chrisbrogan.com - Latest Comments in Just as Difficult as it Seems

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

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Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

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Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

pegmulligan — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:36:39 -0000

At Digital Marketing World, in the Anatomy of a Strong Corporate Blog session, Christi Day, Public Relations Coordinator and Spokesperson from Southwest Airlines, hit upon similar themes, when she mentioned that blogging is not a nine to five job, and you have to have the resources available in the first place, as well as committed staff, who are prepared to make and excited about making this kind of intense investment in building long-term relationships.

New to blogging, I've made what feels like a full-time commitment, just launching my new blog this month, with about seventeen posts.
I'm also completing @problogger's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, and in between writing posts, reading and starting to comment on other posts, promoting my blog, and keeping up with my tweets, I am more and more aware of just how much work social media involves.

I can see why you say, though social media is not rocket science, "...It does take a ton of time...and the only way it’ll work is to have someone within a company take ownership of the platforms and act as both an advocate for the audience as well as the company."

Social media is not something that organizations can do half-way. I think if you undertake social media, you need to make the full investment and really build relationships right & for the long-term. A superficial or half-hearted attempt at social media would be more detrimental to a company (that is, more insulting to customers’ expectations) than no online presence at all.

If you’re going to do it, do it right, and that's going to require a dedicated resource, with as you suggest, a lot more than a few extra bullets, tacked onto someone’s existing position responsibilities.

The many tweeters this month, including myself, who are falling behind @problogger's challenge: "31 Days to Build a Better Blog" (an excellent, excellent intro to blogging, by the way) can now attest to this post's title "Just as Difficult as it Seems,” though in a follow-up post, we can say, “Still Worth It.”

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Kerry — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:43:27 -0000

LEADSExplorer points out that the more companies use social media to sell, the less effective the medium will be.

I totally agree, if the companies are using social media just to sell. If companies use social media to actually build a relationship with their customers, to care enough to say happy birthday to people or recommend a good book or suggest a solution, then people will respond well. I think media companies have an especially good opportunity to use social media to really connect with readers and users and point them in the direction of content that suits their interests and needs. If my local bar / hospital / post office can do the same, I'll follow.

It does take a ton of time, though, and the only way it'll work is to have someone with a company take ownership of the platforms and act as both an advocate for the audience as well as the company.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Joe Lofshult — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:52:26 -0000

Good post Chris. Participating in social media does require a bit of work and can be time consuming, but that is the price that one must pay to play the game. If you don't want to pay that small price, you're better off not getting involved. Or get involved, but don't expect it to automatically pay off with no work.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Joerg Kurt Wegner — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:53:19 -0000

I just disagree. I am reading a lot, I am a scientist. Sure, reading is work, but I decide which sources I want to read. From an 'information overload' and 'long tail' perspective I can not believe that reading less helps.

I do not care about a headache, but I do know that I have a limited reading capacity.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Ibrahim | ZenCollegeLife — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:08:33 -0000

Maybe it's just me, but I like putting in the work. I enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor, and I treat my site like a child. If you nurture the child you have a good chance of it turning out alright. Leave it to others and you're at the mercy of those people.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Hollie — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:07:00 -0000

Chris question for you, if you were starting again would you have one central blog like you do here, or more.. example my one for money save tips at common cents mom and a more personal one for raising an Aspie's child. or combine the two in one location. From one who is really just really getting into blogging, thanks!

