- Don’t “broadcast†messages to users.
- Try to add value.
- It’s a conversation.
Why does everybody seem so damn gushing about these dull statements of the obvious, JUST because they come from a brand?
Do guidelines from brands make their activities any more successful than an agency’s activities? No. Brands have as many failures in social media as agencies (perhaps more), and are widely lambasted for not having “got it†or “done it properly†when they do get it wrong.
So why then don’t agencies, many of whom DO “get†social media†and who ALSO practice what they preach and who also have HEAPS of experience, and who KNOW how to integrate social media into a wider digital strategy and who HAVE got case studies from other clients, get a fair crack of the whip too?
The Flip Side
Perhaps the failings of agencies though, is that they are always trying to sell stuff – show me a seminar and you’ll see endless rows of agencies talking about case studies they have done.
Why can’t they talk about what they KNOW, or give an opinion about what they think, show where their heads are, what trends they think are emerging instead of spouting off about the one case study that has (to their surprise!), been a success.
What do you think? Are agencies hindered by the way they have always worked – the need to shout about their work being the only thing that gets them noticed? Do brands have that credibility that comes when they have no commercial benefit to gain from talking about their work or are they as susceptible to failure (and therefore as deserving of a hammering) as any agency?