However, some still forget about the ultimate shortcut to engagement and relevance.
Content.
Quality content can be the key that unlocks new doors of opportunity and influence.
Content matters.
Our environment is ripe with information, updates, entertainment, and a variety of media. Emotions lead to a strong desire to express ourselves. Oftentimes, we run to the internet to stake our claim, make our case, or just plain vent without considering the potential outcome of our digital rants.
We tend to forget that the internet is a massive vault in which our ideas, expressions, thoughts, and opinions are easily stored but not easily removed. The tasks involved with erasing a tweet, removing a blog post, or shutting down a website can be numerous and challenging making it important for us as content producers and social media participants to remember what we publish will make its way to the visual aperture of today's audiences. It is almost impossible to avoid the trap of disregard in the online arena.
Before you tweet...blog...or comment...think twice.
Kind of like measuring twice before you cut that last piece of lavish mahogany.
Communication is an integral component of building rewarding relationships. Paul Ford, a Project Manager for Digital Marketing agencies in London, provides us with some keen insight into the communication arena and context of shared meaning.
If communication is to involve shared meaning, five principles must exist to create variables to the context of communication. These are: transaction; interaction; irreversible and unrepeatable; culture-specific; and content and relationships.
Communication is a transactional process: a transaction is a business or activity that is carried through to settlement. It is a continuous process where elements are constantly changing. Sometimes, it can appear to be going around in circles. During conversation, each party requires a response after talking, and the conversation only exists as long as these transactions take place.
Communication is an interactional process: interaction must occur for communication to exist. Interaction can also include no interaction. If the second party does not respond to the first party’s statement, interaction has still taken place. There may be several meanings to this. The second party may not have heard the first party, or the second party may be deliberately not answering. Further transactions are required to establish the meaning of the initial interaction.
Communication is an irreversible and unrepeatable process: every communication is a unique event. It can be repeated later, but not exactly. Some elements will change, possibly voice tone, volume or expression. An actor might repeat the same lines in a play for many years, but some performances will stand out more than others. In that case, the actor’s attitude and mood on any given night can affect the communication. The performance of the other actors will also be an important element that is constantly changing every time the play is performed.
Communication is a culture-specific process: different cultures interpret the same communication message in different ways. In some cultures, it is considered inappropriate to look into someone’s eyes when speaking with them, whereas in other cultures it is considered to be a sign of openness and honesty. A hand gesture that is a sign of approval in one culture, may be an insult in another culture.
Communication is about content and relationships: messages in communication may have multiple meanings. Both the spoken word and the written word can have hidden meanings. This is sometimes referred to as “reading between the lines”. The relationship between the people communicating can alter the shared meaning. The words “I love you” spoken between two lovers has a different meaning than if spoken between a parent and a child.
Source: http://paulford.com/shared-meaning-and-the-communication-process/
Brands and individuals alike are participating in social media in an effort to foster engagement and build influence. The power of social media is a unique study. However, the process and dynamics involved with using new media effectively can indeed be challenging. One of the biggest factors affecting an organization's social media success is the value they place on their consumers and overall target audience. Are your followers simply game for relentless and pointless advertising or are they actually a worthwile audience through which you can build a mutually rewarding community?
Ron Artest of the Los Angeles Lakers places a huge value on his audience. He recognizes the interest that his fans put into his game and the team he plays on. Need proof?
How about $18,000 dollars worth of proof?
Number 37 of the Los Angeles Lakers recently rewarded one of his twitter fans with courtside seats to game one of the 2010 N.B.A. Finals. Talk about audience engagement!
When asked about why he gave away the tickets, Ron responded:
"...I though the fans deserved to sit courtside."
Where do your fans deserve to sit?
Social media has become the focus of many individuals, organizations, and brands looking to connect with today’s online audiences. Success stories motivate key decision makers to participate and explore their own social media plan of attack.
However, questions are bound to arise as to how to approach this new medium and arena of social interaction and engagement.
Brian Solis offers some good perspective on the key responsibilities associated with managing social media:
“Once we let go of the rope in this veritable tug of war of who owns social media and realize that no one necessarily owns this diverse medium, we can then concentrate our efforts on shaping the perception of our brand and contribute to its sense of value and purpose within the influential communities that define our markets.
Social Media, at the very least, galvanizes the socialization of businesses, down to departmental and individual roles. Service, marketing, PR, HR, sales, finance, product, will maintain a social presence as dictated and demanded by their communities, thus evoking the movement from social CRM (sCRM) to SRM.“
Social relationship management is a responsibility of every extension of your organization.
Right now individuals are sending out a tremendous amount of updates to their various social outposts such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so forth. Blogs are being written and the comments are adding up. The vast amount of content available online makes for an interesting journey in exploration, accumulation, and separation.
The value of the internet lies in the ability to identify and aggregate worthwile information. Twitter deserves a mention here due in large part to its success as a stream of information and updates on things happening now. The microblogging site has opened up the floodgates of content. However, with this stream of constant information comes a huge responsibility and time consuming task of screening out the noise.
How do we do this?
By focusing on being a leader as opposed to a follower. Think too many re-tweets. Sometimes its easier to hit re-tweet or browse today's top news as opposed to actually taking the time to add value to the conversations taking place.
The number of actual creators versus consumers of content is eye opening. Take for instance, the number of active users on Twitter. Only 21% of users are active on the microblog platform. This tells me that maybe Twitter isn't the true conversational tool that we make it out to be.
Is it time to participate and add value?
Sure looks like it.
