Is Social Media a Mile Wide, Inch Deep?
I have a concern that today’s frenzy over social media might be leading us down a slippery slope of communications shallowness. While a proponent of the 140-character concept of such things as Twitter, if it’s embraced as a primary tool for communications, as some suggest, its lack of depth can have adverse impact on a corporation’s image and reputation.
As someone who has been in the public relations business more than 25 years, I’ve seen trends come and go. And, here’s the downside of social media, as I see it — we live in a time when it’s clear some people want to use the interesting online tools of social media without bothering to learn any level of expertise in the practice of communications.
Yes, anyone can click a computer mouse and blast email a press release … and many do. That requires no skill or intelligence. But, it also does not guarantee any results for clients. Quite the contrary, blast emails rarely achieve anything substantial or measurable. At the same time, writing a 140-character mini-posting for Twitter will vanish in a nano-second without strategic thinking behind it … and a following.
Self-proclaimed social media gurus speak before conferences about the “3-A’s” of social media (I made-up the “3-A’s”) or 10 things you must know to win at social media … but there’s no depth, no expertise and no savvy knowledge of developing communications strategies that might use social media to make a difference for companies and organizations. It’s just so much talk.
With mainstream media cutbacks in covering business and science news, there are exciting opportunities for corporations and organizations to recalibrate how they communicate … by embracing the storytelling approach of corporate journalism, incisively targeting audiences through the tools of online social media, deliver legitimate and timely story ideas to mainstream media … and, begin to manage what’s said about them by audiences, ranging from customers and partners to shareholders and the media.
Filed Under: Corporate Journalism • Featured • Social Media
About the Author: David is a veteran communications strategist ... writer ... blogger ... online publisher ... and Emmy Award winning former CBS Network News correspondent. He lives in the Washington, D. C., area, and works worldwide.
A timely reminder about what is important and what we must not allow to have happen. Well said.