November 16, 2007 | Friday
Search and social media for successful sponges
By Jackie Danicki - Blogger in Marketing |Online Sales |Search Engines
On the back of my blog post last week, and following the various discussions of the matter at the Latitude Client Summit, I thought John Battelle’s timing impeccable in raising the issue of search and branding.
What does that have to do with sponges? Read on.
First, Battelle neatly summarises the history of online advertising, which he divides into three major eras:
The first era - 1995-2000 - was dominated by brand advertising, in particular, crappy brand advertising that, for the most part, didn’t work very well for any number of reasons. The second era was dominated by direct response advertising - the rise of search and the yellow pages model. The third era - the era we are in right now - marks the reconciliation of these two forms. If you look at the percentage of online spend presently represented by search, you can see what I am talking about: Search is the largest single factor, at 40%, followed by display + rich media, at about 30%, and classified at 18% or so.
According to Battelle, marketers are increasingly conscious of the need to integrate what he calls “demand creation” (branding) with “demand fulfillment” (search). A very interesting debate could - and should - be had about whether branding actually creates demand and, if it does, what we mean by branding. But for the sake of this post, let’s accept the common usage of the term and Battelle’s language.
He runs a search on Google for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and notes just how much of the results are “conversational media” (one of Battelle’s recent buzzphrases) - that is, sites like blogs, Wikipedia, and forums which are not under the direct control of the marketer. Battelle thinks that this is a big opportunity for search engines and social networks alike to “create a fully [realised] ecosystem”.
Perhaps. But the larger point, which Battelle neglects to make, is that the big picture opportunity is one that reaches far beyond the marketing department.
I have had many conversations with marketers and CEOs alike who unashamedly tell me that their main goal when it comes to social media is to shut down sites which have negative things to say about their brand. Are these bad mentions deserved? Sometimes, yes; sometimes, no. In both cases, a far easier win would be to enter into a real, human conversation if at all possible (and it often is).
The feedback, if valid, could be integrated into product development and help produce a better, more profitable offering. Start-ups aren’t the only companies which need to be sponges. Dave Winer, the blogger who pioneered podcasting and RSS, says:
You’ll never make your product better if you shut out all criticism. You have to iterate to hit the sweet spot...I don’t often say people are wrong, I’d rather say products are flawed, or companies make mistakes. But companies that try to shut down critics, with personal attacks, are wrong. Startups that do it are worse than wrong, they’re doomed.
If the criticisms are not valid, but are reasonably presented, a dignified conversation that makes the brand glow could go a long way toward combating online image problems. Many times, it is not necessary for the company itself to get involved, as most brands which are even halfway decent have more than their fair share of evangelists and defenders online. An argument in support of your company which comes from a customer is incredibly strong...but don’t even think about astroturfing!
Sometimes, such musings are clearly the blatherings of a crank, in which case the best option is usually to let the crazy speak for itself, but do not stick your hand in the crazy. (The maxim Never argue with an idiot, they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience springs to mind.)
Every situation is different, and deserves careful consideration. While Battelle may be on to something with his proposals for how this ‘ecosystem’ might evolve - I await his detailed follow-up with great anticipation - the truly immense implications for how companies converse with customers online is the more relevant and interesting angle.
Taking communications out of the marketing and PR silo and engaging the entire enterprise in conversation is what companies which enjoy longterm success know how to do. Whether yours can make that transition will have less to do with Facebook or Yahoo and more to do with the confidence of having a stellar offering and a holistic approach to marketing and communications.
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