At the session called "Social Media: The New Laws of Creativity," Brian Solis, Principal at Altimeter Group had some interesting thoughts to share about the most recent developments in engaging an audience in social media.
- Social media is less about technology and more about sociology. The technology is here, so now it's up to brands to figure out how their consumers are behaving and how to appropriately talk to them in social.
- Advertisers in social media are competing for attention and relevance.
- The future of brand equity is all about what other people say about you: But only when common sentiment hits critical mass. In other words, brands are already being defined by their consumers. And while there is a lot of noise in social media, brands need to monitor for those common sentiments that many people share.
- Eventually, when people are researching a brand, they're not going to check your website or marketing materials. Instead, they'll look at what other people are saying in social media.
- Build an engagements strategy. Slapping a badge that says "follow us on Facebook and Twitter" is not engagement. It must go way beyond letting people know it's there, mainly because they already expect you to be there.
- We have to stop looking at people as though they are a pair of eyeballs and instead focus on people's hearts and minds.
- Content is NOT king. Context is king.
- Brands need to design social media experiences that deliver tangible value in return for their time and attention. Essentially, brands need to figure out how to compensate people.
- Customers are leaving ("breaking up with") brands that don't deliver consistent value. And according to Solis, the #1 reason that people break up with brands on Facebook and Twitter is too much messaging. Twitter streams and Facebook walls are getting overly-crowded. Therefore, brands must deliver sustained value without flooding fans with too much content.
- The "Old Spice Guy" example is a very interesting one because many people quote this as the most successful social media campaign of all time, but in reality it was very expensive and relatively short-lived. While it undoubtedly sold some Old Spice body wash, it's not a good example of the sustained effort required to engage consumers over a long period of time.
Nice post. Agree with everything, especially the "Old Spice Guy" comment.
This is something we see here in S. Korea where a lot of brands think short-term... Get 'em in, hit 'em hard, then rinse and repeat. There is less emphasis on real engagement over the long term. The hard sell is still prevalent and comes from a culture of doing everything fast and "right now" because that's what's worked in the past. However, I'm sure things will change, as it is the world's most wired country.