Social Media Leakage

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An interesting piece of research conducted by The Altimeter Group and published in Technorati suggests marketing departments handle only 51% of all corporate social media activity. (Here’s the link.) That’s not good. I understand marketing can’t control word of mouth, but the internet isn’t word of mouth. Didn’t your momma teach you that? What you say or show online stays there.

If 49% of corporate outbound social media is potentially random then the company is leaking. Even if benign, these leaks aren’t putting deposits in the brand bank as they might.

Here’s how to fix it. The marketing dept. needs to share the brand strategy (idea and planks) with all employees. It must emphasize that all outbound messages, pictures, videos etc. toe the brand strategy line. Employee creativity, on message, can be a wonderful thing. Off message, not so much. And I’m not talking about getting your people to parrot the latest ad campaign, I’m suggesting let them express the strategy in their own words, actions and deeds. The fact is, marketing oversight of all social media is optimal, but giving employees the guidance to share what the company s good at and what consumers want can provide wonderful learning, field testing and brand personality.

Peace!