Getting Antisocial About Social Media

A friend who manages social media for a Fortune 500 company confided that he prefers traditional press because he can measure its impact. Given that social media is his job, hearing this seemed as anomalous as the thought of Henry Ford yelling “Get a horse!” at passing motorists.

What occasioned the exchange: My suggestion that he and other members of the executive team (or by default, yours truly acting in their stead) post comments on relevant online trade news, features and blogs where their expertise might be of value to readers.  Unlike The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, whose articles attract page-upon-page of comments nobody has the time to scroll through or read, online trade press is relatively overlooked by the Commentariat. In short, because virtually nobody comments on trade press items, it’s virgin territory any smart company can easily own — and should.

By standard ways of thinking, my pal offered two good objections:

1. His media monitoring system had no way of tracking comments, hence they were invisible.
2. If nobody’s bothering to comment on a trade press article or blog, then the story’s no good and commenting on it is a waste of time.

I explained why the old standards no longer apply:

1. His tried & true monitoring tools merely reflect the universe of those who sign up for a print pub.  The Wall Street Journal may have 2.0 million subscribers and Information Week half a million, but old school monitoring services cannot show if a single soul actually reads a particular story. [Google Analytics and similar tools do so.]
2. Trade media comments are typically posted immediately below the story — you don’t have to hunt for them. If the only person commenting is you, you’re the only one seen — and what you say is right there, front & center.  If 50,000 or just five viewers pause for a gander, there are tools that will tell you. Guesswork — gone.

By the new rules of measurement, the only metric that matters is the rise in traffic to your site.  It all counts and can be counted.

My friend relented and half-heartedly gave me the go-ahead to begin spewing commentaria, which I did five minutes later, starting with a leading trade rag.  I don’t think he really suspected I’d dive right in.  I’m sitting here waiting for the “shock and awe” carpet bombing that will surely follow when he sees what I’ve done.

Then I’ll pull out another set of rules I’ve learned in my years as an equestrian, hunter/jumper class.  They’re applicable in all walks of life or business, and offer a lesson anyone might value.  Even fans of Ned Ludd.

1. Never point a horse at a jump unless you intend to go over it. The moment you turn a horse into a jump, that’s where you’re going.
2. Look where you want to go.  Look beyond the jump to your goal — go there.  Look down at the ground — fall there.
3. If you fall, don’t shoot the horse.

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