Social media: read instructions first
This is the third in a series of blog postings that includes highlights from a conversation we had with Peter Shankman on the ever increasing influence of social media and its affects on how companies and brands manage public relations.
“Social media, pardon my French, is the ability to f!ck things up with a much larger audience in a much shorter amount of time.” Peter Shankman’s blunt but very true statement isn’t meant to scare companies off from social media, but to warn them that they need to understand the ramifications upfront. Much like in grade school when you were asked to read all of the instructions before proceeding, companies must do the same and do their homework before diving into social media.
Peter advises companies, “To be very aware of what you’re doing and be very aware of how it’s affecting people. Understand that everything you do has an immediate reaction in the social media world. It’s not simply about hoping for the best.”
We would also argue that social media isn’t for everyone although many companies are looking to learn more about how to possibly leverage this new channel. If you’ve done your homework and are going to proceed developing a campaign, make sure it’s unique; don’t just repurpose creative from another media channel. Quality should be prioritized above all else; don’t worry about creating something to make it viral. If it’s good (or if it’s bad), it will likely become popular.
But Peter warned that, “If we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it. People are not learning from these things and repeating it.” He cited the GM case from a few years ago that many seem to have forgotten: GM made an open call to customers to make personalized videos of what they thought about their cars, hoping to get cool material they could use to bolster their brand. Unfortunately, the videos that received the most attention were the ones ridiculing GM for producing poor quality vehicles.
Many companies recognize that social media remains unchartered territory that they need to better understand if they are to keep up with the pace of change taking place. Our advice is to do your homework, develop campaigns that are sincere, and be prepared to revise what you’ve done because it’s sure to generate feedback.
