In the second edition of our 5Q's (and more!) series, Tracey ask Sarah Browne about what she's up to, where Social Media will be in the future and what keeps her up at night.
Who
is Sarah Browne? Three words:funny, smart, cutting-edge. She's a
"Social Media Research Revolution" leader, a captivating story-teller
and a fearless explorer.
MCC: What’s the most exciting stuff you’re up to?
SB: Yesterday,
I ran a Brand-Storming Session here in my eco-paradise hometown of
Carmel with some of the smartest, sparkiest professionals I've ever
worked with.
We used Social Media brainstorming tools from Wordle.net to CompanyBuzz to TrendRR and Bzzscapes
to ideate and strategize. Today I did a name generation project for a
cool new beauty product and later finished up a Competitive SocialScape
with an assist from TwitterVenn. Tonight I'm answering your Five Q's. I'm just plain spoiled. This is work?
MCC: What about Social Media currently keeps you up at night?
SB:
At 3 a.m., I fret about some of my clients, many of them usually bold
and brilliant, who are choosing to sit on the sidelines of social
media. Companies who aren’t listening in on the global conversation are
not only missing out on the future of marketing, but on the future
itself.
I met one woman – a market research firm CEO – on
Twitter who jumped all over me for using Social Media tools for market
research. She said: “My clients would gag if I suggested we use
Twitter for market research. What can you learn in 140 characters?”
I
was so speechless I could barely muster up a 10-character Argg to tweet
back. We market researchers need to take a leadership position in this
Social Media Research Revolution. We need to experiment and explore –
not label new methodologies as ‘gagworthy.’ If you’re going to
perpetually play it safe, why play at all?
It reminds me of the early days when I was an AOL Greenhouse Partner
and a true evangelist for this newfangled thing called the Internet.
Pumped up about the sponsorship possibilities, I visited one of my
cosmetics company clients who snapped: “Oh, the Internet --that’s just
for men. I can’t imagine our customers ever using it.”
I also
worry about companies falling prey to so-called social media experts
who push them into flash-in-the-pan tactics, rather than help
understand the big holistic branding picture. Not every company needs
a Facebook page and not every brand should Twitter. Although all of
them should consider it.
MCC: What’s one intriguing social media trend you’re keeping an eye on?
AB:
It’s all about the money, honey. Whether it’s the recent scuttlebutt
that Twitter’s (secret) business model is e-commerce based or the
chatter about Facebook’s new payment program, figuring out how to
monetize SM is the trend du jour. Here’s a promising example: Dell
just announced that Twitter helped them top 3 million dollars in sales.
One small-scale experiment worth watching: Happn is a new trend-tracking site that tracks emerging trends in 52 different metro areas around the world. Happn.in
collects and aggregates popular phrases used on Twitter, showing what
people are twittering about in each city. The five most popular
phrases each hour are posted to the site — and then they’re tweeted
three times a day to the happn.in Twitter account for each city.
Here’s
the cool part: Happn offers an opportunity to play in the social media
sandbox in an inexpensive, experimental way. You can sponsor a tweet
for $2. You pick the cities you want to use and choose when you want to
sponsor tweets. I work with many small businesses that need
reasonably-priced, creative ways to cut through the social media
clutter. At this early stage, no one’s promising any usable metrics but
I spent $50 and got a mini-pop of new visitors to my blog.
MCC: What’s your fave social media site right now and why?
SB: At the risk of sounding relentlessly trendy, I'm going to have to pick Twitter.
Twitter didn't invent real-time -- that's always been part of the
"Interwebs" -- but Twitter made the immediacy of the worldwide water
cooler a cultural phenomenon. Real-time rocks. Whether the conversation
is about the election in Iran or that small business you never would
have heard of otherwise, Twitter continues to provoke seismic shifts in
the way the world works. Twitter is a pivotal brick in the global
village we've been building.
Plus, as a trendcaster, being able
to instantly track trending conversations around the globe 24/7 is
nothing short of a thrill. It's a non-stop reality check for people,
products, places and politics. Twitter tracks. And Google never
forgets.
