It's Not How Big the Tool … It's the Thought, Skill, Fluency, and Authenticity Behind It

Show ‘Em What’s to Love

Are you caught up in the conversation about social media tools? It’s fun to talk about what they do. We could spend a lifetime inventing new toy and tools that measure and move conversations on the Internet. Unfortunately, that won’t make business more relational or more efficient.

As we reach further fragmentation in the communication business, influx points how critical it is for us to specialize, get to know the tools and to put them to proper use.

Ad agencies aren’t that well equipped to play in this space, given their fundamental skills are all about creating commercial messages, not bare bones, message free entertainment. In social media, it’s about having specific tools, data sets and people skilled in the media who can create responses and ideas with social applicability.

In the short term, this will force agencies to identify and work with third parties to engage in this practices, where strategically relevant.

The opportunity is here for new working relationships. We can make the transition easier if we:

1. Think vertical — the business opportunities will be in relational niches.
2. Start with a marketing plan, a problem or a goal that your vertical is working on.
3. Choose and use the tools that will best meet the goal and solve the problem.
4. Name and claim the skill sets that the tools you’ve identified require.
5. Evaluate and analyze the contribution of each particular tool to further the solutions and meet the marketing goals.
6. Propose what you know to the companies in the vertical you’ve chosen.

My point is that no big brand, no agency is going to be able to speak print, television, radio, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blog, and other social media with fluency. Few people are that social media “multi-lingual.” The opportunity to specialize is huge.

It’s not about the size or scope of our tools. It’s our thought, skill, and authenticity when we use ’em. It’s about showing them what’s to love about what we do.

The key problem before us is …
How do we help business become fluent in the social sphere while maintaining authenticity for us all?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!