Civil Society Groups & How They Use Social Media

From the Arab Spring to the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Keystone XL issue and even down to small, localised activities, civil society groups (from radical left-wing activists to the average and necessary protest) have figured out social media and are making increasingly effective use of it. Below, we’ve provided a diagram of how these groups, some that have been around a long time, others that just form for a short period, are using these tools. Businesses would do well to understand them and the processes for marketing, investor and public relations.

In the Management block, we can see how social media tools are used to manage the administrative functions of the group. In this case they may use email, a Facebook group, Wiki’s and other tools, that are a mix of “open” to the public and private. In the second block, Communication, we see how they use the various tools to communicate/broadcast the messages developed as a team. All forms of digital content are used across multiple platforms (e.g. Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr etc.) Once the content and creative has been released it moves to the “Engagement” phase, where the grassroots group enters into dialogue with the general public, answering questions and ensuring the message is consistent and understood by the public and hopefully shared. The Actions shows how once the message is out there (i.e. “meet at the town hall, wear your t-shirts and bring signs at 2PM”) it can result in a number of real-world activities. The green circle indicates that if an event in public or online piece of content (e.g. video) is successful, the general public shares the results of the activity that took place in public and the feedback communications loop is triggered (the green line returning to the communications block.) Once news media picks up on a story, such as a highly successful public rally, this transitions the story to a broadcast public, usually significantly increasing recognition for the civil society group and expanding their message. Social Media is a highly cost-effective route to organizing, creating and communicating a mission. Traditional news media then plays a vital role in expanding audience attention and driving further public actions.

We have seen this process used in a number of actions over the past two years. It works and has become highly effective. The gap we often find that our business and government clients miss, is that these social media is simply a set of tools used to galvanize support and actions that take place in the real world. They might see videos after  a protest or action and say “oh well, yeah, we know that happened.” But the same tools were used beforehand to organize the rally. Those affected by these necessary and key parts of a democracy could, however, be better prepared.

Activists and the Challenges Faced by Corporations

We’ve written before on how activists are using social media tools to target corporations and/or governments. Here we look at some of the subsequent challenges corporations face in dealing with these groups. Not dealing with them can result in board governance issues, a failure to attract star talent, legislative changes to industry that increase operating costs and cut profits, demotivated staff (thus lower productivity) and a PR nightmare. Yet large businesses and many governments have a hard time responding. So what are their challenges.

David Vs. Goliath: An oft-told fable in business circles. David won because he was smaller and nimble and able to adapt quicker. As it is with activist groups. Even larger, multi-national ones have localized “cells” that have a fair bit of freedom and can quickly cause a local or regional set of troubles to a large firm. Sheer size of the larger companies means it is harder to turn the boat around.

Management Process: Certainly part of the “size” issue. Large companies need scaled processes to run effectively. Systems for manufacturing, production, marketing and delivery. Governance for shareholders and investor relations. That all means people. Lots of people. And people have different views framed by their profession or function. At the top levels, awareness of trends and issues in the trenches is not always what it could be. With so many steps to a key tactical or strategic decision, it adds to the slowness to respond.

An Ever Changing Corporate Memory: Turnover is a factor in long-term, protracted battles with activist groups such as in the extractive resources sector. People leave and move about in large corporations. Skills and historical knowledge that can help deal with these protracted issues can be lost. Activist groups are very adept at passing knowledge on tactics used. This is in large part due to the use of social medias by activist groups. This provides them with “memory” as members come and go.

The Legal Opinion: The larger the organization the greater the legal exposure. Lawyers always prefer the “less said the better” approach. A legal review takes time and costs a lot of money. By the time a response may be created it can be entirely inneffective and too watered down to have any impact. Activist groups are well aware of this factor.

The People on the Front Line: Most often, corporations will only assign their PR folks and some lawyers to deal with the issues of activists. This is certainly part of the team needed, but not the whole. Government relations, marketing and members of the C-suite should also be involved. They can add additional minds and the marketing team might add some creative juice for response measures. These teams then need to be empowered to act and act swiftly.

