Social Media: An Online Cocktail Party

Last week I attended a Social Media Marketing workshop put on by the Triangle AMA. Unfortunately only just now am I able to take some time to digest all that I learned but better late than never, right?

Even though I wasn't all that thrilled to be getting up at 4:45 AM to make the 2.5 hour drive up to Durham, NC the trip ended up being worth it. If I took away anything, it's a very simple thing to keep in mind: Social Media Marketing breaks your traditional marketing rules.

Jim Tobin of Ignite Social Media presented the morning and the 2nd Afternoon sessions. My favorite part of what he said was that social media is a Cocktail Party. That as marketers we have to see it as any in-person networking event. When you walk into the room, you don't walk up to the first person you see and start pitching your idea. That's bad networking and bad etiquette.

A lot of what was said at the workshop I had already heard before but a little reinforcement never hurt anyone. The truth is people just don't care anymore. They want to know what their friends think about things, most people (except media sources and bloggers) don't read PR statements. And even when they do, they're more likely to couple that statement with a blog post or something else they can dig up. Can you imagine if immediately upon the "What do you do?" question you stated your company's name and started reciting your latest press release? That's not going to work in person and the same thing goes for social media. Instead of being a lecturer we have to be participating and engaging in conversations. Some would say just being human with people. How hard could that be, right? We are in fact, human.

I think the problem with this idea is not just that it's so different, it's harder. A lot of the marketers in attendance questioned about whether or not they should include their name or if they would have the time to devote to entertaining their party guests (customers). It is hard to brand yourself to your company so closely like that. Once you get in the social media cocktail party, it's sometimes hard to know when the marketing and customer service duties begin and end. I've been guilty of wanting to just push out the same old PR crap on social media outlets because it's easier. I don't have to write something else and different, don't have to think about it, just Ctrl-P, Ctrl-V and submit. Easy.

The problem with that lackadaisical attitude is that it doesn't work. It's easy to just halfass this or completely write it off because there's not a whole lot of accountability. It's easier just to sit by the bar, have a drink and go home without engaging anyone in conversation. But what does that accomplish?

I think the analogy that Tobin gave us is right on. Keeping that in mind I think it'll help with creating a social networking marketing strategy. But, with that is going to bring some accountability to big corporations to follow through on their press releases, and even to us as marketers to be creative and somewhat candid with our customers or clients. Transparency is the latest rage and the forecast seems that honesty will get you everywhere.

(Photo thanks to oooh.oooh.)