If there is one element that increasingly distinguishes the use of social media by companies, it is undoubtedly the naturalness, the "normality" that accompanies the pro-brand activities that find form (and outlet) here on a daily basis.
Nothing could be nicer, let me be clear. I have always believed in the potential of such tools, in their being "different" and offering unique communication solutions, oriented not only to the commercial purpose, but to the creation of a reputational and relational substrate that in the medium/long term can really make a difference.
All well, then? Not quite.
If marketing gets lost on the way
While it is true that the aforementioned potential is still present (albeit scaled down perhaps), it is equally true that there are so many brands that in the unbridled race for vanity metrics have, in my opinion, lost along the way an indispensable element and one that justifies (or at least should) the presence of brands on social and the (many) resources invested: marketing.
Let me elaborate.Are we so certain that much of what is posted by companies on social, has a real concrete purpose within its business objectives? And are we equally convinced that social activity brings real added value to many of these realities?
Questions that perhaps cannot be answered uniquely, but just look at the parade of posts under the banner of real time marketing to see that a short-circuit, albeit a small one, has occurred. Case in point? Games Of Thrones.. During the last series, there is no brand that did not make posts on this issue. Ok do newsjacking and ride the trend, but I have serious doubts that a company that makes chemical toilets or safety shoes has any real advantage in doing content like this. Or rather, I have doubts that it is of interest to the audience of such brands and that it is able to activate that brand-user relationship I mentioned earlier.
For every company that could, given the industry, ride GOT there could be at least 10 driven solely by the desire for entertainment. And marketing abdicates.
Let us not forget that we have recipients
An approach aimed at making "superficial" numbers or, worse, winning awards or attracting the attention of insiders, not always potential customers of the brand.
Perhaps this push for entertainment has made us forget one of the basics of communication, including social, you work at the communication level having clear in mind the recipients of that communication and their characteristics. The post on social should appeal not to me or to my client's CEO, but to his potential customers.
How to do it. It is essential to focus on users and their, deeper, characteristics. Only in this way can we make "Engaging" content in the truest sense of the word.
Data-driven, an approach, not just a word
Fortunately, today there is no shortage of useful tools for analyzing and having complex data about the people we need to communicate with. Data that thus become drivers to bring performance (and winning) strategies to life.
Warning. We hear too much about data now, but what is often overlooked is that it is not so much a matter of "collecting it" as it is the ability to interpret it and make proper use of it.
The Data-Driven approach is the basis on which to understand what to do and, more importantly, how. Topic, copy, even the creative side can receive crucial feedback to improve and become more and more akin with users.
Today, tools such as BrandWatch or Talkwalker (used by us in OpenBox) allow us to assess user characteristics and behaviours that were previously difficult to understand, moving beyond misperception and preconceptions. But that is not enough. In many cases such an approach allows us to assess opportunities that are often not visible or, even, to get feedback on the product design side, dwelling on the peculiarities of different clusters and, precisely because they are different, with which to communicate in different ways.
The goal remains always and only one: to generate impact on users and consequent value (conversions) for brands, because, it costs me to say it, you don't live by vanity metrics alone.
Getting back to social media (marketing) can and should be done. Are you ready? If the answer is yes, I look forward to seeing you on October 29 in the Social Media Room at Digital Innovation Days 2020.
Matteo Pogliani
Partner & Head of Digital @Openbox