Hollie

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

LEADSExplorer — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:04:41 -0000

The more companies and people try to sell using Social Media the less effective it will be.
Just hoping Social Media isn't turning into advertising.
Then we could better start reading the classifieds.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Edward Boches — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:34:09 -0000

Great post. Good advice. Yet there are a lot of ways to look at social media. There's the "me," which is all about using social media to build an individual brand, not unlike Chris Brogan, which will ideally benefit the company for whom that person works. There's the "we," which is the community a brand enables: think Harley Davidson Motor Company, or Twitter Moms, or any big group of Fans on Facebook, or even Times People or Nike Plus, both of which require less effort from the brands. Instead they are the "gift" of community offered up by a brand to those who can benefit from it. Then there is the "they," a more traditional way of looking at all of your prospects, users and community members from whom you might want to generate interest, participation and business." They are all a little bit different and require different levels of commitment and time. The "me" and the "they" are the most demanding, for sure. Especially if you want to do more than listen and engage. If your ultimate objective is to inspire people, build a following and ultimately mobilize them it takes a lot of time. Social media is not a program or a campaign. It's a commitment.
@edwardboches

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Maureen E. Mc Bride — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:13:22 -0000

I appreciate what you are articulating in your post Chris. The "Twitter/Facebook" phenomenon is yet another example of irrational exuberance. Every get rich quick canned spam/scam artist on the internet is offering a how-to-profit "course" or eBook. Social Media Marketing is the busiest buzz phrase in the digital space.
I worked with a client last month that wanted to "cash in on the gold rush" and can't type. They approach the keyboard with two index fingers?!
The next thing to consider should be, can you write? Can you write enough---often enough and skillfully enough that the two dimensional world of text based communication becomes three dimensional in the mind's eye of the the reader?
Heck do you have a working knowledge of the basic rules of written English?
I was recently solicited by email with a "Marketing Tips" newsletter. The goal of the newsletter was obviously designed to expose the company to potential new clients. The flippin` thing was written in CHAT! The author posed three questions in a row, something that had to be extrapolated because punctuation used did not include question marks. The newsletter amused me, as I subsequently wrote of the company, their services and products and unsubscribed to their email list. With comments.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

@JoshHurlock — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:29:23 -0000

Chris, thanks for the post. Social media is captivating and evolving, yet at the same time, time consuming to keep up with everything. Mass email and messages are easier; however, they are no hope to connecting with people on a true, personal level. To use social media to the fullest potential, one must be able to set aside and dedicate time and effort.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Dr. Patrick MacNamara — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:25:56 -0000

Chris,

I wholeheartedly agree!

If you want to produce anything of great value in life, you must devote an enormous amount of effort, energy, and passion toward it. The sum of those three parts equal WORK. It doesn't matter if you're talking about parenting, becoming an accomplished musician, or, regarding your topic, a professional blogger.

As Donald Kendall once said, "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Jorge Blanco — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:18:33 -0000

Doing the right thing is seldom, if ever, easy. It is not limited to taking on social media in your business. However the point remains as true as it always has been. Only people who take on the difficult stuff in life and persevere through it will attain real success!

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Mary H Ruth — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:23:04 -0000

So true, so true, Chris - I wonder if the phenomenon of social media is so huge as to change the fundamental ways we work and structure organizations. Which of course puts 'traditional' business in the nursing home. When every person and department in the organization is responsible for the brand, nothing can stay the same anymore.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Cindy — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:10:33 -0000

I really am glad to see this post. I have clients who come to me wanting me to "make social media happen".There is the whole education process you have to guide them through first--if they are willing. I am surprised how often they have a Twitter account and a Facebook page but they also have " somebody in the office" whoever has time, do the posting. No plan, no objectives, no strategy. Most would not attack any other portion of their business in this manner. Social media takes time. It is just the nature of the beast. I think perhaps, because it is not hard or is not "rocket science" is what seduces people into the misconception that social media is not work. Thanks for the post!

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Kevin Boon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:37:29 -0000

There is a chorus of voices like to tell the world that social media is the way however few understand the work involved or the re-design of strategy, job descriptions, focus and even training to make it work.

