The Social Revolution

Are we in a revolution?

Revolution: “a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving”

With the above definition, we most certainly are. Since the beginning of marketing and business communications, we have been lead to believe that we tell people what to do and we tell the market what it needs. Now it’s a complete shift… the consumer has taken the reigns and is focused on finding companies/brands/products that will, not only listen to what they have to say, but also mold offerings to fit into the lifestyles of those consumers.

This way of “thinking and behaving” is definitely a drastic and far-reaching change from what we were doing only 5 years ago.

Now the question becomes… Are you a part of the revolution or the resistance?

Photo courtesy of Flickr - marcel601

Wise Words from “The Ace of Cakes”

So my girlfriend has started a new venture in her life. She has made the decision to go back to school to get her culinary degree. I love food, so I am behind her decision 100%. It’s been a crazy first couple of weeks, but seem like the extra time and energy will prove to be an amazing investment for both happiness and excitement. One thing that comes with a significant other immersing themselves in the Food World, comes hours and hours of the Food Network…

As I mentioned before, I love food and the science behind it so I don’t mind too much. The other night, however, I heard something from the “Ace of Cakes” himself say that all of us marketers should keep in mind while engaging our customers every day. Duff said,

Give people something personally special, and they will be overly satisfied…

Think about it… If we can engage our customers on a personal level and provide them content that they find personally special, we will continue to overly satisfy their needs. Now that is something to talk about.

Brand Passion

As continue to talk about social strategies and how to integrate our brands further into the lifestyle of our customers, we talk routinely about improving brand loyalty and advocacy. Why don’t we take it a step further?

With the levels of loyalty and advocacy we can create with these social personal conversations, shouldn’t we be discussing brand passion instead?

After all, a passionate person is a force to be reckoned with. Imagine if we had handfuls of extremely passionate individuals leading our cause and communicating our message through vast social networks.

Just imagine…

Through social media we have an opportunity to have conversations with real people, in real time, on a personal level. These conversations increase trust. This trust builds loyalty. That loyalty turns to advocacy. Finally advocacy turns into passion.

2010: The Social Challenge

Well 2010 is now here… Lot’s of changes, lots of excitement, with many opportunities in front of us all. I wanted to challenge, not only myself, but all of you to make 2010 The Year of The Social.

With this, I challenge all of us to push what is possible with communications… Take marketing from a pushing, intrusive act to a meaningful relationship between trusted friends. Create brands that are malleable to allow consumers to take only the information they want a need and provide real-time branding through relevant, targeted conversations. Interact with our consumers in a way that was never thought possible. Use technologies and content to reach our customers where they are…

Take time everyday to push the social envelope.

Victories.

With every challenge, there will be victories… I want to shout these victories from the mountain tops. If you or someone you knows creates a social phenomenon, please send it my way so I can publish it’s results. Let’s all work together to make 2010 The Year of The Social.

Enjoy!

2010: The Year of The Social

Courtesy of Flickr - c r i s

So many 2010 predictions are flying around right now about social media. Most are discussing the tactics, acceptance, and influence social media allows in the marketplace. I want to take a step back and make a global prediction as to what role Social plays in our daily lives, as marketers. With social taking form as being everywhere, desktop, mobile, video games, TV, vehicles, we now have an opportunity to be everywhere our customers are.

Social Media becomes the glue that holds all integrated marketing campaigns together.

My prediction: Social Media becomes the glue that holds all integrated marketing campaigns together. With social media, a consumer has the ability to take and share content and information relevant to their life and mold it to create the perfect brand to integrate into their personal lifestyle.

While most awareness starts with mass marketing programs, we will now turn our mass message’s call to action toward our social conversations. When the consumer feels comfortable enough with our brand, we will rely on social media to take this comfort and awareness to the next level of excitement, understanding, trust, and, most of all, purchase.

Once this person becomes a customer, we will use social media communicate a level of thanks and gratitude like never before, provide proactive, personalized customer service, and continue to build loyalty, advocacy, and passion through the personal communications these social strategies provide, forever increasing the positive tonality of the social conversations and integration in the lifestyle of the customer and their social network.

So as we transition into the New Year, keep in mind that social media is not just a communication tactic, but the lifeblood of integrated marketing strategies. It holds it all together.