Over the past five years I have dedicated nearly a fulltime effort to studying the effects Social Media has to developing business. I found there are a large number of methods of social media being deployed by some that just do not and will not ever work. What does work has to do with business owners, large and small, getting out from behind their logos, brands and ‘Slick Willy’ PR firms and getting deeply involved in what is feverishly developing as Business/Social Networking.
Previously, In the robust economy, business could throw out to the public any type of marketing plan and get some sort of results. Today, the consumers are lacking trust in anyone or anything who is selling anything. This lack of trust goes for both the business to business industry as well as the business to consumer markets. Over 80% of the people I surveyed reported they skip through, walk out of the room or blatantly ignore any online or offline commercials. Obviously, traditional marketing is Not Working.
Still, many firms are still advising businesses to get on the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and hide behind their brands and logos and carry on ad campaigns like they were on TV or Radio. Naturally this brings on the business owners screams and shouts at their PR firms for not producing an ROI. The old style traditional marketing plans that focus on high pressure sales, and businesses who are managed by marketing groups, just do not work anymore.
What now is taking place in the business world is a change to a more operational based marketing plan where the business puts more credence in what they can actually deliver than what they say they can deliver. It is refreshing to see the old tactic of ‘putting lipstick on a pig’ is not changing to the ‘let me show you what I got’ method of marketing. Leading the way is Social Media.
A case I like to use to illustrate the change social media is making to the top of the food chain of business is when my former leader, CEO of AT&T, Ed Whitacre, came out of retirement to take General Motors by the neck and force that icon to see change has to be made. Big Ed was the first fortune 100 Chairman of the Board to casually step in front of the camera to announce the bold new direction GM was going to take by telling the world.”If there is a better car made other than GM then buy it”. No slick celebrity spokes person. No gimmicky situational comedy routine, just straight you Social Media. I just love that kickass and take names style Ed brings to business and he did it without wearing a T-Shirt and Jeans.
Where did social media come from?
If you have been surfing around reading about Social Media you see there is a line being drawn separating the old traditional marketing icons, who are out to prove Social Media does not work, and those who use a new operational approach to marketing, that actually doesn’t care what the old guard has to say since they are too business reaping the benefits of using social media to debate it. That dividing line outlines those who ‘getting it’ and those who do not.
Social Media is very simple to understand. Social Media is the use of Social Networking to marketing business. Now, what is hard to not understand about that?
The reason the Old Traditional Marketing people have difficulty in understanding social media is due to the fact Social Media is based on the efforts of an individual (or groups of individuals depending on the size of the business) who represent wholeheartedly the business to consumers or the world. The higher up the ladder of business ownership or management social media is used the more trust to the brand is developed. The person who is out front of the business’ brand is who is out in the social networks showing people who they really are. The results is more respect and trust of the business.
Where is Social Media Going?
My studies are showing a change in Social Media is already on its way. In some cases it is already being used. Social media is logically moving to be more effective in the Business/Social Networking environment. What is being found by many business who jumped on the ‘Ya Gotta Be on Facebook/Twitter’ advise is Facebook and Twitter do not house a buying consumer market and has never been of any value to the Business to Business industry. The traditional online social networking groups, that have been the rage for many, is now less than a cliché to a growing number of business people who just do not have time to deal with Facebook Mafia Wars and endless posts of famous quotes people on Twitter feel are of ‘Value’.
Business/Social Networking combines the best of the online business networking world and the more serious side of the social universe. This environment naturally takes on a more controlled stance against the deception flourishing in the Social Only based networking groups and offers more purpose than the Business only networks. Business owners and executives find the business/social networking environments more comfortable since they do not have to deal with the less serious individuals who are online just for the party. They can concentrate on building trust and showing the market who they really are as a person.
Ground Zero for Business/Social Networking
One could say LinkedIn would be a prime example of business/social networking with that platform being the first to attempt to combine social networking format to an online business network. They tried hard to create that environment but failed miserably by adopting a ‘buy out of the muck’ premium program that leaves the multitudes in the base level of the group to find off the onslaught of spam and corruption.
In reality the true business/social networking move has just started. The mistakes of the social and the business networking groups have shed light on where and how the business/social networking arena will be constructed. Currently, the niche markets are leading the way with business/social networking developed.
I naturally will site my creation, the Business Golf Country Club , as a prime example of how business/social networking works. It is a highly controlled private environment that takes on the Country Club atmosphere. Country Clubs have, for a long time, made an art of combining business with social for the offline business community. The BGCC took that concept and brought it online to gather the golf community in a ‘Club’ environment with a membership guarded from spam and deception by a fulltime ‘Door Man’ (or Gatekeeper)…Me!
So, ground zero for business/social networking for me was with the start of the BGCC. The benefits of this private environment to the membership is cleared. What is now growing as a bigger benefit to the business world is the opportunity to advertise to this proven consumer buying market. When it comes to target marketing there is no use in wasting marketing funds using a Shotgun approach when the targets is standing square in front of you. Advertising in private clubs like the BGCC are very focused making the value supreme.
The True Value
Yes, Business/Social Networking groups, or clubs, sift out the crud and generally have smaller memberships. That is what makes Social Media, directed to these business/social networking communities, much, much more valuable than operating in the vacuum of Facebook or LinkedIn. Having a base business/social network to work out of makes Facebook and Twitter more viable tools to use to elevate the social portion of a social media strategy.
The ROI of social media efforts is much easier to measure with greater certainty when it is used in a Business/Social Network environment. And, as is in everything else out here in La-La-Land, it is the First Adapters to Business/Social Networking who benefit the most. I would say if you are reading this it might be good to cut your loses on your FB Fan Page and look into finding a good business/social network to join. I know for certain it will at the minimum cut down on the wasted time spent figuring out why you need to be a member of Farmville and finding the definition of the hash-tag #urwelcome.
Let me know how I can help
