5 Social Media Topics to Watch
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | 34 Comments
Posted in: Community, Listening, Measurement and Metrics, Social Media, Technology, social CRM
If conversations are any indicator of what’s important in social media right now, there are certainly some hot spots. And based on a high level glance at the industry overall for the past year, we can pick out a few topics that really seem to have the attention of the business world, including us.
Here’s a look at just a few of the leading indicators of what the social media discussion entails today (and that’d be over 64,000 conversations just in the last month alone):
Location, Location, Location
Between the crowd-driven ecommerce like Groupon, location-based Tweets, and the badge rewards for applications like Foursquare and Gowalla, location is as prominent in social media as it is in real estate. And while the social wave started with massive, come-one-come-all social networks, business are now particularly interested in finding their focus, targeting their most loyal and local customer base as well as attracting those in their geographically relevant pools.
Why it matters: Geolocation has long term implications in everything from search to social media analysis and metrics, not to mention increased focus in more traditional communication efforts. Global businesses need to understand reach and market distribution on a geographic basis, and local businesses need to be able to fine tune their efforts. Mash location data up with behavioral data, and you start getting some powerful modeling indeed.
Social CRM
Once upon a time we talked about “engagement” as a universal term that meant connecting personally with customers and communities via social channels. The emergence of social CRM has figured heavily into the industry in the last year, evolving beyond simply a suite of enterprise tools and platforms, and more into a mindset or strategy that puts the cultivation of customers and community members – no matter where they make themselves known on the web – at its core. We call it answering the social phone, but the principles are largely the same: greeting your customers where they are, on their terms, and nurturing those relationships for long term, mutual benefit.
Why it matters: Relationship management, in its truest form, is far more nuanced than ever as customers no longer simply gather or communicate in company-hosted environments. And while a good deal of the discussion and engineering (including our platform) focuses on how to tie data together across a business and provide a solid analysis framework for understanding customer behavior and needs, there’s an invaluable and complimentary human framework of listening, communication, content, outreach, and community development that will round out the sCRM space and its business applications.
Measurement & Accountability
First the question was “can we measure social media”, and the overwhelming conversations today agree that yes, we certainly can. Then the question was “how”, so platforms like Radian6 created broader and deeper ways to bring in relevant social data and conduct some analysis around them (especially connecting dots with things like CRM systems and web analytics).
Now the discussions center around what, specifically, businesses should be measuring in their own context of goals and objectives, what social data points actually matter in a business context (and how they’ve evolved from more traditional metrics), and how to derive insights and map out plans based on what we learn.
Why it matters: Social media, in its early adoption phases, is more of a cost center than a revenue channel (and in many ways, the balance may continue to sit heavy on the investment side). Beyond just “ROI”, businesses are seeking to understand the impact of the investment they’re making in people, time, and tools from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. And as social media gains a foothold in an overall business model, companies are very much looking for some direction as to how to tie it into their overall reporting and accountability functions.
Privacy & Participation
The beginning of the social media wave saw celebration of the idea of open networks: anyone could participate, however they liked, and we wanted access to everyone and everything. In the last year, concerns and discussions around privacy and information access have been on the rise as the gleam wears off the shiny social media coating, and we start taking a longer-term view of how social plays into our human networks. In a business context, companies are more closely examining the need for social media participation guidelines and governance, especially in heavily regulated industries like financial services, healthcare, or government.
Why it matters: While we love the free flow of information and ideas that the social web enables, we also want to be sure that we have established expectations, parameters, and understandings about what information can and should go where. As individuals we want to make educated choices about how public our information is, and as businesses we want to be sure our approach to social media is methodical and well-thought (rather than trying to throw a runaway train into reverse).
Social Media Integration
There’s no doubt that social media integration discussions are far more prevalent than they were 12 months ago. And while there are still plenty of conversations around social media roles, campaigns, and ownership inside companies, more and more organizations like PepsiCo, United Healthcare, and Dell are working out ways to wire social media not only into broader marketing efforts, but into other areas of the business like customer service, product development, or human resources.
