Q&A with BL Ochman, President, whatsnextonline.com, Inc., and Christopher Barger, Director, Global Communications Technology, General Motors. They are panelists for the December 10, 2008 Communitelligence Webinar: GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA. You can purchase the replay here.
What do you see your biggest social media hurdle you face today, and why?
Christopher Barger: It’s a combination of three things. One, legal departments haven’t quite gotten their heads around instant — and “human” — interaction; well-intended but overbearing interference from legal could do anything from stifling potentially useful conversations to damaging an organization’s reputation online.
Two, there are still (inexplicably to me!) some holdouts within the communications profession who still really want to live in the world they know — print reporters and occasionally broadcast media — and who resent and resist the emergence and inclusion of social media in corporate communications programs. Yes, they’ll eventually either retire, be forced by reality to adjust their attitudes, or be left by the wayside of our profession, but their attitudes remain a current hurdle.
And three… just to be a little controversial here… there are a few bloggers who have begun to get a bit heady with their newfound importance, and have started getting a bit exploitative in their relationships with companies. A small but vocal group of bloggers is emerging who suddenly believe themselves entitled to treatment that traditional media doesn’t even get — and then will write negatively about you if you don’t coddle and cater to them. I believe that these few bad apples overplaying their hands could end up hurting everyone else… if industry is still looking for a reason to be dismissive of social media, they’re being handed one.
BL Ochman: Companies are overwhelmed by the changes brought about since everyone has the tools to make his/her voice heard and they don’t know how to respond. There is a lot of fear among CMOs and CEOs.
What advice do you have for those just launching social media efforts for their organizations?
Christopher Barger: First, develop a policy on social media engagement, and make sure to distribute and disperse that policy across your organization as you launch your program. Doing so protects your employees and your organization… you can’t ask people to engage without giving them parameters for doing so, and you can’t discipline anyone for writing or doing something you didn’t tell them not to do.
Second, recognize that you’re going to make some mistakes “out there” — and that’s okay. We’re all experimenting a little bit; not everything is going to take off or do as well as we all might hope when we dream it up. As long as you avoid the egregious mistakes that go against what social media is all about — transparency, openness, dialogue — your audience will forgive you a misstep or two. Don’t be afraid to try something new — nor to take lessons from a flop and see it as a positive.
Finally, understand that social media is not about the technologies of “Web 2.0.” In some respects, the medium (blogs, podcasts, vlogs, social networks, microblogging networks) is irrelevant — or at least is nowhere near as relevant as the audience dynamic behind these technologies’ emergence. Audiences expect organizations to be in two-way, dialogical conversations, and to eschew safe corporate-speak or spin for “real” talk. Grasping that expectation and executing it is far more important than the technology you’re using to do it. I sometimes see a tendency to become distracted by whatever the new “in” technology or medium is, and to lose focus on what drives the adoption of these technologies in the first place. Most of all, organizations must understand that social media channels are not just new collections of eyeballs, new channels on which to engage the tactics we’ve always used… these audiences don’t want to be messaged to.
BL Ochman: Everyone and her dog says they are a social media marketer. Look for ones who have a track record with real clients. Do not turn social media over to your ad agency under any circumstances.
