David Cameron (photo: flickr - Screaming Bertha)

David Cameron has been caught out by live radio. In a live interview on Absolute Radio with Christian O’Connell, Cameron used two words that he really shouldn’t have. He used the phrase “pissed off” and then when asked why he didn’t use Twitter he stated (swear word coming up!):

“The trouble with Twitter, the instantness of it – too many twits might make a twat.”

Why that’s a good and bad thing

David Cameron gets one thing about Twitter. It’s instant. It’s impossible to stop what you tweet getting out and what you tweet stays out there – there’s no delete (well, there is, but it actually doesn’t delete it from twitter search).  For that reason, and given his choice of words on live radio, it’s probably good he isn’t on Twitter.

However, it’s a bad thing. In a world where UK politicians are not seen as trustworthy or having integrity after the expenses scandal, we do actually want to get to know a little more of the reality and humanity of the people behind the names.  There is a lot of “spin” and “managing the story” that goes on with PR, and that is something that people are reacting against.

Cameron at least is being real and honest

While he was, perhaps, using inappropriate words on live radio, it at least shows that he is a real person who uses some real words. His comments about Twitter are valid and it shows some sense about the service. However, this should be an opportunity to recognise it’s power. I found out about the story via Twitter, and it spread via Twitter.  If Twitter isn’t an absolutely vital tool in his arsenal for an assault on becoming UK Prime Minister in the next few months then I would be hugely surprised, especially as Barack Obama utilised it so successfully.

An eye opener – Twitter is the story

Perhaps the biggest thing about this story is that the focus was put firmly on David’s thoughts on Twitter or actually his thoughts on those that use Twitter. Not his swearing (although that came into it) and not that it was done on a radio show that is in a demographic he needs to target, but that it was reported all over Twitter as “David Cameron thinks you are all t**ts” which is not true (if it was, he’d lose all our votes in the UK straight away).

It’s David’s twitter comments that have sparked the social media backlash. Twitter is a big deal.

This is a great video showing exactly what happens when one man with passion (or just plain self deprecating humour) starts dancing at a festival. Psychologically it’s a great little video, because it shows a bit of how crowds can form.

So how does it work? This could easily be a Social Media campaign overview:

People have to see you

Just imagine if that person had started dancing behind the fence, down the hill, or across the valley on that mountain.  Nothing would have happened (except maybe a very personal religious experience that nobody could verify).

If you’re dancing where nobody is looking, then you are only dancing for yourself (and any invisible/omnipresent beings you may or may not believe in).

Find a group that looks like it could do with livening up, and start dancing there.

Someone has to Start Dancing

As with all Social Media, there is never a plain and simple way of starting a movement. Most of the time, the person most passionate is you, and most of the people around you are either watching, laughing, deriding or ignoring you.

So, you start dancing, and people start laughing. But the key thing here is don’t stop dancing. If you stop, it means that you aren’t passionate about it.  If you’re passionate, someone, somewhere will join in. Even if it’s a bad idea (and that dancing was!) it can sometimes start something else.

Initial Attraction is often to the other “Crazies”

If you listen to the guys on the video, you’ll find that they are making fun of him, but they enjoy the moment the next 2 people join in. These other two are just as odd as the first guy, and as such, they attract attention in the same way. But the key here is that more than 1 person makes it more fun for everyone. They start to engage and interact.

So, the principle is that even if they are crazy, it’s more fun with 2 than it is with 1.  Engagement happens and people begin to notice more and more.  Oh, and if they start doing something different with your dance, let them.

Groups are attracted to Groups

About 1:20 into, another small group of about 8 people join in. This principle is key. After the initial attraction, another group has seen the dancing fun and decided that it looks cool. They join.

You’ve got to be visible to other groups. There’s no point in building a social awareness and keeping it hidden. Other groups want to know, and they will talk about your group. The guys behind the camera are definitely laughing and enjoying the other group joining in.

The other thing to notice, is that even though they are not joining in, the watchers are becoming more engaged in the “movement”. There’s screaming and laughter.  Encouragement to watch and encouragement to continue.

Growth can happen FAST

Between 1:20 and 2:10, the group grows from about 10 to about 60 or 70 people. The excitement and enjoyment of the watchers results in action, and for the rest of the video, people are joining in.

Something that looks exciting from the outside, and causes people to talk positively with each other (and not with the person who started it), will generally result in growth.

Notice that the person who started it, is now in the middle. You can hardly see him unless you get involved.

