forget the experts what the musical group tlc can teach us about social media

@chewitt | WhatDoesMarketingReallyDo.com

Social Media Lessons We Can Learn from TLC

Listen to ‘Waterfalls’ Vs. The So-called Experts

wikimusicguide.com

http://www.whatdoesmarketingreallydo.com/index.html?utm_source=Presentations&utm_medium=Footer&utm_campaign=TLC

Preparer Women Winning Worldwide | Chris Hewitt@chewitt | WhatDoesMarketingReallyDo.com 2

What We’re Going To CoverOur Agenda• Introduction• Getting Honest About Social Media• Social Media Counseling from TLC• Actions and Take-aways• Questions


Preparer Women Winning Worldwide | Chris Hewitt@chewitt | WhatDoesMarketingReallyDo.com 3

Why Are We Listening To This Guy?A Little About Me• Senior Director, Marketing at Lumension• Over 14 Years in Internet Strategy and Web

Marketing• Over 10 Years in Executive/Managerial

Leadership Roles• Broad Professional Background: Sales,

Marketing, and IT Experience• Co-author of an Business Method Patent in

Internet Marketing



Social Media

A [sobering] Business Context


Preparer Women Winning Worldwide | Chris Hewitt@chewitt | WhatDoesMarketingReallyDo.com

Gold Rush!

5

US - Public Domain

There’s money in them thar Tweets!



Social Reading from ‘Experts’

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Data Source: Amazon.com

851 Books (106% increase)



But It’s All Relative. Right?

7

Data Source: Amazon.com



Caught Up In The Rush

8



Reinvigorating An Industry• Bringing a new

product to market

• Capitalizing on Corporate ‘Internet Insecurities’

• New marketplace for experts

9



TLC and Social Media

Breaking down the song ‘Waterfalls’ to gain some much needed perspective.



Waterfalls by TLCBy Marqueze Etheridge, Lisa “Left Eye”

Lopes, Organized Noize

Don’t go chasing waterfalls,Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to,

I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all,

But I think you’re moving too fast.

Source Wikipedia

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfalls_(TLC_song)


Social Media Lesson #1Be Realistic, Be Honest

‘Don’t go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to’



Fine…Let’s Talk About BlendTec

13

We are all using the same stories? 608 references to BlendTec on books.google.com



Examples of Lakes and Rivers

Guy Kawasaki• Used Social Media to

share knowledge• Self-proclaimed ‘un-

expert’• Reestablished personal

brand

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CNN• Using Social Media as

another channel for distributing powerful content

• Authentically engaging listeners, reads, and viewers



Defining Your Lakes and Rivers

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Passions

Culture

Motivations

Differentiated Value

Target Audiences



Take Away : Rivers and Lakes

16



Social Media Lesson #2Letting Go Of The

Message‘I know that you’re gonna have it your way or

nothing at all’



Social Policies• Lengthy policies• Do they limit

autonomy?• How does the fear

of ‘disciplinary action’ affect ‘social’?

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Truly Organic

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When It Makes Sense• Compliance

– Customer Privacy– Regulatory

• Healthcare• Education• Financial/Legal

• Spirit of Social Media– Examples:

• Yammer• Private Communities• CarePages

(healthcare)

20

Source: Yammer.com



Take Away : Your WayExternal Measurements• Look at our analytics

– Privacy Policy/Terms Use

• Page Size (kb)• Length (pixels/print)• % Visitors to the page• Time on Page• Advanced segments

– Where do they go?– Exit rates

Internal Measurements• Look at our teams

– Survey Employees• SM Usage – Why• Perceptions

– Social/Techonographics• Flowtown• Gist• LinkedIn

– Who maintains?

21



Social Media Lesson #3 What Value Will You

Return‘But I think you’re moving too fast’



It Won’t Happen To Me Again!

23

• Organizations social move is motivated by fear to avoid another slow Internet-adoption debacle.



Marketing-Driven Value (?)

24

• Opportunistic competitors not welcome by community.



When SM Success…Isn’t

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Twitter Examples: Charlene Li | SXSW - Open Leadership

Begins with failure; forces audience to

find advertised content themselves



Take Away : Moving Too Fast

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Select or Repurposed Content Original, Organic Content

We All Can ShareDeveloping and Maturing with a

Supportive Spirit/Culture

Me Too/Follow Us!Vehicle to Drive Business,

Following Competitors & Trends

Shared VoiceLeading, Driving, and Authentic Social

Dialog

What is This ‘Social’ Thing?Trying to Drive Business the ‘Right

Way’

Social Spirit | Tactic and Campaign Audit

Created By | Chris Hewitt – WhatDoesMarketingReallyDo.com

Who

is G

ener

ating

the

Cont

ent?

What Kind of Content is Being Generated?

Com

pany

-wid

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epar

tmen

tally



Let’s Discuss

Questions? Vehemently Disagree?

@chewitt
