Convincing Your Boss
Let’s face it. To many traditional marketers it sounds like New Age hokum to talk about “engagement … conversations … authenticity.”
They don’t want you talking to those mangy bloggers. They don’t want to care about Joe Sixpack. To their way of thinking, “caring about what Joe Sixpack has to say” is ultimately not a scalable model.
And they think, rightly so, that many of the traditional marketing tactics that they grew up with – such as direct mail, email marketing, newsletters, etc. - are still relevant, and will remain important for years to come.
But, ask the Boss to think about this…
Everyone trusts a peer. No one trusts a marketer.
And for the first time in modern marketing history, our peers – whether friend or enemy – can self-publish information and opinions about any company.
And, every scrap of this information (and misinformation) is instantly findable, available and shareable.
And, every scrap of this information (and misinformation) is persistent … Google has a very long memory …
It’s not about “what’s always worked,” or about “what works today.”
Sometimes it’s about being on the right side of history.
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Comments
Todd great point with this post. Social media makes things personal and takes away the spin. Lot's of what we are seeing with SMR's.
Posted by: Dan Schawbel | March 10, 2008 07:17 PM
i love that photo. haha
Posted by: nicole | March 11, 2008 09:41 AM
Todd,
Wow, this is a post to bookmark! Just in case I ever have to convince a boss...
Posted by: Rick Weiss | March 11, 2008 11:24 PM
great post. I think that when b2b marketers think of a blog as a chance to connect in an old fashioned way (after all, it's not much more than a conversation between peers) it resonates more than when people use jargon (like social media or Web 2.0) to describe it. It's like networking without the clink of martinis. It's sometimes a pity those days are over. Sigh.
Posted by: Julie Power | March 12, 2008 09:10 PM
Two weeks back, we presented to a CEO who wanted some PR/marketing; this morning, he's had a epiphany and wants peer engagement. Hallelujah!! Gladwell, Tipping Point, anyone??
Gerry
Posted by: Gerry | March 13, 2008 02:00 AM
Todd,
Nice way to put it. I think it is still hard for many top executives to grasp the power of social media to fuel (or devastate) their companies’ marketing efforts.
Posted by: Tatiana Tugbaeva | March 13, 2008 05:28 PM
Conundrum of the day: what if your peers are marketers?
Posted by: Scott Monty | March 27, 2008 07:27 AM