{"id":29574,"date":"2012-05-05T15:20:42","date_gmt":"2012-05-05T14:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29574"},"modified":"2012-05-05T15:22:16","modified_gmt":"2012-05-05T14:22:16","slug":"social-media-programs-are-too-important-for-one-department","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/social-media-programs-are-too-important-for-one-department\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Programs Are Too Important for One Department"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                                                         google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm', 'Marken Communications']);\" ><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">Marken Communications<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the <strong>opinions of the rest of the ABT staff.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> \u2013Mark Poppin,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Horizontal Marketing<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29575\" title=\"Untitled-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=189%2C254\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/strong><\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><em>\u201c<\/em><em>Economics make it necessary to terminate any operation which exceeds five percent of its primary budget.\u201d<\/em> <strong>\u2013 Male Voice, \u201c<em>THX 1138<\/em>,\u201d Warner Brothers (1971)<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>We\u2019re quite certain John Wanamaker \u2013 who some consider the father of marketing \u2013 would be amazed if he saw the potential and the chaos of social media today.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d be amazed at the potential because he would see the fantastic benefits of reaching very specific customers any time, any place.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d also be amazed at the chaos and waste that\u2019s taking place in so many companies as departments shove, push, jump and holler to lay claim to this brave new frontier.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d probably see how marketing, advertising and public relations people are claiming to being best qualified to \u201crun\u201d the company\u2019s social media campaigns and he\u2019d probably think, <em>\u201cWhat a freakin\u2019 waste!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>And, he\u2019d probably feel he needed to expand his famous quote,\u00a0 <em>\u201c<\/em><em>Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don&#8217;t know which half.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d say half of his <strong>total<\/strong> budget is wasted by the organization\u2019s power\/influence departmental silos.<\/p>\n<p>We wish we could take full credit for shining a spotlight on what\u2019s wrong and why so many companies come up short when it comes to social media marketing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stimulated Thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mitch Joel\u2019s blog \u2013 he\u2019s head of Twist Image &#8211; started us thinking about the dynamics of social media and how every department that looks to influence the customer is struggling for budget and contact control.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29576\" title=\"Untitled-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-2.jpg?resize=321%2C216\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-2.jpg?resize=321%2C216 321w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-2-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 321px) 100vw, 321px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0 Photo Source \u2013 National Weather Service<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Ending Silos \u2013 <\/strong><em>For companies to be successful in social media, they have to tear down their departmental silos and work horizontally across the entire organization, rather than having one group \u201ccontrolling\u201d the avenues\/opportunities. The most successful firms in social media work top down and bottom up.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Marketing says they own it, advertising says they can influence it, PR says they can control it, customer service says they can help it, HR says they can work it, legal says they can sue it.<\/p>\n<p>People, have you looked at the Web, social media lately?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an offspring of the Internet and it\u2019s everywhere there\u2019s a connection.<\/p>\n<h2 align=\"center\"><strong>World Map of Social Networks<\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29577\" title=\"Untitled-3\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-3.jpg?resize=524%2C280\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-3.jpg?resize=524%2C280 524w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-3-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><strong>No One Best \u2013 <\/strong><em>Depending upon the day and time of day, you will hear people swear Facebook is the best social medium, then Twitter, then Pinterest \u2026 and the noise goes on. Actually, Facebook has serious competition for attention in many parts of the world. The truth is, no social opportunity is too large or too small to receive anything less than your best.<\/em> <strong>Source \u2013 Google Trends<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>No single person, no single department in an organization can control it.<\/p>\n<p>Try and you\u2019ll hear the male voice say<em>, \u201c<\/em><em>The T-H-X account is six percent over budget. The case is to be terminated.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>BYOD Change<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With today\u2019s BYOD (bring your own device), anyone can \u2013 and does \u2013 access social media to reach customers\/prospects\/partners\/influences and to leave his\/her mark.<\/p>\n<p>Joel pointed out that social media is a top-down, bottom-up effort. He cites Tony Hsieh, of Zappos, who got it right from the get-go.<\/p>\n<p>Hsieh didn\u2019t get people internally, externally on board by saying, <em>\u201cHey this is a great marketing, communications tool.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p>No, it was about real customer service&#8211; not just service\/support people, but customer service, the heart and soul of the company.<\/p>\n<p>When Booz &amp; Company surveyed firms, 94 percent cited the ability to adapt quickly to change as the most critical enabler of social media success. They also listed the ability to clearly communicate executive support as vital (90 percent).<\/p>\n<p>Their key findings included:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 32 percent of leading companies say their brand presence on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter is becoming more important than their own website<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Advertising and promotions (96 percent), public relations (88 percent) and customer service (75 percent) are among the top 3 ways companies are using social channels<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Marketing departments oversee social media initiatives in most (81 percent) leading companies<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 35 percent of companies say they have a senior-level executive who is responsible for social media company-wide<\/p>\n<p>Communications people who can\u2019t come to grips with this approach to social media will probably very quickly hear the male voice on the jet car voice chatter say, <em>\u201cI think I ran over a wookie back there on the expressway&#8230;\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 align=\"center\"><strong>Benefits from Social Media<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29578\" title=\"Untitled-4\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-4.jpg?resize=391%2C276\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-4.jpg?resize=391%2C276 391w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-4-300x211.