MCC: What or who do you read on a daily basis and why?
SB:
I still have my morning drill, one developed way back in the early 90’s
when my cherished newspapers came online. But Twitter’s changed even
that: I log in and check what’s trending, then dig deeper. I want the
freshest news possible—and that’s no longer the traditional broadcast
media.
MCC: Who have you connected with via social media that you would not have met otherwise?
SB: I was gearing up to fly to Anchorage to present my “Ten Commandments of Social Media” talk to the ATIA, Alaska Tourism Industry Association.
In a swivet about packing, I tweeted about ‘buying a coat for my trip
to Alaska that makes me look like a marshmallow.” Within 60 seconds, I
received a tweet back from @AlaskaPodcast assuring me that a trip to
Alaska is worth the Stay-Puff Marshmallow look. He also included a
link to a video of amazing Alaskan wilderness.
Here’s the cool part: It turns out this Tweeter is a member of the ATIA.
So when I stood up in front of this ballroom full of unfamiliar faces,
I not only had a great story to tell about the power of social media
but a new ‘friend’ in the audience.
MCC: In a spend on Social Media, what do you consider the most powerful measure of success?
SB: In blogs and bars, the debate rages on: Which is the most powerful measure of success – Popularity or Influence?
I’m
going to weasel out on this controversy because I think it all depends
on your strategic goals. It’s very easy to get blinded by social media
buzz. Very easy to think that 10,000 follows/fans/friends actually
impact your bottom line or brand equity. Very easy to get hooked on
watching those numbers explode.
I always circle back and ask: What business result are you trying to achieve?
- Are you trying to increase your credibility as a thought-leader in your industry?
- Are you using social media for customer service?
- Are you using social media as a listening tool?
- Are you using social media to sell product?
- Are you using social media for educational purposes?
- Are you using social media to build community?
I
have a Personal Branding client who jumped from 0 Followers on Twitter
to 6500+ in a matter of weeks. We also built her blog, Facebook page,
optimized her Linkedin and created a variety of successful promotions
and appearances. She was dizzy with delight until I brought her back
to her ultimate goal: Writing and selling her book. To build the
network of 100,000 publishers now routinely require, she’ll need both
Popularity and Influence.
MCC: Where do you see Social Media heading in the next year? 5 years? 10 years?
SB:
Ubiquitous. Ultimately, Social features will continue to seamlessly
blend into our online experience. Remember how interactivity killed
those corporate-brochure, lay-there-like-a-lox style websites? Social
functionality is already doing the same thing to sites where it ‘looks
like no one is home.’ A blog without a Twitter feed is beginning to
feel stale; Linkedin is enhanced by new apps; mobile social media is
poised to explode.
I see enormous vitality in companies like Ning, Composica (social feature rich edu-ware) and many of the third-party apps who help us use Social Media more efficiently and effectively.
Will
we even call it Social Media in 5 years? Remember when we called it New
Media? You know those 5855 Social Media ‘gurus’ listed on Twitter?
They may be gone the way of ‘Chat Room Host.’
MCC: How should a company best prepare to respond to a Social Media crisis?
SB: Two key recommendations:
Have
your network in place before you need them. This means more than
merely generating large numbers of Fans, Friends, Follows or
Connections – but rather nurturing relationships with Social Media
Influencers in your category, niche and target audience. Make sure you
map out and analyze your SOI (thank you, Stacy) – your Sphere of Influence – well before issues emerge.
Authenticity
must be the core of your Social Media message. Corporate-speak sucks
and will backfire. If you can’t deliver information and/or apologies as
a real person, know that your bogus approach will get Re-Tweeted and
Re-Posted faster and more frequently than heartfelt sincerity.
In
times of crisis, remember: These are your peeps. Your tribe. They are
not an audience of passive recipients. People do not want to speak with
brands. You are not “messaging” to them.
