Why some social media strategies fail

Over the last twelve months I’ve been quizzed more and more by clients about social media strategies. What should we be doing? What are our competitors doing? Have we missed the boat? My answer to each has been different, but as to the nautical question, my message is pretty clear; no.

The social media environment is constantly evolving so there is no right or wrong time to take the plunge. Having said that, if a company decides to embrace social media without giving enough thought to what it is trying to achieve then the results can be damaging to both brand and reputation.

On a very basic level social media should be viewed as a new way of connecting with customers and prospects. Therefore, you initially need to decide what channels you are going to use and what you are going to say. If we accept the premise that social media is all about collaboration, then the information you disseminate has to have value. If it doesn’t, then you will quickly bore your audience and any social media aspirations you might have had will become dead in the water. Also remember that you are opening up a dialogue that could potentially result in criticism. I’m not advocating censorship, but beware there are spoilers out there who will take great pleasure in destroying good intentions, a degree of gate keeping can sometimes be appropriate.

Crucially, don’t rush your strategy. You are making yourself more accessible to the outside world, so take a considered approach as to what you want to say and when you say it. This means planning ahead and keeping to a schedule. This will give your campaign substance, whilst enabling you to integrate more off the cuff content. Remember, engagement can be secured through repetition, so avoid long awkward silences. If you have a captive audience, a lack of content is criminal.

This is important; it’s not about what you want to talk about, it’s about what your audience would like to discuss. From a PR perspective, I’ve seen a number of campaigns fail because they focus too much on product specifications, rather than detailing what’s in it for the customer; we all have a tendency to become self obsessed at times. And the same is true for an effective social media strategy. You need to establish what content will generate discussion, a bit of old fashioned customer research might help here.

I’ll be honest with you I’m not sure where social media fits. Is it PR? Is it marketing? Is it a separate entity? PR seems to be taking the lead at the moment, but as social media becomes more widely accepted by business this could change. However, in many respects ownership is irrelevant, if your strategy does not consider the needs of your audience it will fail.

My sporting addiction

When I was growing up I supported a team that wasn’t very successful. During my teens this didn’t change and in adulthood the situation has remained pretty much the same. But I wouldn’t change a thing. The team is in my blood and wherever I am in the world I will always find a way to check the result. It’s an addiction. I can’t stop it and to a certain extent it rules my life. With every disappointment, comes hope. For every defeat, there’s another game. I suppose I could have changed allegiance when I was seven or eight, but I didn’t. I kept with them because some day I knew that things must change. That one day, everything would be worthwhile.

As an adult you realize that this is fantasy. Things don’t really change for fans like me. You do have your good days, but these are outweighed by periods of insecurity and angst. If we all supported a top 4 side what would that tell us about the human condition? That we have to win? That defeat isn’t acceptable? It would be a sad state of affairs. No, the majority of fans have to endure the reality that on the football field we are never going to excel and that mediocrity is all we can hope for.

Families are to blame. We willingly encourage our children to follow us in our fruitless quest for sporting nirvana. Our children have to support the team we support. It’s treason not to. We enforce our tribal family beliefs on unsuspecting sons and daughters, in the full realization that a lifetime of disappointment and tears are to follow. It’s a form of cruelty that is justified by tradition. Some lucky children will not like football, outcasts in a family of fanatics.        

If you support a top four side good luck. You will never understand the bitter resentment and futility that the average supporter feels over the course of a season. We know that the status quo will never change, but we will still continue to make our way meekly through the turnstiles. Do we envy you? Not really, after all we wouldn’t know how to handle success. It’s theoretical. As for Europe, that’s another world; a table that we wouldn’t be comfortable sitting at.

There are certain things in life you know aren’t going to happen; winning the lottery is my particular favourite. But we need fantasy to get us through life, if you can’t dream how can you live?

On Sunday 27 February 2011, I took my eight year old son to Wembley to watch Birmingham City take on Arsenal. He has been lucky, things have got better recently, but this occasion would surely sow the seeds of discontent that would last a lifetime. He was predicting a 2-1 Arsenal victory, who was I to disagree. On the 89th minute of a close encounter, the Arsenal defence managed to conjure up a calamitous error that would decide the game. 30,000 Birmingham fans erupted. The pessimists amongst us expected an equalizer (that’s about 90% I’d say) and for at least five minutes I felt physically sick and faint, my eyes drawn pleadingly to the man in black. Eventually, the whistle blew and against all odds Birmingham City had won. That makes it two trophies since the club was founded in 1875.

To all who dream, don’t stop. To those that believe, keep believing. Remember, every dog has its day and some dogs even have two.