I can build my own channel in YouTube. In fact I can build it on a number of social networking sites. So when it comes to companies and brands… Where is their channel? Why aren’t they building their own? The problem is most brand managers, PR firms and ad agencies still believe they create content. I’m not sure how much longer that will hold true, and with Google ad models taking over and going mobile how relevant it is.
Today I was pointed to a new company Radian6, which is now the second or third company I’ve seen jumping into the emerging market for more sophisticated social media tracking tools. Also known as Social Media Monitoring (see also CollectiveIntellect and Cymfony) I was also looking back at a post I never posted on the Social Media Newsroom as a follow-up to the SMR or social media news release. I’m again coming to the conclusion that these are very 1.0 strategies for Brands that should be operating in a 2.0+ world. I’d like to turn it all inside out first by introducing Radian6 and then relating it back to the Social Media Newsroom.
Radian6 recognizes that tracking social media goes way beyond blogs today. Frankly the product and some of the trend and tracking analysis looks pretty good. It’s ahead of where I personally can craft a set of monitoring tools (JenniferJones Interview Good points here about your blog or reputation and need to segment out your audience for a conversation). (Where’s the personal edition?). I’ve asked for a demo. I think I could easily use it with a couple of clients. I was also interested to see their product pitched directly at advertising and PR firms. This is understandable; PR firms are actually beginning to get the importance while most companies are completely in the dark. As a sales strategy this makes sense. However the whole pitch misses the Brand 2.0 perspective. Take a look at the video and their claims.
By using tools provided by Radian6 your agency can:
* spend less time collecting and more time analyzing and recommending at value-added rates
* find new opportunities for clients by analyzing trends/buzz
* find and promote third party endorsements
* guide clients into more advertising and engagement in social media as part of an overall strategy
* give your creative department a new way to research an audience or use content for concept inspiration.
Argggggggg….they then go on to say….
Impress potential clients with insight and analysis. Agencies are always looking to stand out in a crowd of competitors. Social media is having a major impact on public relations and advertising, so what better way to stand out from the pack than to use social media to your advantage. Radian6 | PR & Ad Firms
So Why Take Issue With This?
Simple. Smart tracking or monitoring is about creating opportunities for conversation. Each of the points above looks at their tracking system and reflects sales points for pushing more content or media in certain directions. Yes, the PR firm must be smarter about what is being written about the client. I just take real issue with the lack of “conversational focus” in selling and training PR firms on how to use the tool. I’m afraid this tool will be used to provide:
- we got x mentions.
- x comments were made on this
- the following tags related to our product are popular.
These are important metrics and perhaps I am being too cynical. The problem is they are just like traditional PR metrics. You were listed in the following papers. We got you exposure on or in this, this and this. My fear is I’m not sure that the metrics or the way the tool is likely to be used will focus on new conversations started, new influencers or evangelists. Clearly it provides the opportunity, ultimately the impact will relate to who is using it.
Who is Responsible for Tracking Social Media
I believe the real responsibility for tracking social media rests with the brand team. Until the brand team is both responsible and actively measured on their social media performance many companies will simply fail to get it. The PR firms or Advertising agency can do all the listening they want. However, if the brand team isn’t listening in real-time the chance and opportunity for augmenting the conversation is limited to non-existent. So what can the PR firm do with a tool like this?
Let’s say you are PR firm and you have brought in Radian6 (or similar), first set it up so your client has real-time access. Create a reporting channel / internal discussion using the same tools that you are monitoring to aid their understanding of how to participate in this conversation. Create daily reads of key influencer’s etc. Build the confidence with the client to make this tool transparent and visible.
The Social Media Newsroom and Social Media Tracking:
When I imagine a TV newsroom I know the anchor is supported by many reporters etc in the field. Stories break, some take time to build or become important. In the social media world your evangelists are your reporters, scouts, and evaluators. Social media around your brand is a complex adaptive system. From time to time it will be tickled by new ideas, a competitor etc. Your system (brand) will respond. You hope to higher and higher level of passion and support. In this world it all happens in real-time or almost.
The SMNR social media newsroom was initiated as a concept by Shift Communications to highlight the tools and techniques required to share media in a social world. They provide a comprehensive platform and suggest some comment and listening strategies. Like the SMR it is a step in the right direction. (I also wrote a post on the SMR here). Yet each time I’ve looked at it I’ve thought it backwards in orientation. The newsroom is dead when dealing with a brand community and trying to facilitate a conversation. I purposely wanted to contrast Radian6 as a new tracking tool with the Newsroom. The rule for social media starts with listening. It’s why I am so excited to see tools like Radian6 emerging. So why not use tracking tools like Radian6 or even simpler DIY monitoring (Google news, icerocket, technorati del.icio.us etc.) to provide the conversation hub. Rather than promoting how you can distribute the message, why not open up the tracking to the brand community? When the hub aggregates everything known about the brand in one place then it becomes my first port of call when I want information about the brand.
What do we get?
The newsroom becomes a listening post or conversation hub – the channel for aggregated conversation. It won’t dispense with all the flckr, youtube etc. content or the suggested tags. The difference is the focus is listening rather than telling. The corporate blog and media elements remain, while the reputation and conversation is brought aloud. Think about it… Your own brand channel created and supported by your users. I know I will hear doubters; who wants to hear about bleach or laundry detergent. Then for years we had Days of our Lives sponsored by a CPG company. I’m willing to bet “reality blogging” will emerge and people will tell entertaining stories and we will continue to find ourselves having conversations around our lifestyles, purchases, observations and assessments.
My bet is such a strategy will future fuel evangelism. When top meme’s get recognized as part of the brand conversation then the conversation will only accelerate. The Brand response is then more adaptive, conversational, and facilitative. Sure content will still need to be provided. However, the more companies open up to the co-development of media with their users the more likely it is that the message translates to viral and networks stories and sharing.
So… where is the client that will start by putting their “tracking” into public view? Who will be transparent; re participating in the conversation? Have I gone too far? By starting with simple listing tools internally and bookmarking what you see any brand marketer / company is on the way to learning about social media. Add short positive notes to the bookmarks then import or create as a link blog. Now the organization is blogging or at least starting to have a conversation. As you identify influencers and bloggers that really follow your category or company, engage them in listening for you.
Brand 2.0 Advice:
- If you are the brand marketer today and your PR firm comes to you with a social media newsroom template and a tracking / monitoring plan, ask yourself should you be creating and monitoring this hub yourself? What metrics will you be using to monitor the impact of activity?
- Ask them what the priority is? Is it telling or listening? If it is listening then they should have the tracking, the comments, the social media review already in hand with recommendations on how to hold the conversation. Words should include facilitate and your role.
- Are they identifying key influencers. In fact are they prepared to engage key influencers in listening and providing feedback and information. I remain surprised at the number of bloggers that are asked to blog for a company rather than listen for them. Ask them to listen and build that into their conversations.
- Don’t do a Jeep2.0. Don’t apply “2.0″ to your campaign name. The Jeep campaign is so 1.0 in execution. They are also spending some 25% of their budget on social media. If that is going in fancy artwork, special one off or temporary sites that have no room for commenting, no conversational aspects, then it is simply being wasted
- The final check. Unless the total proposal demonstrates that it enables a two-way conversation you are not talking about social media.