Understanding the Groundswell
Yesterday, I attended the Internet Strategy Summit here in Portland, which was organized by Steve Gehlen, a former client of OakTree's. The conference was very well attended by the region's most wired, as well as similarly wired attendees from all around the country. One of the more energetic and thought-provoking presentations was given by Charlene Li, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research & most notably, author of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. What is "groundswell," you might ask? In a nutshell, it's the phenomenon where people use technology to get the things they need from each other, rather than from corporations. A great and common example of this is the ever-increasing popularity of Craigslist, where millions of transactions are conducted strictly between people with no interjection or influence by corporations.
From an anthropological perspective, this is interesting, of course, but when we start to think about the significance of the groundswell to our industry, to our clients, to our livelihood, there are ramifications we should all be thinking of now. We are living in an age where something like only 28% of polled Americans say that they trust advertisers, while something like ~ 66% of those same polled people say they trust friends, family and acquaintances. If that's true of the world we live in, the conventional methods of online marketing won't succeed. Embrace the groundswell or become irrelevant.
Practical implications for website designers are always emerging, but becoming familiar with social marketing strategies and tools will be necessary. Gone, or going, are the days of static corporate websites--these narcissistic, one-way communication tools that message to consumers, rather than speak with customers. Create strategies that will encourage community, engagement with client products and services, and in the process, increase credibility. When customers can participate in the improvement of a company's products or services, they'll become brand advocates, brand ambassadors.
Many marketers fear the loss of control that comes with implementing a social marketing strategy, but as Charlene Li points out, "Control is an illusion." These days, people don't need to ask for permission to slam a company when its product sucks, or when brand promises are broken. A better bet is to participate in the discussion, or risk becoming irrelevant.
From an anthropological perspective, this is interesting, of course, but when we start to think about the significance of the groundswell to our industry, to our clients, to our livelihood, there are ramifications we should all be thinking of now. We are living in an age where something like only 28% of polled Americans say that they trust advertisers, while something like ~ 66% of those same polled people say they trust friends, family and acquaintances. If that's true of the world we live in, the conventional methods of online marketing won't succeed. Embrace the groundswell or become irrelevant.
Practical implications for website designers are always emerging, but becoming familiar with social marketing strategies and tools will be necessary. Gone, or going, are the days of static corporate websites--these narcissistic, one-way communication tools that message to consumers, rather than speak with customers. Create strategies that will encourage community, engagement with client products and services, and in the process, increase credibility. When customers can participate in the improvement of a company's products or services, they'll become brand advocates, brand ambassadors.
Many marketers fear the loss of control that comes with implementing a social marketing strategy, but as Charlene Li points out, "Control is an illusion." These days, people don't need to ask for permission to slam a company when its product sucks, or when brand promises are broken. A better bet is to participate in the discussion, or risk becoming irrelevant.
posted by David Martin at
3:24 PM
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