Originally published in Campaign Brief December 09. I have been a little lax in my posting recently.
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It comes as no surprise that Facebook has reached over 300 million users this year. Twitter has hit the scales at around 50 million. Yet these places are no longer simply for the warm and fuzzy feelings of catching up with old high school sweethearts. It seems every man and his dog (and yep, become an online fan of Lassie today) are using free software and a myriad of blogs to fight for a cause, stir up some nostalgia or to push their brand deeper into the realm of social media.
However, just because the tools are free, doesn't mean it's going to cost nothing.
Similarly, signing up for a free blog or Twitter and Facebook account does not sign you up for immediate success in the online social world. These seemingly effortless accounts may take less than a minute to create, but making them function as effective communications tools that amalgamate with a company's branding, marketing messages and culture takes more than time. It takes understanding, skills, experience and money.
However, it needs to be remembered that a company’s online presence is as real as its offline; it needs to retain its own branding and personality. Capitalizing on your daily tweets may mean initially investing a little time (and depending on your skills - creativity or hired help) to escape the rudimentary templates of free software. Designing a wallpaper, making your logo prominent and linking the account to your existing website may sound obvious, but it’s largely underrated. A recent study by global PR firm Weber Shandwick found that “fifty three percent of the Fortune100 Twitter accounts did not display personality, tone or voice”.
However, it is crucial that the underlying voice of the brand remains intact. The office tech-nerd or friend of a friend of a colleague who happens to be very web savvy cannot maintain a company’s online presence. The voice needs to come from above; the face of the company who can clearly speak the brand’s personality; with agencies providing the consultation and strategy on how to translate a traditional message into an online one.
Weber Shandwick’s study also found that many Twitter accounts seemed to have appeared simply to have an online presence. What were lacking were companies using this platform as a link to the community and demonstrating their brand as a source of information, trust and listening ears; they were not building connections with media, other business contacts or maintaining relationships.
Consulting firm Deloitte have found that Australia is lagging in the social media stakes. They recently surveyed a small section of directors from the top 200 ASX companies and found “very few knew much about it. Only one from a group of ten said it was a topic of discussion in the boardroom, yet there was unanimous agreement it should be.”
The flipside to this is the investment of time, intensive labour and possibly remuneration for someone to ensure the blog stays updated regularly, the tweets are relevant and not alienating, and the Facebook page is regulated and controlled. It takes an investment of dollars on the right minds to create ideas for unique ways to utilize online space. It takes allocated time each week to see these ideas through. An enthusiastic start to a weekly blog that dissipates into a spasmodically updated online blather doesn’t do much for a company’s profile. Keeping them keen is crucial – it takes nurturing, love and lots of commitment.