The Ten Plagues of Social Media

The Ten Plagues The Ten Plagues of Social Media David Berkowitz David Berkowitz Blog: MarketersStudio.com Twitter: @dberkowitz Twitter: @dberkowitz March 2010

Introduction In honor of the season, where some celebrate the ancient story of slaves’ exodus from Egypt, it’s time for a new gyp , telling of the ten plagues: the Ten Plagues of Social Media. All are paired with a counterpart from the ancient rendition. This was originally published as a column in MediaPost’s Social Media Insider, reposted on my blog at http://www.marketersstudio.com/2010/03/the-ten-plagues-of-social-media.html p p g Cover Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martin,_John_-_The_Seventh_Plague_-_1823.jpg Iintroduction mage source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Seder_table_setting.jpg

1) Blood: Lack of transparency Whenever marketers aren’t fully transparent as to who they are and what they’re promoting when y p g reaching out to consumers and online influencers, they cloud consumers’ trust just like blood clouded the Nile. The demands of transparency also fall on the content producers whenever their contributions can be considered t ib ti b id d influenced by other parties. Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/supercoco/3589969909/

2) Frogs: Oversharing h Whenever marketers aren’t fully y transparent as to who they are and what they’re promoting when reaching out to consumers and online influencers, they cloud consumers’ trust just like blood clouded the Nile. The demands of transparency also fall on the content t l f ll th t t producers whenever their contributions can be considered influenced by other parties. influenced by other parties Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frog_on_bough.jpg /

3) Lice: Campaign‐based thinking b d h k It’s hard to get lice out of your head, and there s no easy cure for shaking and there’s no easy cure for shaking off campaign‐based thinking either. Campaign‐to‐campaign and quarter‐ to‐quarter thinking prevents q gp marketers from reaping the long‐ term benefits of social marketing. Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lice_image01.jpg

4) Flies: Autoposting Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, , , , Foursquare, and other sites are not all the same, but the way some marketers unleash hoards of content, you might think the sites were interchangeable. Posting the same content in the same way across every social site is efficient for the producer i l it i ffi i t f th d but diminishes the experience for the recipients. There’s a place for it; headline and deal feeds are some headline and deal feeds are some that can work as syndicated feeds while managing consumer expectations. The first instinct should expectations. The first instinct should be to avoid this though. Image source: Bresson Thomas http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ComputerHotline_-_Diptera_sp._(by)_(11).jpg

5) Pestilence: Lack of internal communication k f l I don’t want to refer to your colleagues (or mine) as livestock, but y you depend on your colleagues for p y g your livelihood and putting food on the table, just as our ancient forbears relied on livestock. When marketers and their agency partners aren’t in close communication, and when there isn’t communication internally with any of those parties, it amounts ith f th ti it t to a plague on their livelihood. Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wenceslas_Hollar_-_Cattle_plague_(State_2).jpg

6) Boils: Lack of integration k f In this case, the plague fits the crime. Social marketing campaigns should be planned just as tightly in p j g y conjunction with other marketing programs as boils are connected to victims’ skin. Perhaps it’s not the most pleasant analogy, but these are the ten plagues, not the ten happiest things to ever happen. Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Death.jpg

7) Hail: Talking at Consumers lk Sometimes, reading marketers’ updates in social channels feels like walking through a hailstorm. You get g g g pelted by a self‐aggrandizing update here and a limited time offer there, and you can’t wait to run for cover. Conversing and asking questions can soften the blows and make it more like a day at the beach. Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hail_Hagel.jpg

8) Locusts: Bright shiny object syndrome h h b d If you’ve ever seen a swarm of y locusts on National Geographic Channel or Discovery, you’ll appreciate why this was the first plague association to come to mind. Look at all the locusts move from field to field – blogs to MySpace to Second Life to widgets to Twitter to S d Lif t id t t T itt t Facebook to augmented reality to Foursquare – sucking the life out of them and then looking for their next them and then looking for their next meal. Marketers can shed their locust exoskeletons by figuring out what works and sticking with it, even while works and sticking with it, even while exploring new opportunities. Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Locust_and_grasshopper_campaign_in_the_Philippines.JPG

9) Darkness: Lack of vision k f When you see marketers fumble y royally in social media, you’re usually witnessing a marketer that didn’t plan ahead. These fumbles can often arise when a marketer is dealing with a crisis, but they can also come up when a marketer is more successful than they anticipated, such as when th th ti i t d h h too many consumers take them up on a deal. Plan for the best and the worst and be prepared to act when worst and be prepared to act when either arises to prevent darkness from descending on your social programs. Image source: My own

10) Death of the firstborn: Death of marketing as we know it h f k k The death of the firstborn plague is p g the most permanent. There has been a similar plague on marketing and media: rising consumer expectations of some form of two‐way communication. For consumers like myself who grew up writing letters to brands that pleasantly or b d th t l tl unpleasantly surprised me, this is deliciously empowering. This plague will kill off some marketers who can t will kill off some marketers who can’t adapt. Image source: My own

Conclusion Egypt wasn’t undone by the exodus, gyp y , or any version of it that has been passed down to us. It remained a capital of the ancient world for over a thousand years more and has been a pivotal part of many great civilizations and cultures since. Plagues may afflict us and they may Pl ffli t d th kill off the weak, but the springtime exodus saga tells the greater story of rebirth and renaissance. If there s not rebirth and renaissance If there’s not a promised land for marketers per se, may we at least heal from these plagues to uphold brands promises plagues to uphold brands’ promises to consumers. Image source: My own

The Ten Plagues of Social Media The Ten Plagues of Social Media 1. Lack of transparency (blood) p y( ) 2. Oversharing (frogs) 3. Campaign‐based thinking (lice) 4. Autoposting (flies) 5. Lack of internal communication (pestilence) 6. Lack of integration (boils) ( ) 7. Talking at consumers (hail) 8. 8 Bright shiny object syndrome (locusts) Bright shiny object syndrome (locusts) 9. Lack of vision (darkness) 10. Death of marketing as we know it (death of the firstborn) Death of marketing as we know it (death of the firstborn)

Contact David Berkowitz Contact David Berkowitz Blog: MarketersStudio.com Blog: MarketersStudio com Twitter: @dberkowitz Twitter: @dberkowitz LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dberkowitz Li k dI li k di /i /db k it Email: marketersstudio@gmail.com

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The Ten Plagues of Social Media

by David Berkowitz

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