Growth Still Happens Even When It’s Over

The music stops about 2:50 and the intriguing thing is that the most enjoyable place to be is in the group. That is still attractive to everyone outside, even though there isn’t any music at that point. This dancing group has become an enjoyable entity in itself. It is a movement that is attractive and continues to grow.

Never underestimate the power of a group just enjoying itself. It doesn’t always matter what brings them together, but it can show you something very powerful. People like groups and want to be part of them, but they also want to enjoy watching them too.

Conclusion

1. Go somewhere people can see you
2. Start Dancing
3. Hope that (or invite) 1, 2 and 3 others to join in with your dance… start small – if they’re as crazy as you, don’t worry!
4. Attract and invite other small groups to join in
5. Make room for growth
6. Keep engaging with your new movement even if the music stops

Social media success doesn’t start with ROI

I came across this blog post through my Social Media stream on Twitter (@PaulDJohnston) and was intrigued.

Social Media and ROI – Not Again!

This has been a raging argument for a while now within Social Media circles about how everyone seems to want to know the ROI (if you’re not sure what ROI means, I’m talking about “Return On Investment”) before they get started.

Clients apparently want people to come to them and say “for this much money, you will get this return” and so often, it’s really hard to do that. The post above points out that ROI is not always how you measure something like painting a wall or a secretary. Sometimes, you just need to do them.

However, now that clients want to know about “ROI”, companies like ourselves providing this information need to give it to them. Or do they? Is this just the fact that most companies trying to get involved with Social Media are marketing agencies or web techies? Why is this a problem?

Measurement of “Success” is not the same as ROI

Social Media can be “campaign” based, such as a Direct Marketing or an Email Marketing campaign, but the success is never about a bump in numbers or the number of engagements over time.

Social Media is much more about a holistic approach to the people in the organisation. It is teaching them to be engaging and engagable (if that is indeed a real word).  Getting people to have conversations and share interesting information and content.  Social is about conversation and without content and at least 2 parties, there is no conversation.

Measurement of success will be in much more intangible metrics, such as “are more people talking about our product positively” or “are calls to customer services reducing because our community are sharing how to do stuff with each other?”, or even “are we more aware of what the real issues are with our clients?”.

What you share with people will have an effect, but providing a measurement of awareness or positivity is very difficult. Measuring call volume is easier and very basic, but measuring it in relation to social media is definitely not so easy.

ROI is not the key to Success

Of course a Social Media campaign must have a way of measuring success, but the metrics are much harder to manage and engage with than with Direct Marketing and Email Marketing.

Maybe, just maybe, Social Media should be seen as a harder task than these well understood and measurable campaign-based tools like Email Marketing and Direct Marketing. Maybe, just maybe, Social Media should command a much bigger budget than it currently appears to.

It used to be that everyone was available via just their postal address. You could send out any information you wanted to their address and you could buy their details from marketing companies. Then a large proportion went to email and most people have an email address now, so that’s where a lot of marketing went.

Then, web 2.0 came along with it’s making friends and throwing sheep. Everyone had lots of fun (at least, all the techies and “young people” did) in seeing who could get the most friends and building their social network. However, this change and the social changes that have come with it, mean that Social Media has changed everything.

Youtube, Facebook and Twitter are not the only networks out there

Take a look at the image above. The Web Trend Map shows some of the major sites out there when it comes to interaction and community. Not all of them are “Social Networks” but all engage their community to generate interest and often revenue.

The Social Revolution and the social networks that feed it means that a person is much more choosy about who they listen to and when. It means that they are less susceptible to marketing messages that come from brands, but more susceptible to marketing messages from their friends and people they choose to listen to such as celebrities.

This has a profound impact on marketing, but also on product design, customer support, PR, internal collaboration and many other aspects of a business or organisation. It’s not enough to just create and distribute information in the same ways as before and get ever diminishing returns. People want to be engaged where they are, and that includes where they are on the internet.

Finding your community is the first step

You’re community is out there. They are talking about you on social networks and if they aren’t talking, then you are almost invisible. There are ways of finding and engaging with them online, but these are no longer as simple as geographical area or age range. Demographics of communities are changing and more and more communities are having to find new ways of interacting and engaging with each other because of the new technologies.

Once you have a community, then you need to engage. Engagement is more about conversation and personality than it is about messages you want to put out. It is often dangerous to enter into a community without knowing how they interact and what the etiquette is, and also how they feel about you or a brand. Going in with your eyes open can create a very positive impact.

This isn’t the whole story

But it’s a start. Social Media means that we have to engage, cultivate and grow communities. Engagement means that a message can be delivered in a positive, community oriented way, and this is much more valuable for both the community and the organisation.