Important Steps in Building Authentic Social Media Print E-mail
Important Steps in Building Authentic Social Media
by Graeme Newell
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Great social media is all about finding community passion then facilitating that tribe to discuss, share and support one another.  However, when looking for social media content, most companies rarely look beyond their own self interest. A few enthusiasts may be wild about their products, but lighting the fires of social buzz requires a transcendent topic that can instill passion in a large number of people.

Successful companies should begin their social media efforts with a careful inventory of the values that drive their business. They can then build a social media presence based on those values and let their own product agenda mesh seamlessly with this higher good.

Success Case Studies

Citrix Online is the company behind the popular remote meeting software GoToMeeting.  Sure, Citrix is firmly committed to online meetings, but it was smart enough to realize that was an internal priority that would not spark a passion of the community. The company took a hard look at its core values.  A deep soul searching revealed its passion is about empowering people to communicate and live their dreams, without being constrained by location.

The company created the Workshifting community, dedicated to inspiring the growing ranks of telecommutors.  GoToMeeting advertisements are strategically placed throughout this site, but the company is careful not to let its own selling priorities interfere with the community focus. This is a website with a higher purpose than selling.  This site is focused on the issues that are important to this burgeoning community - success, better productivity, family support, even the loneliness that comes from a lack of daily interaction with coworkers.  Citrix embraces the role of facilitator, not owner or advertiser.  It provides a blank canvas and the community creates the masterpiece.

The Kodak photo blog does not try to sell cameras.  It is dedicated to creativity and personal expression through the passion of pictures.  It gives their audience a creative voice and asks this community to "share your stories about imaging and its power to influence our world."

Humana Healthcare analyzed the core values of its business and created the Freewheelin' bicycle sharing program.  Bicycles have little to do with healthcare, but Humana's core mission is to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.  This blog and community program allows members to rent low-cost bikes right in the heart of urban centers.  The appeal is not based on the threatening and controversial topic of health insurance, but on vigor, reducing the carbon footprint, and building community around healthy living.

Authenticity is key.  Without this genuineness, the community will never reach the critical mass to make the site successful.  Most companies do not have enough staff to build all the content on these sites.  Great empowered sites will loosen their grip on the content agenda, letting the community become the masters.  Then, these driven fans provide most of the content.

Build it Separate

One thing you might notice is all of these sites have separate URLs that are carefully sequestered from the main corporate site.  This is a subtle but important differentiation.  These are self-contained community portals built around passions.  The community knows that Humana.com belongs to a gigantic healthcare conglomerate.  At freewheelingwaytogo.com the community is greeted with the joy of biking.  Asking them to go to "humana.com/community/bikes" may leave them with the haunting fear they are being manipulated.

Identify Your Own Core Values

So what are your company's core values?  Take a look at most TV station blogs, Facebook pages, or Twitter feeds and you will be greeted with a self-serving, transparent corporate agenda, "We want you to watch our shows so we can make money."  Take a look at these recent posts from local station Facebook pages:
"Join us at 5pm for the latest breaking news."
"David Beckham talks to Eyewitness Sports."
"Need a low cost car?  Find out more by watching Action News at Five."

These posts are on random topics that will not coalesce a community. This station's internally focused posts are the equivalent of Kodak building a community about camera features, or Humana building a blog about insurance deductibles.  The only difference is that the TV station product has video and is a bit more interesting.  But make no mistake, the community knows these stations see them as a sales mark, not a human being.  The stations only care about them when they have a remote in their hand.  These posts may get that viewer to watch a single story, but will win few consistently returning fans.

Are you the breaking news station?  Maybe your values are about adventure, exploration, even video from unexpected places.  Build social media from those values, not from a "must-get-ratings" outlook.  For example, your social media sites could give local urban explorers a place to showcase their love of discovery.  "Show us the hidden places of Cleveland at ClevelandExplorers.com."

Are you the 10pm station that's all about convenience?  Perhaps your values are about efficiency, saving time, or spending more time with family.  Your social media page might be all about local family activities.  You might launch a Facebook site filled with the best ideas for family weekends that don't require a lot of money or prep.

Social Media is not advertising or PR.  It is a new creation that has no tolerance for selfishness.  When social media is built on the values of a community, it can quickly turn viral, delivering exponential results. It is all about listening, giving and facilitating.  If the sole goal of your efforts is to make a sale, you will be found out.

Graeme Newell is a broadcast and web marketing specialist.  He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free.  Find out more here.