I gave a presentation yesterday at the Visability conference yesterday, which naturally included examples of companies that have been very successful using social media. In thinking about the companies to highlight, I tried to stay away from the usual suspects – Comcast, Starbucks, Dell, IBM, etc.
It’s not that these companies aren’t good example, it’s that they are used time and time again to demonstrate the potential of social media, and why companies should be enthusiastically embracing it.
One of the problems is these examples provide a skewed view of how social media works. It gives companies the impression that if they get into social media, they too also enjoy wild success and a surge in popularity. If the old, if they can do it, you can do it too.
The reality is Starbucks, et al are anomalies. Through a combination of luck, timing and smart creative, they’ve hit the social media jackpot. Like a lottery, lots of companies are buying social media “tickets” but few of them win.
Perhaps a better approach in selling the benefits of social media is talking about companies that are enjoying solid success – however you want to define “success” – as opposed to extraordinary success. Maybe we should be talking about companies that have embraced social media, and made it an important part of their business operations.
A good example is Digitcom.ca, a telecom equipment reseller. A year ago, the owner, Jeff Wiener, approach me about starting a blog. I put together a strategic and tactical plan, and helped him set up The Telecom Blog.
Since then, Jeff has really worked it, and made it one of the most popular telecom blogs in Canada. It may not attract a huge number of visitors but the blog has helped bolster the profile for Digitcom and Jeff. It has opened doors for Jeff that may not have presented themselves otherwise, and it’s given Digitcom a bigger digital presence.
In many respects, Digitcom is a social media success story that is a lot more relevant and realistic for companies looking at social media. It provides a better idea of what social media can deliver without setting expectations that are far too ambitious or high.
What do you think? Are we guilty of over-hyping the mega-success stories in social media?
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Awesome. Companies like Starbucks with loads of money are in a different world than small businesses when it comes to social media success. There is no comparison. Thanks for helping to clarify this.
@golateef
I think it’s also critical for companies to not look at social media as a replacement for an integrating marketing communications strategy (any more than people can use social media as a replacement for friendships or relationships offline). Social media should be one of a number of on- and off-line tools companies use to reach their audience (and audience is critical – if your audience isn’t online, the “so-what” factor comes into play…)
In some cases, you hit the audience “jackpot,” as you say. Social media is also a great tool for supporting brand personality and giving current (and prospective) customers a sense of who you are and how you do business.
Totally agree with your points, which is something that sometimes gets lost in shuffle amid all the excitement about social media. Thanks for the comment.
Mark
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Mark – good post and important to keep the potential reward of social media in context.
If you compare the results of these anomalies with smaller companies like Digitcom.ca, is the success level similar on a relative scale? ie Does the extra awareness or revenue they generate come to a similar portion of their total revenue? I don’t know the answer, but would be good to understand this.
Cheers,
Ben
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With respect to measuring our success with respect to social media it’s rather difficult to attach a specific revenue figure to our social media efforts. I view our social media, blog, Twitter … as part of a holistic marketing approach which involves multiple forms of marketing. That includes Google advertising, Yellow Pages, telemarketing, sales seminars, and many others.
The social media component, especially the blog, is our voice to the outside world. It’s a reflection of who and what we are.
We have something to share with the world. Our slogan is: Telecom News, Thoughts, Analysis, and Provocative Opinion. And we try to stay true to our slogan.
I started the blog not knowing what to expect. And shortly thereafter I realized how much fun I was having. It wasn’t profit that motivated me but rather my chance to share an opinion with the world and engage with our clients.
Does the blog make money ?
Well yes, we do have some advertising on the blog, and we also make some additional revenue from Google Adwords, but, that’s not it’s purpose. I have heard from countless people how much they enjoy reading, and I have referred clients and prospective customers to the blog. It’s very presence adds an element of credibility to what we are doing.
Most importantly it’s allowed our company to be perceived as a thought leader in the Telecom world. It’s hard to place a dollar figure on that.
Is the blog working ? Is it a lot of work ? And is it worth it ?
Absolutely.
I wrote a post a few months ago titled: The TelecomBlog.com is looking for feedback. Take a look at that post – it will shed some additional light on my above comments.
Jeff
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People use the aforementioned examples over and over again because it’s easy to do so. It’s best to use examples that suits the industry or interests of the audience you’re talking to. While Google does uncover quite a bit, it would be nice if there was a a case study search engine.
Jason: There is now a case study search engine, launched by CBC’s Tod Maffin. See: http://www.casestudiesonline.com/
Looks like it’s just launched, so the database is smallish. He’s obviously hoping for some user contributions.
Mark, great post. I think it’s a series of small attempts and measured wins (or losses) which will lead to success for the average company. In fact, sometimes those giant corp case studies are intimidating to those starting out…more accessible/applicable examples should be promoted — even if they’re not as ‘sexy’.