Marketing, Social Media Folks Need to Remember, It’s Not Really Social
Content Insider #900 – Sprayin’, Prayin’
By Andy Marken
“You’re going to have to let him warm up for you. He hates Caucasians, despises Americans and has nothing but contempt for women; so in your case, that may take a little while.” – Bill, “Kill Bill 2,” Miramax Films, 2004
Businesses are running so fast today, trying to so hard to catch the next great thing that they’ve lost sight of the reason they’re in business … the customer.
Firms -hardware, software, service, content – are so focused on using the newest “really effective consumer supertool,” they lose sight of the fact (or never really understood) that people don’t buy what you do but why you do it and because it supports the reason they want/need that product/service.
Rational? Hell no, but who ever said consumers were rational (yes, even you)?
We’re setting up departments to handle the internet, to handle individual segments of the Web, IoT (Internet of things), IoE (Internet of Everything) and generative AI tools/channels based on their emotional needs.
We’ve grasped at the sales pitch that AI will clear the way and streamline the selling/buying process… OMG don’t be left behind, brag about how with it you really are and how you’re riding on the bleeding edge of tomorrow.
In this mad rush, we’ve become so compartmentalized, so departmentalized, so “leveraged” that all management sees is what people do and how they do it, rather than why they are doing it!
Today’s organizations are overflowing with invaluable experts in social media and AI stuff telling us how well their solutions will economically and forever enable you to connect, engage with the consumer.
Like wolves, the first thing they do is establish/mark their turf!
Simply stated, The Internet of Choices will kill businesses.
But let’s run the numbers:
- 8.2B+ people on the planet
- 59,000+ firms listed on global stock exchanges
- 360M + companies globally
- 99% of the firms are SMBs (small-medium businesses)
That means there are 56 customers – assuming everyone gets their fair share – they have to identify, reach, interest, focus on satisfying.
How hard can that be?
Obviously, pretty hard.
But it shouldn’t be because a recent CivicScience study found most of us are nearly always connected, can always be reached.
Always Connected – “Normal” people stay connected nearly round-the-clock/calendar but it doesn’t mean they’re waiting to like your marketing messages, retweet your pearls of wisdom, check out your poster ads or even spend a bunch of time with you … except when they’re ready to buy something. Mass social media efforts fall short and so does the compartmentalization of your experts.
Whether it’s an iPod, ereader, laptop, desktop, smartphone, tablet or TV; 70 percent of us are almost always connected, 50 percent of us never unplug and only about 17 percent really take a break.
And even then, it isn’t passive.
Our IP (internet protocol) address, social media pages and the thousands of free/freemium apps we download give companies more personal information/data than they need to produce their sales objectives.
But still … they can’t hit the target.
Should Be Easier – There’s enough information out in the wild and in your customer databases to zero-in on a specific customer’s wants/needs and while we give 1:1 communications lip service, few experts want to bother doing the extra work.
Marketers sorta’ try with behavioral targeting – if someone looks at something but doesn’t buy, show them a relevant ad to give them “another chance.”
If they buy, show them a product that will enhance that experience.
If that doesn’t work analyze what is wrong with the consumer because the problem/shortcoming obviously couldn’t be you, your plan/execution/your product/service.
The problem is, people:
- Don’t buy your product because of your design, your image of what it will do
- Don’t care about your content, your Facebook wall, your Tweets (Xs), your TikToks
- Are making buying decisions for emotional reasons – the why of the company that aligns with their personal why – and use the logical reasons – what it is, how it works, how it will serve them to justify those decisions
Source – McKinsey
Priorities – It’s embarrassingly funny that marketing people weigh the importance and value of consumer contact as more important to the customer than the individual does. But it’s difficult to understand the individual and what he/she expects when you don’t get out and talk with them.
Unfortunately, marketing folks think their engagement efforts are more important than the consumer does.
Just because folks are following your social media stuff doesn’t mean your marketing is successful … you don’t know what you don’t measure.
