There is so much noise and buzz about social media these days, it can be tough to put it in perspective. At its most simple form, social media tools enable a shift from large-scale, one-way communications (the good old days) and large-scale, two-way communications. The strategies, tactics and realities can get complicated, so perhaps we can simplify the discussion. Let’s pretend for a moment, your brand/company is a single human being… and that human being is someone’s friend.
How many people are you a great friend to? Not a good friend, mind you, but a great one. Do you contact them regularly, even if just to say hello? Do you remember what is important to them, like their birthday and their anniversary and what their favorite flavor of ice cream is? Do you arrange events with them in mind? If they say something really lousy to you, do you forgive and move on? Are you honest with them? Can you tell them the truth, even if it is hard to do so? When they are in need, do you come to mind because you are so reliable?
Are you a great friend? If you are, you are a rare bird indeed. A gem to be treasured. Because being a great friend requires work… a lot of work.
Maybe there are naturally gifted great friends out there—the Michael Jordans of friendship—but most of us are probably decent friends working hard to be better. And what does it take to improve one’s “frienditude?” It takes three things:
1. Desire. You have to want to be a better friend.
2. Plans. You need to set goals, take actions and adapt along the way.
3. Tools. Maybe it’s a new calendar, a fancy address book, a Facebook profile, or a new phone to handle all of the calls you’ll be making…
Which brings us to social media. If you believe what you read, you would think that by launching a company Facebook profile, or hiring a “Tweet Manager” that your company will instantly transform into the company of the future. So many experts are spending so much time and money talking about how you need to “do” social media, that it obscures the fact that being a great friend is hard, requires commitment and, in the case of many brands, a lot of cultural and systemic changes that take time and can be quite painful.
If your company has relied on one-way, outbound communications to engage customers, then turning on a two-way communications faucet is likely to be frustrating for both customers and employees alike, since the systems, processes, and top-down support needed to deal with all of your “new friends” aren’t in place. While it may be the junior staff that is best equipped to implement social campaigns, it is the executive suite that must be engaged and champion the corporate change required to make it all work.
Social media represent a seismic shift from traditional business practices and require companies to answer difficult strategic questions, like “What kind of friend have we been to our customers, and what kind of friend do we want to be?” Knowing the answers to these questions will inform how you move beyond the Desire be friends with your customers and determine your next steps with Plans and Tools.
With commitment and effort (like Jordan practicing at the free-throw line for hours each day) your brand will become a better friend. Perhaps even a great friend.
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