If you want your brand to be successful in social media, think about starting a conversation. When you Google the term “social media audit” you will get over three million hits. If you take the time to drill into the recommendations of the top 10 results, you will see the same blather being proffered by various so-called social media experts and agencies.
For example, be consistent with your branding, have custom landing pages, monitor your brand, integrate your channels and blah blah blah. None of the audit recommendations discusses the essence of what social media is really all about. Social media is about engaging people in a dialog. It bidirectional and it is a conversation. Having a conversation is complex. It’s also hard to explain how to conduct a conversation with your customers in a simple audit checklist. Social media is not a broadcast network like CNN, FOX, ABC or MTV. Unfortunately, far too many marketers are using an old school mindset and are trying to leverage social media as a megaphone instead of a listening tool to initiate conversations. The big companies that “get” social media are Whole Foods, Best Buy and Jet Blue. They use social media to conduct a dialog with their customers, provide support and true engagement. If you want your brand to be successful in social media, take the time and study Whole Foods, Best Buy and Jet Blue.