People are smarter than marketing/communications types give them credit for.
They really think customized and personal means … customized and personal!
As long as the relationship is a true reflection of them, they’ll hang around.
When the messaging becomes focused on you not them…BAM!! outta’ here!
Don’t believe marketing is “disconnected?”
Consider the fact that 49 percent of the guys/gals who hustle this stuff think that ad forwards/shares have something to do with how well they’re engaging with folks.
Consumers?
Oh, about 15 percent think they don’t have any skin in the game when they share an ad.
So much for that happy face on the Tweet/X report you send to your boss.
Your “personalized” contact isn’t personally resonating with the consumer!
Source – McKinsey
Different Views – Social media folks have a drastically different view of the importance, impact of their passing contacts than the consumer has.
All it says is that consumers are people – creatures of habit – and they come back without thinking, but when they do they want/expect something in return.
That’s right, consumers aren’t into all this business AI-enabled social media thing just because it’s in vogue.
They’re there for the stuff.
The challenge (opportunity) for marketing is to pull up your big boy/girl pants and develop an experience that matches their tastes/goals … not yours.
If they’re a hardcore gamer, give ‘em the images, talk to them in their tough-as-nails action language.
If they’re a creative person who produces brilliant video content, then be sophisticated instead of screaming weekend specials.
Since there’s a huge divide between consumers and companies/brands/products/services, marketers wonder why their consumer connection is so fleeting.
Nothing personal, but your engagement efforts aren’t personal.
Different Needs – Consumers are only peripherally aware of company social media and other communications activities until they are interested. Then, they begin their search for the decision-making information they expect to find … quickly, easily. If they can’t find it instantly, they move to a better company, better product.
People on the hunt for a product or service or entertainment break visit your site or stop by your social media efforts for validation.
If you don’t have them, you must have something to hide, don’t know what they want, or you simply don’t give a crap.
That’s difficult to believe when a McKinsey report a few years ago said that the average company had more consumer data in their CRM (customer relations management) database than the Library of Congress.
The places you use – Facebook, Google, Instagram, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter (X) – get it because they have more people in sales than in mining the information they scrape.
These touchy/feely folks know there’s an app/service/tool for that.
They know it’s not about the individual silos of corporate social media, advertising, shows/events, publicity or in fact any of the individual marketing/communications tools.
For them, it’s a totally integrated effort that moves smoothly, seamlessly across every outreach, every contact activity and shares information across all segments of the organization to close the deal.
For your target – the consumer – it’s personal.
The McKinsey report noted that 40 percent of the company execs didn’t have a clue as to who “owned” their digital program(s), their targets or how they were being measured.
There was no accountability.
If that sounds familiar then perhaps the money, time and people could be used more effectively somewhere else in the customer buying process cycle and let the consumer fend for him/herself.
You know, let them sell stuff!
Selling isn’t an entity separate from marketing, social media, communications or other internet tools.
The Internet/web just made it tougher because of the multitude of confusing, conflicting messages consumers receive.
Fast, Continuous – With the volume of information people get barraged with every day, marketing people have to catch the consumer’s attention instantly and in as many different ways as possible to move people to buy and stay connected to the company, the product. The data is out there to be effective; all you have to do is digest it, use it.
We’re now told you have eight seconds to engage, interest the consumer.
“That woman deserves her revenge and … we deserve to die. But then again, so does she. So, I guess we’ll just see.” – Bud, “Kill Bill 2,” Miramax Films
The world is increasingly commoditized with products, services, entertainment content and consumers know how to cut you out and move on faster than you think.
It’s all about their survival … not yours.
Andy Marken – andy@markencom.com – is an author of more than 800 articles on management, marketing, communications, industry trends in media & entertainment, consumer electronics, software and applications. Internationally recognized marketing/communications consultant with a broad range of technical and industry expertise, especially in storage, storage management and film/video production fields. Extended range of relationships with business, industry trade press, online media and industry analysts/consultants.