Pat’s the CEO of Imaginasium, a full service agency in Green Bay. Pat’s discussion of brand and social media is spot on. The brand that used to be local can now be global with a single tweet or a single blog post.
The traditional messaging control silos and departments are changing ‘bjavascript:;ig-time’ as Pat explains - it’s about the consumers taking more and more control of our brands online. We still have some ‘control’…but it’s not like it was in the old days.
It’s much more about real people and real conversation - flaws and all. Social media in all its flaws is about reality - negative, and positive.
A big question - what’s next in social networks - where to we migrate to when our parents are on Facebook?
Pat shared some great examples of brands, such as Target, which have had an about face on the policies because of social media influence. Pat referenced the 6 dangerous fallacies of social media from Jason Baer. Keep an eye on these.
1. Social media is inexpensive (it’s not)
2. Social media is fast (it’s slow, like any good relationship)
3. Social media is “viral marketing” (it may go viral, but that’s another story)
4. Social media can’t be measured (you’re not trying to then - sure it can)
5. Social media is optional (you need to be part of the conversation)
6. Social media is hard (it’s not hard, it’s complicated)
The watchword of the day is becoming “commitment”. Doing well in social media is predicated on committing to it. Period.
In order to get started with social media, you have to get comfortable with it!
> Make sure you’re ready for each step
> Listen first
> Break down the silos
What are you going to listen to? There are a few top one here:
1. Complaint
2. Questions
3. Clarifications
4. Compliments
5. Crisis
6. Competitors
7. Influencers
8. Points of need
9. Active campaigns
