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OK, this post really isn’t about PR. But it is about how Web 2.0 technology and values are getting traction well beyond the fields of marketing and communications - the ostensible focus of this little blog. Witness the agenda of the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos, as outlined in this BusinessWeek article: collaborative innovation. Sound familiar? None other than Wikinomics guru Don Wapscott will regale the world’s intelligentsia and moguls about topics like collaborative marketing and radical transparency. So if the global business elite can discuss this, why is it still so hard to get through the door at your friendly company around the corner?
A recent global study by Neilsen suggests that word-of-mouth remains - by far - the most trusted opinion and most effective form of marketing online. See this post on eMarketer on the study. This adds to the evidence that online consumers trust their peers far more than corporate websites or paid online advertising (which is near the bottom of the list.) A related study by GFK Roper similarly found that consumers rate word-of-mouth recommendations as the most credible source to drive purchase decisions. Many companies already acknowledge this reality and are featuring ratings/reviews and consumer comments in their marketing outreach. But there appears to be plenty of room for companies to more fully engage in broad word-of-mouth campaigns with consumers. Yeah, posting ratings and reviews (particularly if they are positive) is a good step. But fostering that ephemeral buzz from fans - and getting them to spread the word - is the ultimate marketing objective.
In most if not all of the conversations I’ve had or heard about digital media lately, a topic that invariably comes up is who “owns” it in organizations. Or more pointedly, who manages and coordinates the digital programs, who creates the content, who manages the blogs…and who should drive the digital strategy. This prosaic topic may appear trivial, but as any consultant worth his/her salt will tell you process and organization is critical to turning an idea into reality. From what I’ve seen and read, digital media efforts are led by a wide range of usual suspects in major companies - marketing, advertising, corporate communications, IT and sometimes even branding. And this is no surprise, since the elements of Web 2.0 technology cut across all of these departments - relevant to all, but owned by none. The problem with this lack of obvious ownership is that it seriously inhibits coordination and focus - and ultimately effectiveness.
No matter where the digital apostles work in a company or who is the most learned expert or where the blog moderators reside, it’s critical that companies begin to create new structures and processes to help make sense of the Web and drive coherent, integrated programs. It’s also essential to find and leverage the wide range of skills and expertise that are required to design and execute a strong Web 2.0 strategy - including serious technology chops, editorial talent, video production, project management, advertising experience, research, marketing, website design, etc. The list is long. Getting organized can be as easy as forming cross-functional teams that incorporate members from all relevant teams. And it likely means creating some new senior roles so leaders can direct and track the efforts. Without this grunt work, companies may be relegated to one-off efforts that are often disparate and even contradictory. None of this means organizations need to create a new bureaucracy or be paralyzed by analysis - since glacial consensus-seeking and rigid regulation is anathema to Web 2.0 tactics. Think of it more as providing a basic sense of direction and order…Web-style.
Just read a smart blog by the folks at GolinHarris on a study they conducted in the U.S. to determine how people accessed information and which news sources people trusted more than others. First of all, kudos to these guys for looking at this issue with an open perspective - too often agencies and media companies seem more intent on protecting the status quo than finding real answers. I’m still absoring the detailed analysis, but highlights of the study are as follows:
- There is no substitute for personal experience - direct interaction is the most trusted information source across every demographic group
- Word-of-mouth is the second most important and trusted source, allowing users to “borrow” the direct experience of others
- Online media (CNET, WebMD) are more trusted by a majority of respondents than traditional news sources
- Radio is the most trusted mainstream media source
- Trust in social media channels is showing big gains, and these channels are perceived as important future sources
- Proactive news junkies - or individual influencers - are very active and important sources of information
If nothing else, this research confirms that new Web 2.0 tools have changed the face of news gathering and dissemination forever. [Full disclosure - I worked at GolinHarris for five years and have been known to share a beer with my old friends there. None of them, however, had anything to do with this study.]
A few weeks ago Forrester’s Charlene Li put out a report on the profile of online users in the United States. The Report had enlightening information on the different preferences and activity levels of online participants - ranging from a minority of creators and critics to spectators and inactives (who comprise a narrow majority). Though the data is interesting on its own merit, the bigger lesson in the report is the advice to carefully analyze your customers’ online habits in order to tailor your digital menu, rather than just jumping in with an ad-hoc selection of trendy applications or sites. Sounds logical, but in the rush to avoid getting left behind this is wisdom I fear too many organizations are ignoring. Of course, this due diligence also applies to audiences beyond customers - such as employees. Organizations seeking to reach out to any specific audience or community using online tools needs to define the profile and usage preferences of these groups - as best they can - confirm the purpose for the outreach (to listen? to collaborate? to solve problems? to market?) and then design their outreach strategy accordingly. Companies who do this should be able to answer the all-too-common question asked about digital media at conferences everywhere - should our CEO write a blog? If you do your homework, you can answer that better than anyone.
