For business, the rising popularity of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media Web sites presents a tantalizing opportunity.
As millions of people flock to these online services to chat, flirt, swap photos, and network, companies have the chance to tune in to billions of digital conversations.
They can pitch a product, listen to customer feedback, or ask for ideas.
If they work it right, customers might even produce companies’ advertising for them and trade the ads with friends for free.
But the same tools carry risks.
Employees encouraged to tap social networking sites can fritter away hours, or worse. They can spill company secrets or harm corporate relationships by denigrating partners.
What’s more, with one misstep, one clumsy entrée, companies can quickly find themselves victims of the forces they were trying to master.
The problem, according to a growing chorus of critics, is that many would-be guides are leading clients astray.
Consultants often use buzz as their dominant currency, and success is defined more often by numbers of Twitter followers, blog mentions, or YouTube hits than by traditional measures, such as return on investment.
This approach could sour companies on social media and the rich opportunities it represents.
“It’s a bit of a Wild West scenario,” blogs David Armano, a consultant with the Dachis Group of Austin, Tex. Without naming names, he compares some consultants to “snake oil salesmen.”
COMMON CATCH-CRY OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT:
Be transparent!
Upside:
Openness breeds trust and benefits the brand, bringing in friends and allies.
Downside:
There were good reasons companies kept some of this stuff secret.
Listen to your customers!
Upside:
Companies can get valuable input on product successes and potential problems.
Downside:
Hiring staff to use Twitter or Facebook can be an expensive exercise for little substantial gain.
Free is the future!
Upside:
Companies build communities around brands and find other ways to monetize products.
Downside:
They give away valuable products for free and watch revenue shrivel.
Embrace personal brands!
Upside:
Companies urge employees to use social tools and build connections beyond corporate walls.
Downside:
They fritter away time on Facebook and Twitter – and possibly spill company secrets.
