Is it time to reassess the use of the term ‘social’ in social media? Quite possibly, especially when you consider how decisions currently are made. In the contemporary climate, both consumers and business people increasingly rely on information provided by others. The purpose of the information, of course, is to facilitate more effective decision-making. That’s a definite social interaction. Yet nobody has ever coined the term ‘social info sharing’.
The reality is that all media which shares information and invites a response is in effect social. Ironically, the vast majority of marketers claim to be utilizing social media to enhance their efforts. But a staggering 65% – 95% of service requests via sites such as Facebook and Twitter fail to get responses from these same marketers. That, my friends, is not particularly sociable. Nor is it business-smart.
Turning a deaf ear to consumers obviously isn’t the way to go, at least not if you have intentions of thriving in a competitive marketplace. Designing an effective response mechanism is the only way to give your brand a fighting chance in the contemporary environment.
The key to all this is adopting an entirely new perspective. Remember, for about three-quarters of a century, marketers owned all media channels through the power of advertising. But thanks to the Web, ownership has shifted. Consumers now own a hefty slice of media territory. All of which means marketers are well-advised to listen and respond to the needs of these new media landlords.
This brings me back to my original question – does the term ‘social’ really belong in social media? Perhaps it makes more sense simply to cut the term completely out of the picture. The reality is that everyone is connected. As a result, marketers no longer can expect success simply by intruding their messages on masses of consumers. The only way to connect with these new media owners is to connect with them in a meaningful way. In other words, to truly socialize.