Not so long ago we were being told that online retail would be the death of the High Street and online banking would finish off bricks and mortar branches. Of course, nothing of the sort happened and the online world happily co-exists with healthy high street based retail and banking outlets.
Now, some would have us believe, social media is going to have a catastrophic effect on traditional forms of editorial media. It's true that publishers still face significant challenges in finding a profitable business model for online content, but we can be certain that the purveyors of editorial doom are overstating the impact of social media.
Social media indeed represents an important new communications channel, presenting new challenges and opportunities for communicators, however that is exactly what it is – a new channel that will co-exist and integrate with editorial media – nothing more, nothing less. Social content is new, interesting and an important addition to content in general, but editorial content will continue to thrive in its midst.
Should I bother?
Many communications and PR practitioners are debating what their approach – if any – should be with social media. A useful starting point is to consider whether your audience is actually engaging in social media. As with any form of communications, if your audience isn't there, then any engagement on your part will be like talking to the void and a fruitless exercise.
If your target audience does engage in social media, then you need to consider whether they are motivated to discuss issues relating to your organisation or market. Social media conversations are not dissimilar to pub chat – topics are discussed that people find relevant and interesting to themselves. You may find that although participating in social media, your audience may not be inclined to discuss or engage in topics relevant to your communications goals in social media and therefore other communication channels could be a more effective route to reach and influence them.
That said, many people do engage with social media about many and varied topics and the concept of online conversations, user generated content and blogging are definitely here to stay through the ever changing ecosystem that is currently dominated by the likes of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and so on.
Starting out – listen
Perhaps the most logical place to start with social media is simply to listen to what's out there – track and monitor relevant conversations. This will answer the fundamental questions which will form the basis of your strategy for social media.
- Are people discussing topics relevant to my organisation?
- Are my products/brands being discussed or mentioned?
- What is the nature of those discussions – are they negative complaints, philosophical debates (unlikely on Twitter) or are people evangelising my company/brands?
Listening will help you form views – on what is being discussed, but also on whether you should engage reactively and/or proactively in social media forums.
Do I engage?
So you've listened to what's out there and found some key conversations occurring in relation to your business that look like they could potentially influence the views of your audience. What do you do?
The question of reactive engagement in social media – should I respond or stay out of it – is far from straightforward. Recent history is littered with both horror stories of misjudged engagement, but also successful examples. Consider carefully whether your input would be welcomed in the conversation.
Should you decide to engage in a conversation or respond to a comment, then there are some key guidelines to observe not least around transparency and style of engagement (conversational not corporate).
Proactive social media activity?
Of course if you discover that your audience is participating in social media then it would be sound communications practice to consider some proactive activity in the relevant social media channels.
When undertaking proactive activity, be it Facebook pages, YouTube channels and so on, good practice would suggest that you have some measureable objectives in place to help understand if such initiatives are delivering the outcomes you are hoping to achieve.
Marcus Gault is Managing Director of Insight at Precise and a Member of the CIPR Social Media Measurement Group.
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