Transparency in Social Media

Often, with some larger businesses, the marketing department feels the need to make the company look infallible (which obviously isn’t the case, we all make mistakes). They also try to show that someone’s connected, everywhere.

In the social media field this might mean ghost writing blog posts or pretending to be the client on twitter. The truth is that these campaigns often fail, and most social media consults won’t offer a strategy to a client that’s not willing to be proactive.

Social media is not a purely passive marketing scheme, it requires upkeep, the willingness to track reputation, and the effort to continually fix it.

So how can you show honesty in social media campaigns?

I have two examples, the first is Britney spears. Recently, there’s been a lot of hoopla over her creating an account on Twitter. Most Twitter users would think it’s not her on the account; assuming, more than likely it’s a hand holder or marketing intern updating on her behalf.

Britney’s staff thought of a relatively ingenious way to use Twitter, and highlight when it’s Britney and when it isn’t. They end each tweet with “posted by” or “~…” to highlight who left the message. Sometimes you’ll see then posted by Britney, but more often you see members of her staff giving updates to Britney fans on Twitter.

The second example happens to be another celebrity. Lil’ Wayne has started writing blog posts on ESPN, and when I read it I was truly blown away.

It is obviously written by him, and he wrote very eloquently. But because he wrote it, and because it’s clear that he did, Lil’ Wayne has used social media to show another side to him, and probably convinced a new demographic to check out his music.

Social media users are amazingly efficient at sniffing out fakers, and quickly stomping them out. If you’re not willing to become a part of social media, it might be that this new media marketing is not for you.

Do you have any other stories that highlight honesty and transparency in social media marketing?

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John Stauffer October 21, 2008 at 1:05 pm: Hi Samir,

I couldn’t agree more with respect to the need for brands to create an approachable personality, versus the large “infallible” faceless model of communications.

And yes, monitoring, as you suggest, requires a proactive tracking of key issues around a brand, its competitors and industry issues.

Enjoyed the post and thanks for the link.
Samir Balwani October 21, 2008 at 1:09 pm: Thanks for stopping by John., and thank you for the great comment. Too many companies forget the simple idea of empathizing with their customers. If you can’t think like your consumer, how are you going to sell anything to them?
Angela Connor October 21, 2008 at 10:18 pm: Such dishonesty is highly unethical, IMO. And assuming that organizations who do jump into the social media fray, particularly in the micro-blogging sphere are concerned about brand management and their online reputation, any thought or better yet proof of impropriety would be a quick way to sink that reputation they sought to grow.
Samir Balwani October 21, 2008 at 11:02 pm: Thanks Angela for the comment. I agree it doesn’t make sense to risk your reputation by cutting a few corners.