Connections Blog

As part of my monthly book club with Progressive Communicators of Washington D.C., I just finished reading the highly acclaimed book published by Harvard Business Review Press called Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. With rave reviews from others in the book club, on top of quotes on the back cover from Seth Godin, Cathie Black of Hearst Magazines, and the former President of MTV, Christina Norman, I couldn't wait to see what everyone was talking about.

Unfortunately, I think I was about three years too late to read this book. In my opinion, the material was so outdated, that it no longer proved to be true. The book was based on research about social media websites, those that were using them, and the habits they had. Undoubtedly, the world of social media has rapidly changed in three years--with come and go fads. It made me wonder if a book was the right medium for conveying information about social media.  

What irked me even more was the 'everybody's doing it'  message about social media. There were many case studies about how all these people were doing amazing campaigns with certain technologies online. There were continued statements that if you weren't a part of social media or the online groundswell then you were missing out on something because your customers and your audience are there.

Sentences later, they broke down different types of social media users. The most shocking part to me, according the book on page 42, is that 25 percent of U.S. consumers out of a study of 10,000 are using social media sites. Only five percent are using Twitter. This doesn't sound like everyone to me. It sounds like the minority.

The book sends conflicting messages. First, everyone is doing it, and now only one in every four are. Who knows who these people even are--they may or may not be your audience. At the same time, I assume those numbers have changed much since the three years this book was written.  Myspace and Digg were cited many times, and we know how that turned out.

Don't be the one who runs out and buys pink lipstick because it is in style this Spring only to find out that no onewears it in the Fall. Social media is a lot like this. It is a trend. Choose the trends carefully.

Please do not misunderstand: I am all for the use of social media. In fact, it is how I make my living in many cases. There are a few points that stand out to me in the book that I am in favor. You need to understand where you audience is getting their information. You need to understand how they are using the online community. You must adapt to the changing times and technologies. You need to connect with your audience. That is what MatchMap Media is all about--listening to those that are most important to you. 

All I am saying is don't just do social media to do social media, or you will waste a lot of time and money. Don't think that being on Twitter because everyone else is doing it is the key to your business success. You are not going to go under if you aren't on Facebook. In fact, I am still waiting for Facebook to go under. It reminds me a lot of AOL, which was popular when I was in college, and few use it anymore.

One woman in the book club summed up my viewpoints well. She likened a social media or online campaign to a traditional media campaign. It doesn't matter if you call a reporter or you email them, if you don't have news, then it doesn't make a difference. That is the same thing. There needs to be an objective. You need to be creative. You need to connect with your audience. Those are the keys to success.

All in all, I was disappointed in the book. It reminded me of a movie with an all-star cast that just wasn't as good as one might have hoped.
For me, I didn't need over 200 pages to tell me that I need to listen to my audience. That is pretty basic, but something that many forget.