Social Media’s Holy Trinity
April 9, 2009
By Matt Harty
Just in time for Easter, I have been putting some thought into what it takes to handle the world of User Generated Content (UGC) and get Web 2.0 working for you.
Social Media and UGC is a minefield. Marketers are struggling to understand not only the lay of the land but also the ramifications of what it means to promote and champion a brand. Some marketers are ahead of the curve and are setting the pace but most people are still hiding their heads in the sand.
It seems to me that there are 3 crucial elements to navigating a brand through Social Media.
#1 Observation. You need to know a few important basics. Who is saying what about you. Where are they saying it and what are the potential audiences seeing what have been written. This works for the good as well as the bad things. There are a number of channels to monitor; blogs, YouTube, social interaction and bookmarking sites, comment sections on mainstream media sites etc. Once you know what the feed back is, then its time to separate fact from fiction.
#2 Quantification. Once we know what is being said we need to take a step back and work out if the opinions being aired are widespread or just a loud minority. The observation part of your strategy can take you no further and it is time to turn to Market Research to clarify what is really going on.
With clarifying questions, based on the observations being answered by research panels you can get to the bottom of what you are seeing online and have the tools to handle the response.
#3 Response. It is very important that you appropriately answer your online critics and stem false or misleading information about you. Having all the facts from step #1 and #2 will help in the judgment of what is appropriate. Knowing when and how to step into the conversation shows that the brand cares and is in touch with the public on their level.