MCC: How would you explain the value of Social Media to a brand/company just testing the waters?
SB:
Social Media is an enormous opportunity to understand your company,
your competitors, emerging trends and products and the future of the
marketplace.
And because the conversation continues 24/7, it’s
imperative to keep your ear to the Internet during difficult times.
Like now.
Your first step should be listening. Once you do
that, you’ll be addicted to the non-stop Free Focus Group that is
Social Media. From there, you can move ahead to develop a Social Media
strategy that best fits your brand.
MCC: Do you see tension within companies as to who manages SM? (CMO vs COO vs Brand Managers vs Communications vs Marketing?)
SB:
Just last week a client told me she was in trouble at work because she,
not her boss, got mentioned in a blog. This blog mention got
re-tweeted. That noon while I was waiting for her, she frantically DM’d
me: “Sorry – just got called into an all-hands social media policy
meeting!”
So yes, the brouhaha has seeped into all levels of
corporate environment, from the top on down and over to PR/Agency
vendors. Again, so reminiscent of those early digital days when the
corporate world split into two camps: those who ‘get it’ and those who
didn’t. Because I was happily in the ‘get it’ camp, I spent buckets
of time surreptitiously coaching friends of mine, often VPs and
Directors, who were suddenly and uncomfortably faced with ‘Interactive’
budgets and staffing.
One approach that works well is Zappos’
pioneering strategy in which social media is an intrinsic part of
company culture – not just the domain of management. At Zappos, some 440+ staffers tweet. Everybody “owns” social media which cuts way down on the turf wars.
MCC: Has there been any one incident in the Social Media world that has deeply stood out for you?
SB: Too
many to count. From the millions on Facebook who donated their status
to a political or charitable cause to the rapid-fire response to
Mumbai, the Iranian elections, Capt Sully’s plane in the Hudson and
even the clueless dude who Twittered as he got off the plane for a big
client meeting: “This place is an armpit.”
Did he really
think he was the only one who would see that tweet? Behavior like this
is one reason I wrote my upcoming book: How Not to Be an E-Hole: the
Ultimate Guide to Online Etiquette and Ethics.
MCC: What are the top 5 blogs you consider to be essential reading on Social Media?
SB: I'm
going to be politically incorrect here and suggest that people reach
beyond the 'usual suspects' and search for those little undiscovered
gems. Which is not to say that Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, @pistachio, Guy Kawasaki (AllTop), TechCrunch and Mashable,
are not rich, robust resources. Indeed, they're hugely valuable social
media portals, especially the smartly segmented AllTop and the
uber-useful daily WOMMA. But
there are plenty of under-the-radar bloggers who have something
valuable to share. Following the conversations in your niche is equally
important. For example, if I was in the Mom Space, I would absolutely
be 'listening' to anything coming from Mom Central.
MCC: And finally, what do you most want people to know about you?
SB:
That even if I won the lottery, I’d still keep on being The Guru of
New: Writer, Researcher and Social Media Strategist. (Okay, I confess:
if I won the lottery, I’d probably be more like The Guru of New Shoes).
•
That much of my consumer-centric perspective comes from my early days
at Ogilvy. I still heartily agree with David Ogilvy: The consumer is
not a moron. She is your wife. (Or husband. Or partner. Or child.)
Respect for the complicated human beings we call ‘consumers, customers
or users’ is at the very core of Social Media and Marketing.
•
That despite being a ‘new’ junkie with a penchant for bleeding edge
tools and technologies, I harbor a genuine affection for moderating
good old f2f Focus Groups. I love my respondents and they know it. I
treat them like rockstars. They call facilities and ask when I’m coming
back. People are desperate to be heard. They know I’m a power-listener.
• That aside from being a few decades and a gaggle of hair products off, I am an awful lot like Mad Men’s @peggyolson.
You can find Sarah online here:
Blog: http://blog.guruofnew.com/
Facebook: Facebook.com/sarahbrowne
Twitter: guruofnew
Email: hello@guruofnew.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/guruofnew
