Are you a social media tease?
While at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum I attended Sandy Carter’s packed session on Marketing 2.0: Integrating Social Media into Your Marketing Mix. This session was an in-depth look into how IBM integrated social media into their traditional marketing mix/plan to engage with an active online SOA (Software Oriented Architecture) community. For this particular case study, we learned that Sandy and her team used social media to continue building the community, get feedback on their sMash beta, share information on an event and for lead generation.
One of the really interesting aspects that Sandy talked about is how they engaged the community for their sMash software. IBM reached out to the online community to get software requirements for developing the software, test the software, provided feedback, re-test and even for the product name.
Sandy shared a story that at one event the 13 sMash developers were asked to stand up for a round of applause and over 1,000 people in the audience stood up! Truly amazing!
From a B2B perspective hearing a case study like this is truly inspiring to say the least. Having been a technology marketer for 15 years, I’ve always tapped into customers for alpha and beta testing, but in a more traditional manner (usually a phone call and meeting).
Based on my experience, I’d like to warn marketers out there that tapping into social customers is a lot different than offline customers. Why?
Well, let’s think about this from a dating perspective…
Remember when you were in high school and you really dug a girl/guy and all your friends knew about it? Then that one special day said girl/guy comes up and flirts with you, your friends see it and you all think “Wow! See that he/she is interested…when’s the first date?”
But in reality, they aren’t really interested in you, who you are, or what you have to say nor do they have plans to ask you out on a date. When you realize that there’s a feeling of embarrassment, anger, mistrust, humiliation, etc.
The social web works in the same way in some aspects. When people (customers in this aspect) are used to being heard, sharing their thoughts, getting respect and feedback from others in the community…they don’t like to be played.
If you are a B2B business considering tapping into an established online network of customers, you really need to be sure that you have the internal mechanisms to implement what the community shares or wants. Because if you pick and choose or just ‘flirt’ to look good, you can cause more damage in the long run.
IBM was successful tapping into the community because they were willing to listen, incorporate the feedback (many, many times!), have the internal mechanisms and buy-in, and let the community build sMash. They didn’t say well, we’ll listen only to these 5 people because their suggestions are convenient and already fit into our already established software requirements and release roadmap and we’ll ignore the rest until “we’re” ready.
While this is an example social media being used for software development, I think my analogy lends itself to any social media campaigns.
So, are you a tease or planning on being one?
[Image:iStock]
Tags: B2B social media, business-to-business social media, IBM, Marketing 2.0, MarketingProfs, Sandy Carter, social media
11 Responses to “Are you a social media tease?”
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Awesome take Beth. I was in Sandy’s lecture as well and really enjoyed her case studies (I did not enjoy having to grab additional chairs though).
You can’t screw with people and play with their emotions…not only is it wrong, it sets you up to fail as well. Building false expectations can do nothing but damage your reputation.
Stuart Foster’s last blog post..Niching Yourself Into a Corner
Beth, found this post from Mack Collier’s RT. This is great advice for not only for social media but any engagement with customers. I facilitated a very sensitive 2-day feedback session for a large tech company with 5 of their top customers. The key to successfully engaging these customers to give detailed feedback and *remain* engaged over the long run (despite critical issues) was listening well in the moment, establishing a way to keep them engaged in giving feedback as solutions are generated and then going off and *delivering* on those promises. Next session is coming up in a few months. I’m curious to see whether the tech company has followed through–it will surely make or break relationships with those customers.
Jane Cavanaugh’s last blog post..Key to Efficient Consensus Decision-Making For Community or Business
Great post Beth – putting it in my link it rather than rewrite it folder.
Somewhere between mere acknowledgment and complete control, there’s a happy medium called “input that can or will be implemented.” Companies need to strive to find that sweetspot.
Lucretia Pruitt’s last blog post..Why Mom Bloggers Aren’t Flipping for Just a Sample of Your Product
This is awesome! Beth, did she discuss any internal social media efforts by B2B companies as they prepared to dive into the larger social media world?
Deb Robison’s last blog post..Say you love me? Put your kidney where your mouth is.
I have to agree with you.
I am a member of an online paid community. The members have felt wronged for years. They don’t get what they paid for or any communication either.
I think the community could have been a success if the organization had listened. The community would have grown and it would have been a great place had their been someone to do the listening.
So I agree you need to know who your audience is and what they want and need. If you have the resources things can grow and good vibes can be shared all around.
Jamie Favreau’s last blog post..NHL, NBC and the FINALS
@StuartFoster, it was so great to finally meet you! Thank you for all your wonderful comments and chats…you keep me on my feet!
@JaneCavanaugh, thanks for another real world example of why it’s just so important to listen to everything…even if it’s not what you want to hear or implement. Delivery is the promise that customers want to see.
@LucretiaPruitt, maybe that sweetspot is not using Twitter to crowdsource a new product/service or revisions to a product/service. Maybe the key is to use smaller social media tactics (I am thinking a closed forum or community). Thanks for making me think some more on this one!
@DebRobison, yes, in fact she did. Sandy discussed IBM’s social media council, which is a think tank of IBM employees across disciplines such as country marketing teams, product development, brand management, marketing segments, etc.
@JamieFavreau, ouch! That’s probably the worst example…and it’s time to stop paying.
I have felt that way with certain industry associations. They promise a lot and then they don’t deliver…even after doing survey’s of their members. I just don’t get it. BTW, thank you for all your comments here on my blog, I really do appreciate them!
Beth,
Excellent post that describes the key to a successful Inbound Marketing process–”how IBM integrated social media into their traditional marketing mix/plan to engage with an active online SOA (Software Oriented Architecture) community.”
Lewis Green’s last blog post..Just Because You are Hiding Doesn’t Mean You are Safe.
Beth, agree with your on the need for being transparent and sincere with your outreach efforts and having the bandwidth to implement the feedback you receive.
What Sandy’s example illustrated was the Social Media engagement that Project Zero was able to create among future sMash users who happened to be very technically savvy and very enthusiastic about the product. Hoping to find examples of the same or similar level of engagement from audiences that are less technically savvy and less enthusiastic to get involved and help the brand. In that respect Sandy’s example reminds me of B2C buyers who are much more willing to become engaged helping their favorite brand. How can we create a successful product development Social Media outreach to get past the indifference of many of our B2B product users?
[...] Are you a social media tease? http://www.theharteofmarketing.com/2009/06/are-you-a-social-media-tease.html – view page – cached Beth Harte, Harte Marketing and Communications, discusses how ‘flirting’ with customers on line might end in a disaterous business affair. — From the page [...]