Just Be You!

   
     How often do you ask a friend or loved one's opinion before you make a decision?  Most of us do it quite frequently.  There seems to be something comforting in hearing another human offer guidance.  Contrary to popular belief, we don't all use (shock!) the internet to help us make choices!
     Let's look at some of the salient points from a recent article by Blaise James and Jim Asplund in the Gallup Management Journal.  (for the full article, go here:  http://gmj.gallup.com/content/148694/Social-Media-Three-Big-Myths.aspx utm_source=google&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_term=Social-Media-Three-Big-Myths#2
     Here are three myths about social networking that can also be applied to business social media.

     Myth the First:  Social media initiatives drive customer loyalty and acquisition.
     Fact:                   Engagement with a brand drives social engagement.
     According to the Gallup research, brand-sponsored social media initiatives have little impact on customer's decision making.   Take a look at this chart from Gallup.

   

     Myth the Second:  Social Networking is an online-only phenomenon.
     Fact:                       Social networking predominately happens off-line.
    How is this possible, you ask?  You have to understand two definitions.  First, social networking is the act of engaging a social network.  Second, social media is a medium through which people network.  Notice I said "a medium" and not "the medium."  That's right, folks.  For as much as we love our digital new age, we still like those face-to-face meetings!  It does you no good to continually get the word out through business social media if your customers can't eventually interact with humans, and better still, face to face.  Why do you think trade shows are still so popular?  This trickles all the way down to you just taking a stack of materials with you and showing up at a retirement home.  Same idea.  The media is NOT the message.

     Myth the Third:  All social networkers are the same.
     Fact:                     People use social networks in different ways and for different reasons.
     Using mass tactics to hit your target audience is like using a shotgun to try and hit a bullseye cleanly from 50 feet away.  Mass tactics make the supposition that all social networkers on the receiving end are all pretty much the same, and they are not.  Gallup says its research shows that social networkers all have differing reasons on how and why they use their networks.  Here's the takeaway:  they aren't going to change their reasons, so it's up to you to make the changes that will bring them around to your organization.
   
     It's really simple - Be customer driven.  Be brand driven.  Be aware of your audience.
     Just be you!