Good post Jen, I agree 100 percent. I have been saying since I got back into tech PR two years ago that strategy trumps tactics. I recently wrote in a blog post of my own:
"After your company knows what it is, what it offers and where it resides, then it is time to integrate the exciting world of social media into your overall marketing strategy, a strategy which should include both digital and traditional communications. Your company wouldn?t go after the New York Time?s two million subscribers without a strategy in place ? don?t go after the millions using social media platforms without one either. (http://www.securityheavy.com/2009/06/if-you%e2%80%99re-not-positioning-yourself-among-the-social-media-masses-then-who-is/)
-Joe
Social Business
Jennifer LeggioI don't care if your company is on Twitter
Summary
Look at the companies that you might admire in terms of their social presence. Then strip Twitter away. That’s when you really see who is social and who just jumped on a trend.
Topics
Blogger Info
Jennifer Leggio
Biography
Jennifer Leggio
Jennifer Leggio (@mediaphyter) has been a communications professional for more than 15 years, focusing primarily on enterprise technology and security. She is currently the director of strategic communications for a leading network security vendor. Jennifer is also passionate about all things social media, especially enterprise, security, privacy and reputation issues, which is why she writes about these things for ZDNet.
A well-connected communicator, Jennifer has led or supported interactive social networking efforts for security industry conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat USA and SOURCE Conference, and founded the Security Twits, a community for network security professionals. She also helps run communications for the Security Bloggers Network.
Finally, Jennifer co-hosts the Quick'n'Dirty social media podcast with Aaron Strout, is a founding member of Technically Women, a communal blog project, and manages marketing and public relations for Silicon Valley Tweet-Up, a networking group that raises money for family-oriented charities. Jennifer was profiled in Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal's "40 Under 40" edition, as a rising star for 2009.
I remember early 2008 just like it was yesterday. Twitter had become the social media standard among most early technology adopters yet the mainstream world was still slightly out of reach for the social network. We got excited whenever something new would happen on Twitter. Blog posts would pop up celebrating companies for “tweeting” or for using Twitter to deal with customer service issues. It was so new and shiny. I was definitely among the bloggers who got excited about every little move on Twitter.
These days I’m looking for a little bit more. I’m looking for depth. I’m looking for substance. I realize that a lot of companies are just now starting to get onto Twitter and that’s a big deal… for them. But several have already laid the groundwork so much that analytics tools are abundant, integration is on the horizon, and if social media has taught us anything it’s that Twitter is not the end all, be all of social strategies. It’s not even a strategy.
I find my eyes starting to glaze over whenever a company or public relations agency emails and says “Hey, X is on Twitter, do you want to talk to our C-level executive about how this impacts our business?” My response is usually silence, but I’m sometimes tempted to say, “Really? Your CEO wants to talk to me about Twitter? Can I talk to him about his overall marketing strategy instead?”
I want to be sensitive to the latecomers. But even the earlier companies who were first to join the Twitter ranks aren’t doing much other than that. These companies are not all innovators. Some of them are still merely using Twitter and aren’t doing much to manage it or grow the brand or presence. Some haven’t figured out that if Twitter were to magically go away (or become less reliable due to spam, which is more likely) then the bottom falls out of their so-called social media strategy. The social Web is much larger than Twitter and while it’s well and good if you’re using it, don’t expect anyone who knows better to jump up and down about it anymore.
Look at the companies that you might admire in terms of their social presence. Then strip Twitter away. What’s left? That’s when you really see who is social and who just jumped on a trend.
Jennifer Leggio, aka "Mediaphyter," writes about the "social business" side of social media - including enterprise, security and reputation issues.
Disclosure
Jennifer Leggio
Jennifer is employed full-time with Fortinet, a leading network security appliance vendor. She is also actively involved in the network security community and works with the Security Bloggers Network. She co-manages the annual Security Bloggers Meet-UP at RSA Conference.
Jennifer is also involved with Silicon Valley Tweet-Up, a philanthropic networking event that brings people together to raise money for local family-oriented charities.
The blog posts here are solely her opinion and do not represent her employer or any other organization with which she may be affiliated.
Biography
Jennifer Leggio
Jennifer Leggio (@mediaphyter) has been a communications professional for more than 15 years, focusing primarily on enterprise technology and security. She is currently the director of strategic communications for a leading network security vendor. Jennifer is also passionate about all things social media, especially enterprise, security, privacy and reputation issues, which is why she writes about these things for ZDNet.
A well-connected communicator, Jennifer has led or supported interactive social networking efforts for security industry conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat USA and SOURCE Conference, and founded the Security Twits, a community for network security professionals. She also helps run communications for the Security Bloggers Network.
