"Tapping on 'The Now Revolution:' A Student Reflection on the Counselors Academy Conference"
By Lauren Smith
Counselors Academy Conference keynoter Jay Baer challenged public relations agency owners in attendance to “put on your pretend hats.” In essence, Baer provided snapshots of commonly-faced problems many practitioners run into while using, or attempting to use, social media and networking sites for client retention or consumer surveillance.
As Baer, co-author of "The Now Revolution" weaved his way through the audience, speaking the gospel of the Web laced with intermittent one-liners, it became clear this wouldn’t be a monotone lecture.
Baer spoke of the evolution of consumer outreach and vocalization of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Where in the past the consumer would write a letter or call a number, now they can simply visit the www.insertcompanyhere.com page or voice their opinions with the use of @mentions. Where in the past, a consumer’s ability to express their frustration or praise was theoretically restrained to the people they came in contact with, they can now reach millions through an Internet connection.
“Your consumer is now your reporter and their story may be the shovel that digs [the] company’s grave,” was essentially Baer’s opening message. This new consumer dialogue creates four challenges: verification, contemplation, coordination and privacy.
“It’s an intoxicating change because it changes the fundamental dynamic between business and consumers, flipping the script from master-servant to servant-master,” said Baer during one of his many trips around the room. It’s a process called “the new breed” characterized by faster, smarter and more social technology.
So, we already know that a major shift in consumer dynamics has occurred since Web 2.0 technology exploded in the late 1990’s. But how can campaigns and the effort spent on Internet marketing through social media be measured for success?
For one, it’s too measurable. Baer suggested determining what you are trying to measure before you set out to get results. Are you someone who hates Excel and statistical measurement? Too bad ― the second thing Baer suggests is getting really good at both of these things because those that can prove the impact best are the ones that take the driver’s seat. Practitioners should also become more “social” on social media.
More fundamentally however, one must align the way he or she does business with online customer expectations. Where many use Facebook as a cultural stalking tool, it has also become a gussied up yellow pages ad. Consumers use Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn, company webpages and other social media sites for researching, posting opinions, and validation. Because of the pervasive nature of the Internet, participation in social media should firstly and foremostly be about portraying corporate culture and cultural bedrock. Along with these objectives, companies should strive to turn their social media landscape into a humanization highway where consumers can participate through storytelling.
By providing the means in which consumers can converse about your brand through stories, it transforms dabblers into brand loyalists. A concept Baer refers to as an “opportunity economy.” Customers will demand that every company become social and interact with them with speed and authenticity. Baer states, “It’s the greatest opportunity we’ve ever been presented in our lifetimes.”