizing social media opens you up to an entirely new audience. Branding messages are what drives the conversation on your page. Being consistent is the key.

For instance, you run a page dedicated to saving the world against the imminent takeover of zombie minions. A worthwhile cause; however, inconsistency in your messaging dilutes its importance. Posting a video of a cat dancing by a window does nothing to advance your cause; although cat videos can be awfully darn cute.  Or, you run a page for a local political candidate. For arguments sake, let's say the candidate is a member of the liberal party. You share a photo of the candidate at an event. Unfortunately, the event is held by the local ultra conservative party. Consider what that simple picture does to the candidate's brand. Your job and theirs just became much more difficult to manage.

Even after you have established your branding message, determined your marketing strategy and have begun your advertising; you must always be willing to revisit your branding. The focus of your business, organization or cause may have changed over the years. You started out as a mom and pop pizza shop that has since morphed into a full fledged 5-star Italian dining experience. Does your current branding strategy reflect this change? Are you posting conflicting messages; confusing both your current and potential customer base?

Branding is all about being both consistent and fluid. Finding that perfect balance. Listening to your page followers and taking your cues from them. They will be the most honest and tell you what is working and what isn't. When it isn't working; you will see that in the decrease of page likes and the lack of engagement with your page.

Being heard above the noise

The world of social media is noisy. As users and practitioners, we are consistently hit from all platforms with what can only be described as "noise". How does one group of social media marketers, in particular, insure that their message is heard above all others?

Nonprofits are just such a group. They must struggle, on very limited resources, getting their message heard. 

Simply having a presence on social media does not automatically make their voices any louder. One of the biggest mistakes being made by nonprofits is that they make the attempt to start a conversation among their followers but rarely participate fully in that conversation. They will post or tweet an event notice or a link to a relevant article with the hope that it will take on a life of its own. As marketers, we know this is not the case.

However, for profit businesses have the edge on the nonprofits. They have the resources to hire marketing professionals to lead and drive the online conversations. Nonprofits, more often than not, must rely on limited resources; both in terms of manpower and financial capital.

So, how does a nonprofit make itself heard?  How does one differentiate itself from another? How do they promote their prime objectives without coming across as desperate and obtrusive?

1. Make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to its social media objective. If the nonprofit's board of directors, executive director, paid staff and, even, volunteers are not in agreement on the social media marketing plan; all attempts to be heard will fall on deaf ears.

2. Simply creating a Facebook page, a Google Plus page or a Twitter account for the sake of having one does not create the conversation necessary to promote the nonprofit's objectives. There must be someone, whether a paid staffer or a volunteer, whose primary function is to market on social media.  Many nonprofits, again due to staffing and/or financial restrictions, assign this task to those that are already overwhelmed with their primary job responsibilities. If one person is tasked with both payroll and marketing functions; it is a given that the payroll functions will trump all other tasks.

3. The nonprofit needs to actively partner with community pages in their area. Not only does it promote the nonprofit, it builds the reputation of the entire community. Facebook community pages which promote a town or city are continually on the lookout for events and causes to showcase that shed a positive light on their locale.  Unfortunately, without these partnerships, they usually find themselves scrambling for meaningful content. These partnerships are a win-win situation for all involved.

These three simple steps are a start in enabling nonprofits to raise their voices; to make some noise of their own. Noise worth paying attention to.

Is Facebook failing us or are we failing Facebook?

First, let me get it out in the open that I strongly believe in the power of Facebook when it comes to branding, marketing and overall connection with friends and family. However, as I look back on this election season, I have to admit that I am torn over whether Facebook failed or whether it was our preconceived notion of our role as users that failed our entire social, political and religious belief system.

A majority of Facebook users interact with friends and family who hold the same set of political, social and religious beliefs as they do. A vast number of users will share links that correspond with these sets of beliefs; and most often with their security settings adjusted to share to friends and family only. Many of us make a conscious choice of who we share posts with. Having been the victim of internet trolls more times than I can count; I purposely decide on my audience before each and every post on Facebook. Is this selective posting process, under the guise of internet security, preventing the dissemination of important social, political and religious issues to a wider, more diverse audience?