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 391px) 100vw, 391px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Benefits Abound \u2013 <\/strong><em>There are those in the marketing\/communications arena who say social media isn\u2019t about business opportunities, it\u2019s about the potential reach of social media; and its very selective nature can directly have an effect on a firm\u2019s sales, profits, image and more.<\/em> <strong>Source \u2013 Booz &amp; Company\/Buddy Media<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yes, there are returns to the company for the effort&#8211;both tangible and intangible.<\/p>\n<p>Firms can see a lot of return from social media, including brand building, interactivity and buzz.<\/p>\n<p>Forward-thinking companies are also finding it is excellent for market research, product development, internal communications\/team building.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Horizontal Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Companies that implement social media horizontally, rather than in silos, are seeing both hard, soft returns on their investment.<\/p>\n<h2 align=\"center\"><strong>Marketers Who Have Seen Positive Impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29579\" title=\"Untitled-5\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-5.jpg?resize=328%2C379\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-5.jpg?resize=328%2C379 328w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-5-259x300.jpg 259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 328px) 100vw, 328px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Proactive Measurements \u2013 <\/strong><em>While applying business metrics to their social media activities are still in the formative stages, firms should use the options to determine how well their listening and engagement activities are received by their primary\/secondary markets. Without measurement, companies can\u2019t justify the continued expenditure; and, more importantly, can\u2019t ensure they are providing the right messages.<\/em> <strong>Source \u2013 Forrester Consulting<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The returns can be quantified because social media produces a treasure trove of information that can be mined, analyzed and used to correct, fine-tune the company\u2019s organization-wide social media activities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-29580\" title=\"Untitled-6\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-6.jpg?resize=415%2C421\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-6.jpg?resize=415%2C421 415w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-6-295x300.jpg 295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 415px) 100vw, 415px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Effectiveness \u2013 <\/strong><em>The beauty of social media is that it can produce an overwhelming volume of data regarding customers, prospects and partners to meet today\u2019s customers\u2019 needs today and plan for tomorrow. Big data measurement and analysis can help management avoid costly product and marketplace mistakes \u2026 and more.<\/em> <strong>Source \u2013 blogs.zdnet.com\/Hinchcliffe<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Every man, woman and child that goes online to interact with a social media site leaves a very distinctive (and permanent) footprint that can help firms determine who they should reach, with what product\/service; and how they can entertain, engage and hopefully retain that person as a profitable friend\/customer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Big Data Mining<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Big data can be used to examine almost every aspect of social media including:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Engagement (e.g., forwards, shares, re-tweets, etc.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Participation (e.g., fans, followers, etc.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reach (e.g., unique visitors, numbers of views, etc.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Advocacy (e.g., comments, feedback, participation in polls)<\/p>\n<p>A growing number of firms are dismantling advertising and public relations silos and making social media an integral part of companywide plans.<\/p>\n<h2 align=\"center\"><strong>Social Media Marketing Investment in 2012<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29581\" title=\"Untitled-7\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-7.jpg?resize=449%2C212\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-7.jpg?resize=449%2C212 449w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-7-300x141.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 449px) 100vw, 449px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Wise Investments <em>&#8211; <\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0As the social media arena continues to expand and gain importance, every firm has to carry out at least a modest marketing activity, preferably with the CEO\u2019s direct involvement. As the company experiences even modest success, there is a natural desire to expand the program to all areas of the firm to enrich the customer experience\/relationship.<\/em> <strong>Source \u2013 Awareness Inc.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Marketing and communications people who want to stay in the game need to become part of the C-team and help develop the strategies that will impact their businesses the most.<\/p>\n<p>The survivors and rising stars will recommend and assist in investing budgets\/resources where they will help the most, regardless of their siloed past.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here to Stay<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Social media is not a fad that will fade away.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a marketing campaign.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a PR\/publicity activity.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a seismic shift in a company\u2019s value-based system.<\/p>\n<p>As Joel pointed out, it&#8217;s a statement to the world that your business is made up of people and you recognize\/appreciate that customers are also people!<\/p>\n<p>The best, most healthy thing any company can develop, encourage and nurture is real interactions between real people.<\/p>\n<p>Siloed egos can\u2019t make that happen.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29582\" title=\"Untitled-8\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-8.jpg?resize=372%2C287\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-8.jpg?resize=372%2C287 372w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Untitled-8-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Those that cling to the idea that social media &#8211; or any marketing activity &#8211; is their domain will hear the Chrome Robot say, <em>\u201c<\/em><em>Everything will be all right. You are in my hands. I am here to protect you. You have nowhere to go. You have nowhere to go.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><br \/>\n# # #<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>by: G.A. &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong> President<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong> Marken Communications Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong> <a href=\"mailto:Andy@markencom.com\">Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of Marken Communications Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":396,"featured_media":29582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533],"tags":[3197,5204,845,3149,5205,3943,5203],"class_list":["post-29574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","tag-advertising","tag-big-data-mining","tag-investment","tag-marketing","tag-opportunities","tag-social-media","tag-social-networks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}