Collected for posterity and comment, here are a few of the notable topics discussed during day one of the Social Media World Forum 2012. While I believe I have captured the sentiment of the speakers (and the topics they discussed) I do not presume to quote anyone directly.
Don’t think about departments
Social media crosses boundaries. Businesses that integrate social media and stop thinking in terms of Sales vs. Marketing vs. PR will come out on top, business that don’t won’t. Users see a single brand, they don’t care that Sales are separate from PR, they just want a consistent, joined-up experience.
From Chris Brogan (President, Human Business Works) during his keynote address: Cultivating Visibility & Google+ for Business.
Forget about fragmentation
If you’re a global brand then you will inevitably have some level of fragmentation in your social media presence(s). Try to govern and introduce a consist brand ethos, but don’t worry about it too much – by the time you put a process in place everything will have changed.
From Benjamin Ellis (prolific blogger, author, and speaker) during keynote panel: The Evolution of the Conversation.
Tell a story
The key skill you need to learn is story telling. Find your brand’s voice and the stories it can tell (they do exist). These stories are your creative content, and content is still king.
During keynote panel: The Evolution of the Conversation.
Define real objectives
Likes, interactions, ‘engagement’ metrics – all of these are abstract metrics and don’t tell you how all that effort you put in is actually performing. Figure out what you actually want users to do, find a way to measure it, and report that. Use engagement metrics, but only as middlemen to something you really care about.
From Allister Frost (Head of Digital Marketing Strategy, Microsoft) during panel: Social Media Engagement Measurement and Metrics.
It takes people, good people
You can deploy all the tools but without good people you’re going nowhere. Find generalists who specialise, you need people who can do a little of everything but are experts in their field – be it moderation, metrics, outreach, etc.
From Cathy Ma (Head of Social Media, IPC Media) during her case study: IPC Media – A Step-by-Step Guide on Setting Social Strategy & Measuring Success.
Qualitative data
There is a ton of numbers you can gather and report, but these can be confusing than they are useful. Get qualitative data as well. Talk to your consumers and get their input, then use this to feed back into all areas of your business. Improve customer care, product development, marketing campaigns, everything, based on the feedback you get.
From Henry Juszkiewicz (Chairman and CEO, Gibson Guitar Corporation) during panel: Monitoring and Measuring Social Media. Agreed upon by the panel: Managing Your Company’s Online Reputation via Social Media.
Be prepared, don’t wait for the storm
Brands need to be ‘match fit’. Don’t wait for a PR storm to come along to force you to engage; “you can’t learn social media when the building is on fire”. Build relationships and be prepared, it’s amazing how much people will forgive if you’ve already built trust with them.
From David Bailey (Neighbourhood Communications Manager, Staffordshire Police) and Colin Smith (Director of Marketing Solutions UK, LinkedIn) during panel: Managing Your Company’s Online Reputation via Social Media.
Do, or do not, there is no try
If you’re going to do social media then you need to jump in and do it properly, half-measures simply aren’t going to work. “You can’t do a bit of social media, it’s like being a bit pregnant”.
From Mark Squires (Head of Communications for Western Europe, Nokia) during panel: The Changing Role of PR in the Social Media Environment.
We were still going from the tasting whiskies earlier but a night-cap was needed before the morning’s long train ride home. A Talisker 10 year was the choice: a simply, smokey, whisky but with a clean palette as well.
