Continuing with his .Next interview series, Nicholas Scibetta, Director of Ketchum’s Global Media Network, talks with Brian Oberkirch, an authority on social media who pens the blog Like It Matters, in which he writes about social media, community-based marketing and the changing face of technology. Scibetta discussed Oberkirch’s thoughts about social media, its impact on the marketing communications discipline, and what it means for PR professionals.
NS: In the spirit of the current political debates, where do you net out on the argument that it is not the technology that's changing the media landscape, but instead the social change that's happening among key consumer groups that's influencing technological change?
BO: A friend of mine has a great line that the most confusing thing about the Internet is that most people think it is about computers. I've long maintained that expertise in social media is not about technology. (That said, there is a technological component, and you better be paying attention to the rapidly changing environment when it comes to tools and techniques.) Word of mouth isn't fundamentally different. You always relied on your friends and neighbors for decisive input. There was always that maven who knew more about gadgets or vacation spots or restaurants or wine, and you respected their opinion. You made purchase decisions based on that input.
But now, you have the benefit of hearing kudos and complaints lodged worldwide, almost in real time. Memes can pick up steam and have an impact so much quicker. One video of an exploding laptop forces a communications response. A popular blogger saying he's going to chuck your operating system and "go Linux" because of your digital rights management practices forces a certain series of discussions. Does this mean you have to respond to every person who would deign to post something about your brands? Of course not. But hyper-connectedness puts word of mouth on steroids. Smaller players can play a disproportionate role. Start-ups paying attention will be able to gauge market input much more rapidly, iterate, and grow their base that much faster. This means we'll have a more competitive environment, more things in play, and more homework to do.
We want to connect with those who share our passions. Social media enables that, but it doesn't change basic human dynamics. If anything, I think the technological revolution will force communicators back to basic, human questions: What do these folks care about? What do they want from us? How can we answer these needs? I think we have a chance to move up the value chain and influence the actual products and services we work on, instead of having a technocratic, hyper-professional focus on the tools and techniques of branding, reach versus frequency, mindshare, awareness, category management, etc. It'll keep us honest and more in touch with prime movers.
NS: When should companies know it is right to go to the blogosphere?
BO: I think everyone should be listening to the running conversations available. Think of it as a free 24/7 focus group where people are talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of your company, your product or services or those of your competitors. Who wouldn't want free feedback? Go check out your client's Wikipedia entry. Do a search on Technorati or Sphere to see if any bloggers are talking about them. Check out Flickr or YouTube for photos or videos that mention their brands. When it makes sense, talk back in the form of comments. Then (and only then) once you get the lay of the land, consider developing do-it-yourself media tools such as blogs, podcasts and wikis.
But, keep in mind that not everyone has to self-publish to get tons of value out of observing social media. Listening is key.
NS: What new-media platform do you believe is having a big impact and becoming much more utilized by marketers?
BO: Video has certainly gained traction over the last year. Not that it's being used by marketers so effectively yet, but shows like Ask A Ninja, Rocketboom, The Show with Ze Frank and all the viral videos are showing us a new form of attention aggregation. While some of the marketing response has been sort of knee jerk ("Let's run ads!"), I think we'll see some cool, smart stuff with companies creating daily video content that matters to their audiences. The costs are so low, and with great distribution tools like Blip.tv, it's dead simple for companies to start their own video channels.
NS: The mention of word of mouth is typically followed by a heated discussion peppered with numerous definitions of what exactly is ‘WOM,’ who does it right and what industry has the right to lay claim to it. Looking to bring a unified voice to one part of this discussion the Word of Mouth Marketing Association issued updated ethical guidelines for marketers working with bloggers. Will people ever be on the same page about WOM and what impact do you think the guidelines will have?
BO: I applaud all the leadership efforts I've seen to bring ethics and good citizenship to the fore of the discussions around online conversations. WOMMA, certainly. And my friend Chris Heuer is working hard with his Social Media Club tour to hold discussions about disclosure, best practices for the so-called social media press release, etc. All this work to spotlight the right things to do, I champion.