Why it matters: Social media as a stand-alone entity has a limited shelf life. Much like the phone or even email, communication with customers and feedback from relevant communities drives many areas of the business, and not all of them front-line communication roles. So while vertical adoption of social media can establish a center of operations, horizontal adoption and integration is what will take social media from the tactical front lines and immerse it in the overall business model.
What Has Your Attention?
If you’re a business that’s employing anything from a basic listening strategy to a full-blown social media business approach, what’s your focus right now? What topics, questions, and discussions are top of mind with your business right now?
We’d love to hear from you.
34 Responses to “5 Social Media Topics to Watch”
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I was totally searching for the wrong thing. I'll make a biiiiig graph next time simply entitled "TYLER".
@mikemost on July 28th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Great list Amber, I think all are more than "fads" but the interesting turn will be how location and privacy turn from oil & water to choc and peanut butter… come on everyone loves a Reeses. Great breakdown!
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Like that analogy, Mike. 
That balance is going to take some time, but I agree that we'll get closer and closer. The two are independently much too important, so they'll have to find a way to play nice together.
chalkboarder on July 28th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Amber, great posting. Excellent.
As to CRM, I know you've been by the weekly Twitter chat Customer Service on #custserv. We talk about all things in the meld between social media and customer service there with weekly changing topics.
Thank you for all you do.
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Thanks much! I like what you guys are doing on that chat and we'll definitely try and swing by more often. It's a very important subject always, but especially in today's rapid-fire online world.
Nick on July 28th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
One thing to look for is more hyper-targeted marketing campaigns, much like we saw with the "archetypal" Old Spice blitz. I suppose it could fall under the Social CRM category, but I see it more as a Social PRM (Public Relations Management) since the majority of those who were chosen had HUGE social networks that Old Spice strategically chose based on their previous Tweets or comments about the brand. Sure, a few were regular, deodorant-wearing customers, but they weren't the people who catapulted this campaign into an instant case study.
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
That hyper-personalization is indeed interesting. I'm curious about how that will pair up with the ongoing discussions about influence and influential people. Thanks for bringing it up.
Indra Gardiner on July 28th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Amber –
Our agency is talking about all of these issues quite intensely, so I think this list is right on. Another issue we are grappling with that is not on your list is SM management. Staying engaged requires a lot of time and managing that with efficiency and authenticity are challenges we face daily.
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Indra, you've got that right, and many agencies – and companies – are struggling with exactly that. Scalability, finding the right resources, understanding the investment costs… those are challenges that come with any really disruptive business movement, and I believe social is one of those indeed.
@CathyBrooks on July 28th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
As always a thoughtful and insightful perspective, Amber … there's another topic that may not fit as a separate category per se, at least not in the theme of your post, but the issue of reputation/credibility and how that fits into pretty much all that anyone (whether an individual or a business) does on-line fascinates me …
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
We had an interesting discussion about that at an event I attended yesterday, Cathy. Many, MANY people are wondering how those lines blur, how to balance the personal/professional presence, and how your aggregate online activity as a company or an individual affects perception and reputation. Great addition.
@CommAMMO on July 28th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Amber, this paragraph grabbed me:
***Now the discussions center around what, specifically, businesses should be measuring in their own context of goals and objectives, what social data points actually matter in a business context (and how they’ve evolved from more traditional metrics), and how to derive insights and map out plans based on what we learn.***
If the learning curve for measurement in social media is similar to that in mainstream media, we'll continue a while with mainly descriptive measurement — seeing what's there in terms of content frequency, tonality, potential reach, etc. — Output measures.
Then, move to Outtakes — impact on web traffic, click-throughs, calls to special phone numbers, text messages, etc. (much of this is already being done or can be done easily).
