Social Media - Strategy or Tactic?

Is Social Networking Media a Strategy or a Tactic? Can you build a house with only a hammer?

The true strategy really is engaging a customer (in the sense of business) or reader (in the sense of the public) in a many-to-many dialog invoking an emotional connection to a brand or topic. The ultimate goal of this strategy is brand or topic advocacy. Social or Alternative Marketing is simply the vehicle by which the conversation takes place.

Many have asked, what is your "twitter strategy"? I quickly redirect the conversation to say "what is our customer engagement strategy?" Twitter is a tactic. Companies who deploy a presence on Twitter or any other Social Networking Media without a clear understanding of the strategy behind it, risk losing credibility and trust from those they are so eager to gain.

A recent example of this misguided phenomenon took place in the 90's when so many companies demanded that their marketing teams "get them on the Internet". Many websites were launched simply to "get them on the Internet". When executives of these companies were asked, "why" the most common answer given was, "because our competition is there". Asked, what is your strategy for your website, the answer "to be there". It wasn't until the late 90's when companies like Amazon.com proved that a commerce model was sustainable on the Internet that companies began to view the Internet and their website as a channel for commerce.

This same question about the relevance of Social Networking Media and Twitter should be asked of corporate executives today. Why are you on Twitter (or any other Social Networking Media)? What is the strategy behind your presence? What is the goal of being on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace and how will you know that you are successful? Can you draw a straight line between your presence in a Social Networking platform and your corporate vision or mission? If a company cannot answer these basic questions, then they are engaged in tactics and not using these tools as a means to achieving a strategy.

Before we get too comfortable with being present in Web 2.0, let us not forget that our customers and the public will drive us to the next chapter, Web 3.0. I will leave you with your own definition of Web 3.0 but will serve to offer my opinions in my next post. Until then, take care and look for the Denver Business Journal article the first week in October. Let me know what you think.