Jul 27, 2010
In The Year 2525, Will Social Media Still Be Alive?
If you halfway recognized the take-off of the headline, then you know that this 1969 hit by Zager and Evans basically talks about the demise of human beings to make way for more technical and mechanical lifeforms. It’s not exactly a warm and fuzzy tune with lots of rainbows and puppies. However, it does give one reason to think about technology and its impact on people and relationships.
I’m the first to admit a reluctance to jump on the social media bandwagon. I scoffed for months at the notion of wasting my time and precious energy, a la Tracy Chapman. But goal-setting, client service and hunger for knowledge won out, and I jumped on board, which brings me to the $64,000 question: How effective can social media be in the future if communicators end up being the only ones communicating with each other? Let me answer the question by repeating the lessons I learned about various tools of social media like blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.:
1) One of the first people to advise me in navigating the social media map is Walter Lim of Cool Insights in Singapore. When asked how do people grow their blogs, he simply said reciprocity.
2) Get involved, network, and watch trends on Twitter, says Internet marketer Maria Gordon.
3) Copyblogger’s Jonathon Morrow says the more interesting the blog content is, the better.
4) Retweets are all the rage, per John Moore of the Social Ecosystem Lab.
5) Public relations practitioners lead the social media revolution in most organizations, according to the 2009 Digital Readiness Report.
So at the end of the social media day, are we, as public relations experts, just trying to sell one another on the products and services of ourselves and our clients? Don’t get me wrong, I’m a great advocate for social media. I’ve seen how clients and friends have grown their businesses and relationships, and I’ve experienced such growth myself. But I’m also a strategist. Hence, the $64,000 question: How effective can social media be in the future if communicators end up being the only ones communicating with each other?
All thoughts, predictions and arguments welcome.
How very interesting! Well, I think social media will be alive and well for many years to come, and as a very very "new" media, I think it's impact is yet to be determined.
I'm not saying I agree with this statement but a friend pointed out to me recently that social media as we currently know it has not been around long enough for anyone to have earned the equivalent of a PhD in it, so are there really any experts yet?
Don't get me wrong, it's a powerful tool for communications, there's no doubt. But I began thinking about direct, measurable business results. Here are some results I achieved that I can measure back DIRECTLY to a social media platform. These also, are direct requests TO me, and not part of an organized discussion group:
Facebook: Jobs: 0, Requests for proposals: 0, Requests for my expert advice/professional discussion: 0.
Twitter: Jobs: 0, Requests for proposals: 0, Requests for my expert advice/professional discussion: 0.
Linkedin: Jobs: 0, Requests for proposals: 1, Requests for my expert advice/professional discussion: 2.
I've had better luck with Linkedin though I cannot yet tie one cent of revenue to any social media source.
Also, I'll note that all three are heavily geared toward communicating with other public relations professionals as that seems to be who most of my connections are. That does have great value in expanding my knowledge and education, and I've learned much from them, but other PR folks are probably not going to be a huge market for me.
My blog has helped me drive traffic to my site, and I've finally noticed a few "subscribers" whom I don't know, so that's good. But much of my blog traffic stems from links in social media – you know, the other communications professionals.
I do intend to make deliberate efforts to connect with people in industries/businesses I'd like to work with, however, and I think that will have an impact.
I will acknowledge this. PR professionals KNOW that having a positive placement in USA Today, Entrepreneur Magazine, or something similar will help one's business, even if we can't directly trace a single sale to the placement. We KNOW it helps…is social media the same way?
At the end of the day, I have to acknowledge this, as well. Through social media, I've developed a new, larger group of professional colleagues, and have made some friends as well – and I count you in that list!
Great feedback and insights, Clay! I also that social media definitely has expanded by network of colleagues from whom I've learned many things. The network also is great as a sounding board or to electronically brainstorm. But it's sorta like a carpenter joining a professional carpentry group – they're all like minded and don't really sell to one another. Referrals, however, are a different matter, but those came long before social media. I love hearing about your LInkedIn experience, that's a point in favor of that tool. But, at the end of the day, we're all looking for results, as in revenue. You're right – I think the platform may still be in its infancy, and reliable measurement indicators that directly link to $$$ aren't yet refined. In any case, we're now friends, so there you have it! Thanks for your comments.
You and Gini Dietrich both say something similar about the ultimate social media conclusion. At the end of the day, PR people will be communicating to to PR people. Not quite.
Look at the web. What do you see? People are talking back and forth in myriad of ways. They share their opinions in many ways on all sorts of platforms. Right now, it's an amorphous glob of information (except Facebook to a lesser degree) opinion and insights. But, more importantly, it's people making declarations about, well, everything. At some point, marketers and programers will deliver the mechanism that will allow companies to find, target, influence and sell people more easily and seamlessly than ever before. And those people will welcome it. I surmise digital and social marketing will take us back to when marketing was a simple as taking out an ad. Only this time, it's people who are doing the advertising.
Excellent insights Bob! I can't wait until your prediction (which is very valid) comes true! Thanks for commenting!
VERY INTERESTING BUT A MIND BOGGLER FOR SO MANY OF US-OR NEAR SO!
Here’s the way I look at it: social media, if it stayed the domain of tech-savvy types, probably would create the scenario you described above. If Facebook is any indication, however, social media is just going to explode in popularity as the years go by, to the point where every breathing being on this planet has an individual profile – and the rest of the social media lineup follows from there.
So long as people have an opportunity to talk, they’ll take it. At least I hope so, haha.
Great post Susan! And very intriguing. I’d hate to see the blogging community, for example, become completely inclusive, but I’m not sure that’ll happen given how much bloggers like talking to their readers and other writers.
An individual profile for every breathing being? Yikes – that scares me, but you're probably right in regard to a specific description for anybody who even looks at a computer. I do have concerns about the future of social media in regard to choices: if people choose to relate and spend time with technology over relating and spending time with other people (see this week's post), socialization will significantly dimenish like we know it today. Thanks for your insights and comments.