8 Ways Social Media is Making Us Better

I’ve been working my way through the wonderful book, Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz and I find myself underlining a lot of passages, and dog-earing a lot of pages. This is a simple yet meaty book that every business owner and market should read.

In a section titled “Marketing is what you do, not what you say,” Sernovitz makes a few great points:

You are not what your ads say or what your brand statement is. You are not what you wish your company to be.

You are the sum total of what people do and feel when interacting with your stuff…You are the user experience.

You can’t push weak products on people when everyone will know within 24 hours whether they’re good or not.

This got me thinking. Sernovitz is talking about “word of mouth marketing”, of which Social Media is one component. If what he says is true, Social Media is actually making our businesses better. Here’s how:

1. More Transparency and Honesty – With Social Media we (willingly) become more transparent. If we embrace this, it forces us to be more honest, both with ourselves and our customers. In effect, Social Media, if done properly, forces us to wear our business hearts on our sleeves. What you see is what you get. Conversely, those businesses that cut corners and don’t fully embrace Social Media, will eventually be seen as either lacking in knowledge, or as if they have something to hide.

2. Better Products & Services - Think about the two big computer giants: Apple and Microsoft. Each new product or OS roll-out is eagerly anticipated. In fact, many of us even get the chance to be part of the beta testing. But once these products are released to the public, people begin talking. Blog and forum posts quickly let us know how users feel about their latest purchase. We don’t need to wait for Consumer Reports…we can get real-time reports from real consumers right on the web. And since there is no lag-time between product release and real reviews…the product better be good, or else! Smart businesses realize this and are putting more effort into creating quality.

3. Better Customer Service – With transparency comes a more intimate connection with clients and potential clients. It’s what I usually refer to as the customer having “unprecedented access” to your company. And with that comes the responsibility (or privilege) of providing better customer care. If someone posts a question or complaint on Facebook, Twitter, or a company blog, it behooves the company to respond to that complaint properly and publicly, or risk being flamed on blogs and Social Media sites over which they have no control.

4. More concerned with our reputation – Look at items 1 thru 3. Somewhere along the line a lot of companies got lazy. They arrived at a comfortable level of doing business, and they didn’t have to worry about meeting quota or ending the year in the black. Times have changed. With greater transparency comes greater scrutiny. We are under the microscope and are being watched very closely. This is a good thing. We should be proud of our work and our products. If we take pride in what we do, we will be more concerned with how we are perceived. Public Relations takes on a greater role and becomes a more fully integrated part of what we do, and how we communicate, on a daily basis.

5. More budget conscious – When it came to marketing, our options used to be print, broadcast, direct mail, and outdoor. So in addition to the cost for creative, there were also the costs for placement and distribution. It doesn’t take a genius to know that most of these platforms are losing their effectiveness, and the ROI is less than stellar. With the power of word of mouth, Social Media offers much more bang for your buck. Reliance on brochures and other “tangible” means of advertising is giving way to Social Media, which, at its lowest level, can be delivered via free platforms. That’s not to say Social Media is necessarily free if done right. But the costs are more controllable, and the results more discernible. Most analysts I’ve been reading believe that 2010 will be the year that Social Media breaks out of the experimental and becomes a more integral part of our standardized marketing plans.

6. Better and more timely R&D – Research & Development, market testing, focus groups. These are all integral parts of both marketing and product development, but Social Media opens up all sorts of new doors. If you are constantly in touch with your consumers online, you need to learn how to interpret their comments and reactions. They can guide you as you develop new products or add new features to existing ones. The members of your online community are most likely among your hardcore fans. Throw them a bone from time to time. Ask them questions. Find out what they want before you develop a product. Identify the most engaged community members and have them beta test your new offerings. Run online focus groups to see which ads and marketing elements will work the best. If you have a community, use it!

7. More Creative – Social Media evens the playing field. The little guys can compete more evenly with the big guys. Whatever you’re selling, chances are there are at least a dozen other companies utilizing the Web and Social Media to sell the same thing. Competition is greater once you get past brick and mortar. That means you need to be more creative in order to stand out. The “same ol’ thing” won’t cut it any more, and you certainly can’t get away with imitating your competitor. Being forced to be more creative is a wonderful thing.

8. More open to change – For many businesses and marketers, letting go of the past has been difficult. We have been using the same tried and true means of marketing for decades. We thought getting a web site was a big deal. Social Media takes the rule book and rips it to pieces. Adding Social Media to a marketing plan can be a slow and painful process for many. Many are still resisting. But those who “get it” and begin utilizing Social Media platforms are ahead of the game. And by giving in to this rather seismic shift, we are opening the door to even more exciting changes that occur nearly every day. Businesses that open themselves up to this change will reap the benefits sooner.

Tagged as: blog, facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, word of mouth