Though it may seem like social media has been around for ages, the reality is that it hasn't even hit puberty yet - let alone the ability to grow a sustainable moustache. To put things into perspective; MySpace launched in 2003, Facebook in 2004, Twitter in 2006 and Pinterest in 2010.
Combined, these websites have billions of users and a major influence across most traditional media outlets, and as a result, the days of the 6 o’clock news being the first to break a story are long gone.
At Climax Media, we’ve spent the last couple of years sinking our fangs into the social media landscape. Having recently hit 10,000 followers on Twitter (which isn’t very common for a local web development company) we’ve decided it’s time to step back and analyze exactly what it is we’re doing – and more importantly – what are the results we’re striving towards?
Social leadership versus social popularity
Laura Perez, buzz builder at Likeable Media, recently published an article that effectively addresses the topic of being a leader in the social space.
“In social media the common mistake is confusing leadership for popularity,” she wrote. “The truth is, being popular on Facebook or Twitter doesn’t necessarily make you a good leader.”
Is the goal to find the ultimate balance between popularity and leadership? Or is popularity a bi-product of thought leadership?
Returning the investment in social media
Being a high-end web development agency that deals primarily in enterprise B2B solutions, we’ve always been challenged to identify genuine ROI in our daily social media activities.
Our contacts are typically managers and decision makers that run fortune 500 corporations, and though some of them have Twitter and Facebook accounts, making the connection from a lead generation/marketing perspective isn’t exactly straightforward when it comes to social.
Should B2B companies be focusing on deploying social media internally to improve process? Is that where social ROI becomes a reality?
Stacy Carter, VP of social business sales at IBM, seems to think so. “Realizing a meaningful ROI depends on how you deploy social,” said Carter on Forbes.com. “The key to remember is that you will not see results out of the box.”
Staying relevant in the social space
Much like the “15 minutes of fame” concept, a social media star can lose popularity just as quickly as it was gained. And the theory of “any press is good press” doesn’t necessarily apply in the corporate realm. A single bad experience can lead to months of doubt and uncertainty, from clients to shareholders, and ultimately have an effect on the proverbial bottom line.
I think part of the relevancy equation points directly back to being a social leader. The more you push for innovation as a company, the more people will watch and listen, which in turn amps up your status as an industry thought leader – ultimately creating a legacy for years to come.
Be the first to break new information. Be passionate about your industry. Be a contributing member in your community. Is that all it takes to be relevant?
Be the one who asks questions and you‘ll surely find out.
Image courtesy of JD Hancock