Great post Chris.
Kevin

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

AngelaConnor — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:30:58 -0000

Amen to this. Embracing new tools and traveling on a new road requires a change in structure and a change in structure requires a change in mindset. And that requires buy-in from a lot of people to do things differently. Nothing easy about that. I am currently leading a task force for developing a social media strategy for my company, WRAL in Raleigh and I was ecstatic when I got buy-in from the big wigs on a mission statement that is so completely different than anything any TV station has ever actively embraced. You see, I feel as though a mission is at the core of everything. If you don't have one you are simply floating about and if you have no mission how do you know if your goals are the right ones? Yes, this is difficult. It takes time. But when you believe it's worth it, you put in the time. The rewards will come.
Angela Connor | @communitygirl

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

John Haydon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:28:39 -0000

Chris - I do have a question:

How do you do "relationship management" in social media? Here's what I mean:

What you're saying here is that social media takes time and effort in order to create anything that has long-lasting value. You nurture and grow connections on Twitter and Facebook, build business relationships on LinkedIn, and discover great new friends through your blog.

From a tactical perspective, how are you recording the "data points" that span the arc of these relationships (vocations, websites, birthdays, children's names, hobbies, quirks)?

Thanks,

John

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Veronica Jorden — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:15:11 -0000

Hi Chris!
Excellent article and so true. While it is often fun and always interesting, pounding the "virtual" pavement is a lot of work. And even though social media and the internet have made the introductions easier it still take a real person doing real relationship building to make it work. Thanks for a great post!

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Jamie Lee — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:06:40 -0000

Nothing worth doing is easy ... isn't that how the saying goes?

Social media is simple at the surface, but both complex and definitely time-consuming when you start to peel back the layers. I'm so tired of seeing posts and emails from social media "gurus" who claim they'll rocket you to social media fame and fortune in 7 easy steps. There's no silver bullet here, people. Each individual and brand needs to devise a customized plan for engagement in social venues. What works for one, may fail miserably for another. And ALL successful plans take time and elbow grease to execute well.

Although I agree with Yianni in comment #23 that - in a perfect world - the best folks to handle corporate social media are those who "are" the brand, I don't think that solution is always feasible. As a professional writer, I think that an outside party who is properly educated on the values and products of the company and brand can actually bring an important "outsider" view that benefits both the brand and its fans. In addition, she can provide a certain level of social media expertise that may not exist within the organization. Sometimes an in-house person can't see the forest for the trees, if you know what I mean.

As always - great post. Look forward each day to what you'll say next. Keep us on our toes, Chris!

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

John Haydon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:51:40 -0000

Chris,

It would be great if we could just short-circuit the law of cause and effect, but we can't.

John
(Hi, Hildy!)

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Hildy Gottlieb — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:37:59 -0000

Just as it takes time to have friends who care about you. Thank you, Chris. This is perfect.
Hildy

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Herb Newborg — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:32:14 -0000

It is amazing how many "experts" are out telling every chiropractor, dentist, plumber, photographer etc. how easy it is to "get new business from social media".

Usually those advancing this idea (that it is easy and does not take alot of time and effort) have an ebook or course for sale and have never actually used the web to promote anything other than there "how to" products.

Re: Just as Difficult as it Seems

Kari — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:23:29 -0000

“You’ll have fewer headaches if you ignore social media as part of your business communications strategy.”

Great thought-provoking post. Interestingly, I have found that at my nonprofit org I need to have a plan for using these tools for two primary reasons: 1) to legitimize (for management) the value of building online communities and meeting people where they are at; and 2) to underscore the need for not just a long-term view but a holistic approach to how we position ourselves in the community.

Without a plan, our org likely would do one of two things: 1) run full speed ahead, blogging, twittering and friending like maniacs without any thought to purpose or expected results; or 2) avoid engaging online at all because they have no idea how to start.

By articulating a plan, I am able to bring these all-important questions to the forefront and forge a path that people can follow. That goes a long way toward buy-in in our org.

At the same time, I think investing in a full out strategy/plan can become a hindrance if you're not careful. You end up spending SO much time planning and researching and thinking that you never DO anything.

But it raises this question for me: If your org's internal culture isn't adapted for this brave new world, will simply trying to participate in these media force that change org-wide?