It’s a hot topic, and it’s unlikely to cool off any time soon. Web 2.0 was all the rage throughout 2009, and this year isn’t proving any different. As Yousef Tuqan Tuqan, CEO of Dubai digital agency Flip Media, says every once in a while a buzz word does the rounds of the communications industry, and this time it’s “social media.” But he warns that tuning in too quickly can be dangerous. “Marketing managers jump on bandwagons without thinking through the fundamentals of what they’re doing,” says Tuqan. “Many people will come to us and say they want to use social media, but they don’t even have a Web site up. The thing with social media is that it’s not just as simple as setting up a Twitter or Facebook page; it’s not new media that’s required, it’s new thinking that’s required.”
The new thinking fundamental is understanding that social media is a two-way conversation between brands and consumers. “Companies have to find an effective way to manage that,” explains Tuqan.
Meredith Carson, head of digital at Action PR, a Dubai-based public relations agency, says that it is equally important to respect social media for what it is. “It’s not for brands, it’s for people to interact,” she explains. “Brands need to be sociable online and respectful of the online community. While it’s fair to argue that ‘it’s just another marketing channel,’ it’s one with evolving and often fickle etiquette.”
Carson says brands are used to one-way communication via advertising, and that direct conversation with the public can present a challenge. “It requires organizations to take a fresh approach to public interaction, especially when it comes to defining spokespeople,” explains Carson.
Once brands have overcome the novelty of social media, the next challenge is opening up, says Tuqan. “The region is not very prone to open dialogue,” he explains. “Brands don’t like to laugh at themselves, and they don’t like to say ‘I’m sorry.’ But in order to be successful, social media needs to be sincere. You can set up a Twitter account, but are you prepared to hear what consumers have to say, even if it’s not positive?”
Context, timing, and tonality are of prime importance, and are essential to communication online, says Carson. “Organizations that don’t appreciate this and talk at online communities with no prior insight get gobbled up for breakfast,” she warns. “Shouting key messages and promotions at people also tends to backfire badly.”
With social media channels easily accessible to anyone, Tuqan says no one is sure who is in charge of employing the medium for marketing purposes. “Advertising agencies will say, ‘We’re creative, we should do it,’ media buyers will say they know how to reach audiences, and PR agencies will stand up and say, ‘we’ve been managing your stakeholders through all kinds of channels, so we’re best suited to manage this,’” says Tuqan, who says PR agencies are often right.
Whoever is in charge of managing social media, though, had better be prepared to keep up their side of an intelligent conversation, or watch their consumers start talking to someone else.
