Embrace social media messages as viral marketing platform

Drip, drip, drip. One comment on a blog post. One retweet of a point of view. One new Facebook friend. You might not even realize while it is happening but over time an audience is developing that is genuinely interested in what you have to say and gives you permission to share it. Individuals are learning how to share their stories and gaining confidence by participating actively in social networks. Personal networks are the new marketing channels and marketing has become the art of dribs and drabs. The problem is that most organizations haven’t figured it out. 

The marketing model of deploying large internal teams of marketing specialists supported by even larger advertising and public relations firms is dead. It is exciting to be a participant in the seismic shift away from the old models of mass marketing and communication. The days of the big campaign developed behind closed doors followed by a grand unveiling composed of orchestrated media placements and road-show whistle-stops are behind us. 

Now the message is developed and honed daily. You don’t need an army of specialists to tell you what the message is. You just need to put your genuine ideas out in public every day so a community of interest can provide immediate feedback. They can help you improve and share your ideas with their networks. Being genuine is valued above all else. No need to assign the task of sharing your idea or message through a third party. Share them yourself.

This shift must be driving traditional marketing types and communications firms crazy. The industry was built on a foundation of “controlling the message” and a secret sauce that only the experts possessed to unlock access to big media outlets. Imagine the horror when huge campaigns are ripped apart within 24 hours of release by the viral masses or when an undiscovered talent like Susan Boyle can become an overnight global sensation.

Dribs and drabs sound inefficient and even dangerous to someone who grew up in an industrial era when marketing was about controlling the message, leveraging marketing experts, and using mass-media channels to reach a target market segment. Marketing and communications was a protected function. God forbid anyone outside of the chosen functions should speak on behalf of or about the company. Social media has blown up traditional marketing, and most organizations I interact with are struggling with how to manage the new world where individuals are empowered communicators.

Communication is personal, and everyone has a role to play. The world of personal and organizational communication is merging whether we want it to or not. I have talked to many active participants on social media platforms who are constrained or even blocked from communicating while at work or about work after hours. This is silly. Organizations are missing an amazing opportunity to virally share their stories and to tap into the networks of all stakeholders. Organizations need to trust employees, contractors, suppliers and customers to build and strengthen they networks of supporters and fans that are the most important marketing asset today. 

Organizations should be turning all stakeholders into active storytellers and passionate supporters. Accentuate and build on the positive. Forget trying to hide the negative; respond, learn and improve from it. It is impossible to control communications about your organization. Everyone should be encouraged to communicate openly, and large marketing departments should be replaced with listening departments to learn from what is being shared. 

The learning curve to go from industrial-era mass marketing to personalized social-media marketing is steep but rewarding. The most important rule is that everyone gets to play. I mean everyone. Celebrate the dribs and drabs.