Facebook. Google+. Linkedin. Twitter. All of it. Everything in social media is designed to replicate face-to-face engagement. Or rather – to come as close to a real, personal experience as possible. Direct engagement is the goal. If social networking tools, tips, tricks and mediums get you closer to that – great. But know this – if your pitch sucks, it doesn’t matter what tools you employ. Story first. Medium second. It’s been that way forever in the business of engagement.
What businesses need today are a lot less social media gurus and a few more hard core communications tacticians who can help shape stories and plug them into the mediums that are designed to replicate face-to-face experiences.
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Will Conley
Dec 31, 2011
Right. Social media isn’t about knowing which buttons to push, which apps to install, and other such details. Anyone can do those things; they are means to an end. No. Social media is about communicating and telling good, true stories. Not everyone can do that. You do that well, Jim.
Jim Mitchem
Dec 31, 2011
Thanks Will. I don’t know. It used to be where people listened to the right people in business. But the rush of social media created a whole new kind of communications expert – one who knows about robot parts.
Justin
Jan 3, 2012
Is it possible the growth of un/underemployment and social media, with regards to ‘gurus’, have a connection?
Seems like it could have been an avenue for individuals to take; an entirely Internet based source of information and learning along with a flood of time to consume it.
Jim Mitchem
Jan 3, 2012
That’s exactly what it is. But still, this doesn’t mean that what they’re selling is the most important thing. They’re just loud.
Matt
Feb 9, 2012
Fair point, well made. Social Media is just another communication channel. No more, no less. “Have you got a Twitter account?” is not the question to ask. “Is Twitter appropriate to your needs and your audience?” and “Do you know how to use Twitter to engage with your audience?” are far better questions.
A decent communications professional will get to grips with these as just another string to their bow, not claim to be a Google + specialist / Guru or whatever. (On that topic, how can you be a guru of something that rewrites itself every 3-6 months?)
There will come a time where social media (or whatever comes next) will be the main way to engage with your audience, as they’ll look at email and corporate websites as we do fax machines. But that’s not now. B2C is well ahead as there is young, sexy and aspirational brands are ideally suited to hype generation via SM. B2B, more often with higher value, technically complex sales to an older purchaser, is a different challenge.