Tag Archives: relationships
Anca Micheti | Critical Mass Calgary
Cultural theorists, from Michael Foucault to Judith Butler, have said it a long time ago: identity is not fixed and determined by demographics, but fluid and multifaceted. It is, to a certain extent, what we want it to be. It is a performance we put on for the world.
Social media makes this identity performance easier than ever. With more than 400 million active Facebook users and 73.5 million visitors to Twitter each month, it has allowed us to become content producers and consequently public performers of our identities. Every digital imprint we leave on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, every blog post, review or tag is an opportunity for identity play. And who’s to say that each and all of these performances are not “the real me,” even if they’re not necessarily consistent with each other, and maybe each paints only a partial picture of who I “really” am. (more…)
Edelman recently posted the results of a study they did on consumer trust. The study claims that “The number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company dropped by almost half, from 45% to 25%, since 2008.” Is social media just a passing fad?
Definitely not. While the article brings up an interesting topic, I believe that Michael Bush’s primary intent was to stir up some controversy, rather than claim there has been an official shift in online consumer behavior. Before we abandon everything we know about social, ask yourself 2 questions…
Is what they are saying true?
I’m not sold on the methodology. Based on the way the data is displayed in the article, it’s easy to criticize the survey technique. The wording is relatively biased and appears to focus on advertising, in general. As an alternative, the research could offer more credibility if consumers were asked who they trusted most for purchasing advice or recommendations.
What does it mean for social media marketers?
Survey details aside, the article surfaces the very important topic of relevancy and timing in social media marketing. In order to solve for this problem, marketers must craft solutions to address:
- Consumers experience a tremendous amount of digital litter online. Most content offered is just noise, and often doesn’t meet consumer’s exact point of need.
- Social Media is not a retail medium. It’s about building relationships. Over time, these relationships establish trust, engagement and ultimately advocacy, which definitely impacts the bottom line for brands.
- Consumers are first, brands and branded messaging will always be second. Consumers use social media to socialize with their friends, family and peers. If they want to engage with brands, it will be on their terms.
- Content is no longer “king” – relevancy is. Consumers have been taught that if they sound-off questions, someone will answer. By choosing to be active in social media, brands can offer solutions as a trusted source to weigh-in on those direct consumer questions.
If you’re active in social media, I wouldn’t get too hot and bothered over the study results. PR agencies are great at generating buzz, so kudos to them for stirring the pot. Now, take it a step further. Go beyond the buzz, and focus on developing long-lasting, sincere relationships with your fans online.
Video by @matto
This is my first attempt at writing anything since attending the SXSW conference for the first time—it was quite an experience, from the panels to the parties to the conversations in the hallways, cafes and sidewalks. I spoke on a couple of panels but there was something really special about the “Friendship is Dead” salon that friend Russ Unger and myself “moderated”. I use the term loosely because it felt like a casual conversation more than anything else. Some even joked around about it feeling like “therapy”.
We started off the panel with the premise of friendship in the basic sense and quickly moved into social media territory. It became clear that few people in the room felt that there is a need for social applications to offer better controls around how we can classify “friends”—from those who we may have met online, to the ones we work with to the ones we’ve known from childhood that may ore may not be close with anymore. The conversation quickly moved into a very organic space where many of us felt the need to express opinions on the subject, and were clearly wrestling with the notion of managing our relationships as they soar into higher and higher numbers. If you reference “Dunbar’s Number” (below), there is an assertion that once we exceed the number of relationships past “150″, that our relationships become less meaningful and more difficult to manage.
