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Social Media Strategy

Is this the Facebook and YouTube election?

October 2, 2008

We are at an interesting junction in history right now, and it is fascinating to see how social media is shaping the political landscape in this election cycle.  Remember, in 2004 Facebook had just launched and was open to college students only, and YouTube didn’t even exist!  These two sites alone have totally changed the game and we are now in a new era of information sharing.  The old days where politicians got away with the occasional gaffe as long as the media didn’t pick up on it are over.  Now, practically every second of their day is recorded and posted almost instantly on YouTube and Twitter for the world to see and hear.  And of course on Facebook, the sharing of information and personal beliefs is occurring on a staggering scale.  Friends that I would have NEVER had political discussions with are engaging on Facebook.  In fact, instead of a 2-way dialog between 2 people, Facebook enables a multi-way dialog with a vast number of people.

Take for instance the status comments.  When someone on Facebook posts an observation or political view on Facebook, his or her whole friend network has the potential to see it.  If people comment back, not only does the original person receive alerts, but also everyone who comments on it receives an alert as well.  All of the sudden, what we think about the process can be expressed and discussed more easily with much larger groups of people.  Breaking down the physical and geographic barriers has huge implications, as we are not confined to hearing the prevailing beliefs of our particular corner of the world.

I believe that we are in the midst of a major shift in how people perceive politics.  No longer is it just for the older crowd that reads the newspaper and watches 60 Minutes.  Now everyone is talking – the question is: who is paying the most attention?

What do YOU think?  Is social media going to make a difference in this election?

Social Media Strategy

Facebook is Dead!

October 1, 2008

Could this be true a year from now?  After all, in 2006 there were plenty of ‘experts’ sounding the funeral bells of MySpace, but they seem to be getting by rather well.  If you look at the history of social networks from 2003 until today, some interesting trends can be observed.  I recently wrote a White Paper on this, and I think there is a compelling argument for taking a step back and looking at Social Networks objectively.  I address the issue of changing demographics in each network, and the attitudes of different age groups toward participation.  Check out the White Paper and let me know what you think.  

And for the record, no I do not think Facebook is Dead, nor do I think it is dying.  ☺  

Social Media Strategy

Strategic Deployment of Social Media Tools

August 20, 2008

There are seemingly endless opportunities to connect with consumers online – but how do you pick where to put your resources?  It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the cool thing of the moment and bet the farm on it.  However, with the landscape changing so rapidly, that course of action can be perilous for brands.

Consider for a moment the idiosyncrasies of each network or platform that you can engage consumers on.  What works on one doesn’t necessarily work on another.  For example, many companies developed custom applications for Facebook, but when MySpace opened up their platform to applications, not everyone jumped on board.  Why?  For starters, MySpace didn’t give the applications as much leeway as Facebook did for activity based alerts.  Also, members on MySpace had fewer reasons to dive into the applications – much of the functionality that Facebook lacked in its core platform has been part of MySpace for years (think Top Friends or FunWall), and thus custom apps weren’t needed as much.  Now imagine the quirks across the vast social network landscape and it becomes clear that brands cannot just blast their message out to all of the networks and expect the members to flock to them.  Each community has to be approached differently and with sensitivity to how members are engaging on the site with their friends, not how brands want them to listen to their messages.

And of course, there is the mobile world.  What if you have developed a program that targets Blackberry customers, but now you want to copy and paste that program for the iPhone.  Is that the best approach?  Maybe, but I doubt it.  Blackberry customers are different than iPhone customers, and the devices themselves present unique opportunities.  I recently wrote a White Paper about Embracing the iPhone Phenomenon – check it out if you would like.  The White Paper speaks to a specific niche, and attempts to spark ideas on how to engage this audience in an effective way by providing value to their mobile experience while interacting with the brand.

So, what’s the bottom line?  You need a Social Media Strategy if you are going to be effective. One size does NOT fit all!  Sometimes it’s best to stick to a couple of proven tactics.  Sometimes venturing out and being on the edge will bear more fruit.  It’s OK to not know – that’s what Strategic Consultants are for.  🙂  Just think about it before you put yourself and your company out there.