What Companies Need to Know (and Embrace) about Social Media

I'm getting really into lists posts. After all of the positive response to my 10 Golden Rules of Social Media, I've been thinking more and more of other lists of "rules" or "tools" or useful bits of information I can compile from all the many things I've thought about, written, talked about, and read about the Internet over the years. After 20+ years online, I've watched - and lived through - many fads, trends, evolutions and revolutions.

With the popularity and impact of social media on our world, I want to address some of the ideas and issues that have been brought up by clients and colleagues who just don't get social media and don't want to use it - especially not in business. "I don't have time," they say. "I'm afraid it will get me in trouble," they say. "I don't see how it can work." "I just don't get it."

Two of the scariest things about social media are: 1) that it does take time to understand and use properly, and 2) that it causes all of us to shift how we think about communications.

Here's some of my thoughts about what a company should know about social media before attempting to use it. I'm not sure how effective this information will be to convince the individuals within companies and organizations who are the naysayers of social media, who have emotional knee-jerk reactions to the very thought of blogging or Twitter or Facebook because they feel threatened.

I'm not here to coddle those who fear social media. I just want to keep putting into writing what I keep telling them to try to help them understand. Honestly, they may not like what they hear.

But here we go...

1. Release control. When it comes to social media, you have to let go. Let go of preconceived notions. Let go of an iron grip of control. Let go of what you know about - and feel comfortable with - when it comes to communications. At best, you can provide social tools for others to help propagate your messages, and they will use the materials you provide to communicate your messages well. At worst, they will take what you put out there and use it against you. Most of social media happens somewhere in between.

2. Provide tools. I tell my clients that we will work with them to identify the wealth of assets and tools they have to tell their story well and to put all of it out there to put tools into the hands of others to help you tell their story, too. This blows some people's minds. "What? We're GIVING this stuff away? We're PUTTING this stuff OUT THERE?" Yes, you are providing rich, interactive, behind-the-scenes, compelling and fun tools to people so they can help you tell your story. Just remember that all the videos and images and posts and tweets in the world that you put out there are not half as valuable as the ones that come from your true fans and loyal customers that happen unsolicited.

3. Be transparent. Don't pretend to be someone you are not. Don't lie about your identity. If you are the CEO, let people know that. If you are the marketing person, let people know that. Never, ever post anywhere pretending to be a "satisfied customer" or "happy client." There's actually a term for this deception - Astroturfing - and it is frowned upon by industries and individuals alike. Full disclosure is critical.

4. Be yourself. And in the spirit of honesty, let your personality shine through. People don't just want to hear from the CEO of a company or director of an organization, they want to hear from another human being who is out there doing business well or doing good things. It is about human connection, not an overly prepared speech or heavily edited blog post.

5. Get naked. And for the truly brave, get deep and get naked. Raw honesty, no-holds-barred exposure, from-the-gut missives - these are what truly strike chords in others. If you feel it, let it be known. Passion is contagious (view C.C. Chapman's presentation about passion). While there is a line between being "out there" and "too much information," your personality and the personality of your brand can help guide how naked you want to get.

6. Ask opinions. Everyone has an opinion. The beauty - and frightening - thing about social media is that everyone now has a platform and audience to express their opinion. Whether they are using Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Utterli, Tumblr, you name it, we're all practically drunk with the power of publishing our opinions. Solicit the opinions of others about your company, your brand, your organization, your cause, about you. Brace yourself though because people will tell you like they see it.

7. Respond. People want to feel that they are heard. Take the time to respond to others when they take the time to blog about, tweet about, write about, talk about you. By responding, you are showing that you are listening, that you are paying attention, that you care. And by all means, reward those who are saying good things about you and your company. Even just a public acknowledgement of thanks goes a long way. Sometimes listening, paying attention and responding can take a lot of time, but the rewards are far greater than time "lost." I'd actually look at this time spent as a gain.

8. Be respectful. If someone has expressed their opinion, acknowledge what they are saying and what they are feeling. Even if they are saying something negative, even if they are bashing your brand, be respectful. Social media is not about fighting with an enemy. It is about conducting oneself in a kind, generous and respectful manner and realizing there are real people behind the avatars, icons, and pages. Most people attack others because they first and foremost lack self-respect so therefore cannot be respectful of others. Most people just want to be acknowledged and respected, no matter how angry they might be.

9. Take the high road. Back in the 90s when I was running my first Internet company Cybergrrl, Inc., people would sometimes say very hurtful and hateful things about me and my company. I'd tell my business partner that we always had to take the high road and never lash out or retaliate. I used to live by the theory "kill them with kindness," but today, I believe it has to go deeper than that. Be genuinely kind. If you never speak ill of others (including your competitors), that negativity will never come back to haunt you.

10. Learn lessons well. We all make mistakes. Acknowledge them, apologize if needed, move on, but take with you that lesson. Don't repeat the same mistake twice. Don't forget the lessons you are learning each day. We are all learning how to use social media well. We can all learn from one another. Be open to learning because social media is not a fad - it is seriously changing the way we communicate and consume information.

We are all students. We are all teachers.

What are some other overarching ideas companies need to hear regarding social media, whether they want to hear them or not?

Comments

[Saul Colt]

This is spot on!

I have passed the link around to some folks who have to read this.

Saul Colt
Head of Magic
Zoocasa.com

[janelle (@greenandhealthy)]

Thanks Aliza! This is so helpful! It's funny how obvious it seems after reading this. Social media is just like real-life socialization. I guess we're just slow about the translation.