Social media training in times of recession

Friday, December 12, 2008

Following the financial crisis there is an increased need for corporate communication. On one hand there is the urgency to calm customers, shareholders and others who worry about the company’s ability to survive and adapt in these times. On the other hand there is the need to increase communication when marketing budgets are being cut.
The dialogue can not be allowed to die just because the times are tough. It has been speculated whether companies will really start to use social media as a serious communication alternative during the recession. With this in mind, for companies venturing into the realm of social media there is the need for some social media training.

Search engine optimisation when it is most needed

Make a search on Google for your company name or brand. Your corporate website will probably appear at the top of the list, but which are the following results. Try your brand name again but together with loaded words like hate, worst or sucks and watch the results. What other types of keywords are connected to your line of business or products and what are the results when you search for those?

In times of crisis it becomes even more important to work with search engine optimization in order to make sure that searches for relevant keywords lead up to your website. It is also of importance to think about how the search patterns are affected by the current situation and how that relates to your business. Your stakeholders might be searching for words like bank crisis, financial crisis, savings, loans, pensions, stock or market value together with your company name. Are you making sure they can find the information they need?

Do you know what your brand is doing online?

All companies have to accept that it is impossible to fully control their brands online. But that doesn’t mean that you can monitor what your brand is doing and in which channels. Search Facebook, YouTube and Flickr to figure out how your brand is being handled. If you have yet to take the initiative, make sure to register your company or brand name at these and other services.

One problem some companies face is that their brand has been “brand-jacked” online. This means that someone has registered your name on an internet service and pretends to represent your company which can be damaging. In some cases you can contact the administrators of the service and request that they remove the impostor. If that doesn’t work then start your own account at the service and position yourself as the true voice of the brand.

A good advice is however to not overreact when it comes to protecting your brand online. There are numerous examples of when large companies have contacted bloggers, social networks, bookmarking services or other content publishers and asked that unsolicited information about the company should be removed. In many cases this has had the opposite effect and instead increased the viral spread of the material the company was trying to protect.

Contact the blogosphere in the correct manner

The blogosphere has gotten a lot of attention in the last couple of years and is competing with traditional media for the media consumers’ time. Quite a few companies and their communication advisors have realized the potential of connecting with private citizens who write blogs with thousands of visitors. There are revenues to earn if you can get a successful blogger to mention your products or events.

The problem is when you see the blogger as just another information channel through which you can push your messages. A lot of bloggers feel spammed by corporations that send e-mails, samples and press releases. It is easy to forget that a blog is a space for personal reflections and opinions, not an advertising space.

With that it is not said that bloggers don’t appreciate ideas for potential posts or that they aren’t interested in topics close to their hearts and interests. Don’t send mass emails and spam the whole blogosphere but make sure to find the specific persons who are interested in your messages and be honest and personal when contacting them. Ask if it is ok for you to send press releases and if information is appreciated. Approach bloggers directly in their comment field and start a conversation, all bloggers like comments.

Respect rules and culture in the social networks

I am sure you know about Facebook and have heard about their 100 million users and how every company worth the name should be represented there. Facebook is by all means a huge and growing social network, but all companies don’t need to be on there. Firstly you need to consider your purposes and goals for using social media and then choose channels accordingly. What kind of social network suits your organization and where are your target groups hanging out?

When you decide to establish a presence in any social network, weather it is a community, a virtual world or any other service it is important to keep one thing in mind. Social networks are not a channel for one way communication; they are designed for dialogues between people, not corporate monologues. Be prepared that people are going to want to communicate actively with you, not just act as a passive receivers of commercial messages.

Lastly, please respect the rules as well as the culture in the social networks you choose to enter, otherwise you will be digging your own virtual grave.