Effective social media programs break through barriers to generate open, authentic conversations between companies and their target market.
Ineffective programs create barriers by requiring participants to meet unrealistic expectations of time, registration, pay and membership. In these instances, companies lose momentum and credibility. They make it easier for the target market to bypass their efforts than to participate in them.
Too many marketers want to create and own the destinations where their target market meet. Desires to control what the target market can say, and desires to gain a competitive advantage by ‘owning’ the target market, are among common obstacles marketers must overcome.
Ownership
Release ownership of social media communities and your program will be more successful. Ownership is a barrier to good social media programs. Too many marketers want to own the social media destinations where their social media programs take place. They want to ‘create a microsite’ (they own) or drive participants to the company website (they own).
Social media programs are MOST EFFECTIVE when they leverage existing communities. Bring your social media programs to existing communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, Yahoo, MSN and third-party sites. Invest in the hearts (conversation/activities/attitudes) of participants — not their real estate.
Finding and leveraging existing communities is cheaper and more effective than building your own community.
Registration
Companies that eliminate registration forms have more participants.
In an age where you can leverage tools like Facebook Connect to mine demographics directly from a participant’s Facebook profile, registration forms are unneeded and ineffective. Jesse Pickard, Social Media Specialist at Razorfish, makes this point elequently.
“With Connect, the social network fatigue-inducing process of registering for site, creating a profile and connecting with friends can be completely bypassed with one click. The value of this cannot be understated,” Pickard said. “While other Facebook Connect benefits can be slightly unclear, skipping registration is something any mainstream web user can appreciate.”
Time
When participation in a social program is bound by time constraints, participation will be limited. ‘Live webcasts’ and ‘social media campaigns’ may be good marketing tactics. However, these tactics don’t adapt well to social media programs — especially new ones — because they are bound by time constraints.
Facebook wouldn’t be successful if it was only open from 9am to 5pm. Social networks are passive environments. Conversations occur over days. Allow social network members to participate when its most convenient for them.
Social media programs have a long tail. Effective social media programs rarely become successful overnight. They are more likely to build momentum and participation over time. Marketers that launch a social media program that depend on overnight participation will be disappointed.
Social marketers are in it for the long haul.
Payment
No one should have to pay to participate in a social media program. Period. THIS INCLUDES REQUIRING SOMEONE TO BE AN EXISTING CUSTOMER. When companies launch social media programs aimed at current customers, they’re NOT launching social media programs — they are launching customer loyalty programs. Know the difference.
Social media programs should focus on your entire market. Customers. Prospects. Beneficiaries. Evangelists. Don’t create social media programs that exclude participation by any of these segments.
Credits: Cartoon is courtesy of the cartoon artchives at Funnytimes.com. It provides an accurate portrayal of marketers who insist on hefty registration pages before providing valuable content to customers.
Comfortably Numb
Remove social media barriers. Consumers are targeted by an endless barrage of ads and content. It’s numbing (pun intended). And, its impossible to talk about ‘walls’ without sharing a bit of Pink Floyd (grin).
About Troy Janisch