That said, it's also a bit of an academic parlor game. What really counts is what actions are taken at the edge, in practice, within the contexts of actual conversations with the communities we engage as professionals and peers.
Ultimately, though, any guidelines are just guidelines. If everyone pays lip service to certain social media expectations -- excellent. Let's see what they actually do when money, credibility, stature, competitive advantage and competing priorities come into play. If you're really down with the new, transparent, open ways we're going to have to communicate around business issues, that will be made obvious.
Lastly, we as professional communicators aren't really in charge of these decisions about communication mores. The communities we interact with are. They could care less about WOMMA or any attempt at self-regulation. They don't care if you're APR, and they probably mistrust you anyway. If you seem to be communicating in a way your communities deem unpalatable, they'll be sure to tell you, and you'd better be listening. They are the final arbiters of what is acceptable for them.
NS: What is your opinion on the current talk of companies -- ranging from advertising to promotions, guerrilla marketing to word of mouth -- looking to provide offerings around new media that are more typically associated with the PR field? What must PR agencies do in response?
BO: I have long maintained that public relations has a huge opportunity when it comes to social media. PR professionals are trained to be boundary spanners, linking disparate parts of the company together, bringing media and experts together, and translating offerings for analysts, etc. If PR people key in on their ability to connect audiences, they'll own the social media practices. If they try to make it all about content, or treat blogs as just another media outlet, I think they miss the larger point. I don't think advertising types are as able to manage the relationship dimension, nor do I think the ‘buzz’ types of offerings go much beyond the promotional or viral. These tools give us an opportunity to build meaningful connections with people who use our products, people who might work with us, people who might partner with us, etc. A PR team using these tools can put together a timely, strategic dashboard for a company to make much more informed decisions.
NS: What impact do you think social networking sites have on the media and what does it mean for PR professionals?
BO: Social networks are a great place for all marketers to observe what people actually think. As I mentioned earlier, who wouldn't want 24/7 chatter about things they work on perfecting? I think PR folks should look at social networks as another increasingly connected piece of the information ecosystem. Don't violate the vibe of a network by trying to stampede into the market in a ham-fisted way. But do listen in and understand what's going on. If you or your client has something to add to the conversation in a way that's relevant to that particular context, do so. You see some good examples of this in Second Life, for instance.
NS: What are your top five pearls of wisdom about social media that you'd leave with someone before getting off an elevator?
BO: Social media is about connection, not content.
Social media is about them, not you.
Social media may be cheaper initially, but it takes far more homework.
Get small fast. (Niche is nice. Think smaller feature sets, more targeted audiences, less chatter from you, and so on.)
Relax, it's early in the social media game. You're not behind because everyone's just trying to figure out the new environment.
NS: You've just landed the job of running a traditional PR agency. What would you implement in response to social media?
BO: I'd make sure everyone understood the new tools and have them describe to me how they see the information ecosystem in which our clients live. A lot of these things just have to be experienced. So, to get my team ‘net native,’ I'd make sure they were reading the blogs right for their clients, contributing to company knowledge through a wiki or internal blog, and sharing relevant links. Plus, I'd want to make sure my shop was using social media tools to promote our own expertise.
NS: What should PR professionals know about working with and reaching out to bloggers?
BO: They should know that bloggers probably like getting "pitched" even less than real journalists. Really read their blogs and get familiar with what makes sense. Cut to the chase -- for lots of these folks, their blog is an extracurricular labor of love. Be ready to have your bad pitch blogged -- I've seen plenty of mocking of PR faux pas. That said, bloggers love getting a heads-up on things that matter to them, and if you bring them in and really register their feedback, it can help a great deal. Think beyond the ‘hit,’ though. No one likes a drive-by pitch.
NS: How are social networking sites changing the marketing landscape for companies?
BO: The more connected we all become, the faster things can gain momentum. I think nuanced marketers who pay attention will have an increasing advantage -- whether they are watching blogs, Flickr streams, MySpace profiles, P2P traffic, user-generated video, bookmarks or Digg.com, to name a few. These are all forms of connection that are going to impact our work in marketing.
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