Granted, Facebook is not the ultimate deciding factor in political elections, charitable donations or religious enlightenment.  However, are we shortchanging the issues we believe in through this avoidance of online confrontation with those who believe differently than we do? To those that put themselves out there without fear of confrontation, I commend you all.  As for myself and others, we have allowed ourselves to become so self conscious of how we are perceived by fellow Facebook users that we are failing, not only Facebook, but ourselves and our own belief systems.

When did we decide being positive was a "thing"?

There have been an overwhelming amount of local, national and international issues that are acknowledged, discussed and debated on social media. All too often, many find themselves getting so caught up in the negative posts that they fail to see anything positive in the world around them.

For every negative or hateful post that we share, comment on or retweet, though our intentions are good; is actually helping to spread the negativity to a much broader audience. We are inadvertently forcing the hate and negativity upon our Facebook friends, Google connections or Twitter followers. The haters are essentially winning.

There's been much written about the overwhelming amount of negative posts made on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, etc. and their effects on the social media experience.  Lately, even being a positive poster has become a "thing". So much so, that many, including myself, are called out for putting positive, cheerful twists on a large majority of our posts.

We have been chastised both publicly and privately for not caring about what is happening on the world stage; we have been called to task for posting too much fluff and not enough substance.

On behalf of all the positive posters on social media, I would like to set the record straight:

• Are we oblivious to what is going on in the world around us?  For the most part; no, we are not.  We would rather promote the organizations and events that address the inequalities and injustices through positive action, than bring attention to the negative and often misinformed views of the haters. Many of us care as much as the next person. We would rather promote how to combat the negative through positive and productive means than to perpetuate the hate.
• Don't you get tired been upbeat all the time?  One thing many people tend to take for granted is that positive posters are positive 24/7 both online and off. That is far from the case. There are many times when we are as moody as the rest of the online community. We make a conscious effort to put forth a certain public positiveness while we deal privately with whatever may be bothering us at a particular moment in time.  We are not heartless or uncaring. Sometimes we may even find ourselves caring too much.
• Don't you feel guilty when you do, on occasion, post something of a negative nature? Yes, there are times we may have something to gripe about or simply share that may not be our usual positive post. That is just part of life's reality. We do our best not to dwell on it and move on to what we hope is a more pleasant and positive topic. However, that does not mean that we don't continue to work toward a common resolution in our real, offline lives. 

There are enough online forums for people to spew their hate and venom either about us, our friends, our community or the world, in general.  We refuse to allow it to seep into our online personal space. It that too much to expect? Are we being unrealistic? Maybe so; but we would rather face that world with the figurative smile on our faces and bounce in our steps; then not face it at all. All we ask is that you don't make it a "thing".

How Engaging Are You?

As I delve further into the world of Social Media, I am dumbfounded as to the quality; and in many cases, the lack of customer interaction by local and national businesses and organizations. I realize that I have touched on this topic in previous posts. However, recent events have compelled me to expand on my original thoughts.

Corporate America has jumped on the social media bandwagon in order to build its client base and drive up sales.  Nothing wrong with that; so far so good.  We also know that the larger your client base the more likely you will receive complaints along with the compliments. No business is perfect. There is always going to be something the consumer is going to complain about; whether it be pricing, product quality, etc.  It is the nature of doing business.  

Engaging and interacting with your client base in a positive and forthright manner is one the tried and true ways to build both your online and offline brand reputations. Copying and pasting the same "canned" corporate approved response to each and every complaint and comment posted to social media platforms does not qualify as sincere customer engagement. It only serves to add credence to the original complaints due to its lack of sincerity and originality. 

I am of the old school where personal interaction always takes precedence when dealing with both established and potential clients.  Many of those same tried and true techniques are easily transferable to the social media environment.  It has become apparent that many administrators of these various platforms are not skilled in these time honored customer engagement skills.  We can blame it on corporate downsizing resulting in the loss of veteran employees or simply that these "newbies" in the field just are not being mentored properly in these skills.

When something goes awry whether it be with a product or messaging, acknowledge the mistake and share the corrective actions that you plan on taking.  Many times, we do not learn of the mistake until someone points it out; usually in a very public setting.  The tendency is to immediately go on the defensive. Do your best to avoid the urge. Becoming defensive and redistributing the blame is as bad as responding with a canned corporate response

Businesses and organizations that continue on this track will eventually end up with no one to engage with.