But it's the true Outcome measurement that's yet to become fully established in measurement. Marketing Mix Modeling can accept social media inputs, but the expense and poor scale of that tool will hinder measurement development.
True ROI for anything except direct selling is hard to capture. However, the most basic measurement — performance against measurable objectives — is not only fairly easy to do, it fits across the spectrum of experience, as you say. The pressure, however, will continue to build for a simple means of determining the impact of communication activity.
Sean
@Commammo
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Sean, you're right. And to be honest, I think we've grappled with that beast for a very long time, even before the web. Drawing out communications impact has always been a challenge (especially as you consider cause vs. correlation). But we've got better tools and more information than we ever have, so I'm hopeful that we're on a path to something more concrete and illustrative. Looking forward to doing my part to work through those puzzles.
Gawed on July 29th, 2010 at 4:07 am
Indeed an interesting list and can't think of more common topics. Talking a bit more about the region I'm at (Mexico) It worries me so much that we're still down here talking mainly about why Social Media COULD be valuable to a company instead of talking passionately about any of the main topics you just cited.
Gawed on July 29th, 2010 at 4:09 am
Another topic I may think will become hot in coming months, but possibly just an evolution of both SCRM and horizontal integration is Social Business, the strategy and ways of doing business that really encompasses all social stuff.
What do you think?
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Yep, that's sort of what I was getting at with integration. How to take social from something you "do" to something you ARE as a business. No question that it'll take a while to get there, but it's certainly where I see this all headed in the long run.
Tom Cummings on July 29th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Amber –
Great post, especially about nurturing relationships through sCRM. I just wrote a post on Monday called "Social Nurturing" where I explored the idea of using social tools to segment and target your best potential customers before they even have enter into your sCRM framework. Would love to hear your thoughts: http://dach.is/5n
You're spot-on about integration as well – we're moving from social media to social businesses as social tools are becoming more entrenched across every part of the organization. Related to it, I'd add another topic to your list: ownership. Determining who, if anyone, "owns" social (and what exactly that even means) is going to be critical for companies to figure out.
@tomcummings
AmberNaslund on July 29th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Thanks, Tom, and thanks for sharing your post. Will head over and check it out.
As to the ownership discussion, I feel pretty passionately that the model that prevails will be decentralized, and ownership distributed throughout a company. While you might have a central team that helps coordinate and to an extent govern social media activities (more as a center of excellence than a regulating body), business units, departments, areas will all "own" their own piece of social and the goals and objectives that are relevant to them. Just like the telephone or email, no one will "own" it, but rather be accountable for their application of it as it relates to bigger picture strategy.
wow on July 30th, 2010 at 10:10 am
nice one
@LorelieJ on July 30th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Great post, Amber! I want to virtually high five you for this line, "Just like the telephone or email, no one will "own" it, but rather be accountable for their application of it as it relates to bigger picture strategy." Well said and so true.
bryan bliss on July 31st, 2010 at 7:10 pm
I see video marketing as a growing trend. as it gets simpler people are recognizing their ability to really be impactful and to express themselves in a way that develops rapport and connection through homemade video this will only continue to grow.
Term Life Guy on August 2nd, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Great article Amber. It's interesting to see how social media has infiltrated the business world and how many companies struggle to figure out how to use it effectively. I work for a term life insurance agency, and we are still figuring out the best ways to utilize the social tools out there. It's definitely exciting (and at times frustrating lol).
@mpace101 on August 3rd, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Great post Amber. Thanks for separating out the chaff from the wheat when it comes to understanding fad vs. strategic direction. This is why you are on my can't miss twitterlist.
@socialmediageek on August 12th, 2010 at 6:55 am
Great Post Amber, especially how to integrate your Social Media Activities into your corporate CRM Strategy!
tdhurst on July 28th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Notice my name is not on the trend chart, nor are any of my jokes.
Siiiigh…time for a Super Bowl commercial and youtube tie-in.