Finally, Jennifer co-hosts the Quick'n'Dirty social media podcast with Aaron Strout, is a founding member of Technically Women, a communal blog project, and manages marketing and public relations for Silicon Valley Tweet-Up, a networking group that raises money for family-oriented charities. Jennifer was profiled in Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal's "40 Under 40" edition, as a rising star for 2009.
More from “Social Business”
Related Discussions on TechRepublic
Did you know you can take part in these discussions with your ZDNet membership?Talkback Most Recent of 33 Talkback(s)
-
joe@...09/26/2009 06:39 PM -
ZDNet Blogger
Another great post
Nice post, Joe. I definitely agree with you. That's not to say that tactics are not important; they are. But if you're going to show me a tactic, then you need to show me results from that tactic. Not just "we got our name out there and talked to customers!" I think over time as Twitter starts to become more integrated into the social fabric and isn't such a darling, more people will come to understand this.
Jennifer Leggio09/26/2009 07:25 PM -
RE: I don't care if your company is on Twitter
We must have having the same WTF frustrations this morning. I wrote about the social media strategy fallacy I see when people want to talk about social media in a vacuum. Love how you want to hear about overall marketing strategy, I feel it should be driven by business strategy. Either way, a higher purpose should be driving this activity.
Post is here: http://mattceni.com/2009/09/26/the-social-media-strategy-fallacy/
mattceni09/26/2009 07:16 PM -
ZDNet Blogger
Great post
Matt, that's a great post. I completely agree with you. It started for me when I was digging through my weekly pitches and I was shocked at how many companies wanted me to cover them as an innovator simply because they are using Twitter. I started to compose an email to a friend ranting about it, then thought, "Crap, I'll just blog it!" hehe. With hope, over time, these rants will do more than serve a cathartic purpose and help people understand that they need to look at the big picture. Maybe they've decided that Twitter is the only real social element they need, but they need to realize it's a bottom rung tactic these days.Jennifer Leggio09/26/2009 07:23 PM -
RE: I don't care if your company is on Twitter
I observed twitdom from a far and finally dove in 2 weeks
ago. Already I'm wondering where's the "depth?" When
they start spamming their "tweeters" with ad-spam to pay
back T. Rowe Price, I'm gone... probably before then.
That said, glad I found you Ms. Leggio... at least you
haven't drank the kool-aid.
http://twitter.com/tehuff
tehuff09/26/2009 09:26 PM -
ZDNet Blogger
There is depth
There's a lot of great conversation on Twitter, and you can find some great people with depth. I think that for newer users it's harder to find, since everything now is about flash and marketing and celebrity. Hang in there with it. If you ever have questions let me know.
And thanks.
Jennifer Leggio09/26/2009 10:15 PM -
DEPTH
... hey, thanks!
I'm curious, do you remember The Well back in it's
hay-day... let's say mid-90s? That's my point of
reference.tehuff09/28/2009 10:59 AM -
RE: I don't care if your company is on Twitter
"These days I?m looking for a little bit more. I?m looking for depth."
Its a bit like saying that you are looking for a bit more from a cell phone. In the final analysis its just a tool. Twitter may not have 'revolutionized' business but it has certainly changed the way people interact and made a lot more businesses more transparent.
@mysocialmix
My Social Mix09/27/2009 08:34 PM -
Jennifer Leggio09/28/2009 09:53 AM
-
Agree as usual
I agree as usual. I have been noticing more individuals recently trying to grab at any social media and say 'strategy'. It would be similar to giving three fighter aircraft to Iowa and ask them to conduct a war overseas. I do like your use of the "where's the beef" photo
@johnpruitt
John Pruitt09/27/2009 10:34 PM -
Jennifer Leggio09/28/2009 09:54 AM
-
RE: I don't care if your company is on Twitter
I couldn't care less if the company is on twitter,facebook or any of that junk
derf
sderf@...09/28/2009 07:19 AM -
I think the same.
I think it will depend in the service of the company.
magallanes09/28/2009 08:31 AM -
Barely amusing...
People learn and accept things at different rates. And, not every tool is suitable for every job.
For people trying to figure out how to use social media, Twitter provides a great beginning. Maybe they will figure that out and grow into more, maybe not. I won't fault them for trying. In fact, I encourage them. As they become more familiar with the medium, they will grow in their understanding of how to use it better.
The tendency of early adopters and those who helped write the curriculum is to not understand that late adopters merely started later. They'll get there. Blasting them for not knowing everything at the outset is a foolish disservice.
Deacon336(Edited: 09/28/2009 07:46 AM) -
ZDNet Blogger
You missed the point
It's not about blasting them for getting there later. If you read, I put the onus on some of the early adopters for being first but then doing nothing with it. The issue is realizing that Twitter is part of a program, not the program itself in most cases.Jennifer Leggio09/28/2009 09:55 AM
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