The biggest challenge for corporations dealing with activists leveraging social media is their sheer size and inability to move effectively and swiftly. If a company can find a way to enable a faster response and empower a team to engage, the chances of countering false negative messaging is improved dramatically. And don’t forget the security issues, but that’s another blog post.

Facebook is Not The Only Social Network

A lot of brands are focusing on Facebook as the primary social media channel to expend their marketing efforts and budgets on. While this is good, unfortunately it may not be offering the golden hope of social media marketing results they were hoping for. For brands that cross multiple market segments (consumer products like Adidas, MacDonald’s or Apple) this investment in a single channel may be good. But even for Adidas, they may find it more valuable to engage in social networks where their true audience is.

Some marketers may groan at this further fracturing of the budget and resource allocation and the need for a whole new set of metrics, specific content and creative that will be needed. But it could be crucial and Facebook efforts may be a good “catch-all” to re-direct consumers to more focused social networks. In our research over the past year we’ve found that in 2011 there has been a CAGR 37% increase in the rise and use of specialized social networks over the last two years – combined. This is significant.

If you’re a golfer, mom of teen kids, cruise ship enthusiast, eco-tourist, sailing aficionado, hunter or any other form of hobby passion, then you are likely spending less and less time in Facebook and more time in a social network aimed at your passion/interest. And we expect this trend to continue. If you’re thinking that Facebook Pages, Groups etc., is the answer to this dilemma, sorry, that’s not the case. Our findings also showed that when we compared a social network for golfers, hunters, sailors, knitting, running, cycling and mom issues, the comparable Facebook Group (that with the most “likes” and followers) had less than 3% of the members in a specific closed social network targeting those communities. The most popular platform for these communities outside of Facebook is Ning – not exactly an easy channel for marketers to engage in.

If you’re product or service is focused on a specific niche or segment, our recommendation would be to expend your budget and efforts there. Setting up a Facebook page is a good move, to capture eyeballs and direct them to the channel where the real conversations are taking place. Another part of our findings showed people in niche social networks are 43% more active than on a Facebook group page.

If you’re a small manufacturer or service, find where your market is really hanging out, you’ll become more engaged, improve customer feedback and loyalty and likely get a better return.

(Image Courtesy: Lori Grieg via Flickr)

How Online Behaviour Impacts Real World Behaviour

It’s probably one of the biggest questions of business and governments; just exactly how does what people do “online” in Cyburbia, translate to actions in the real world? The evidence is overwhelming that it does. The challenge is that it’s changing our real-world life so much and in so many complex ways, that it can be a challenge to wrap ones head around it.

Online communities, Cyburbia, social medias or Web 2.0 – whatever you want to call these new channels of communication, are first and foremost the domain of “ideas”. It is from ideas that we develop plans and strategies that translate into actions. Through our past, current and ongoing research projects and from what many a pundit has written, we’ve broken down online activities into 4 key functions of how we use these new, hyper-connected tools to translate to real-world activities;

1. Ideas: We have ideas all the time. A new way to do something online or in the real-world. An idea about new laws, buildings, saving energy…anything and everything we do has human beings comes from an idea first.

2. Organizing: When an idea takes hold and we (and perhaps others) decide to take actions by translating that idea into reality, we have to organize. That could be meetings, protests, writing, creating a website or opening a restaurant. This all requires a number of steps and processes – this is organizing. There are a number of tools for organizing online; for one person to thousands of people. The key is that these new digital tools allow people to organize as groups quickly, anywhere in the world, at any time across multiple devices.

3. Collaboration: While your organizing the idea into actions, you’ll likely connect with others. Humans must work together as groups to make big things happen – like building a shopping centre. This is collaboration. Just as with organizing (and often they are integrated) these new tools enable a group to shape an idea, expand on it, refine it.

4. Communication: Once you’ve shaped your idea, you then communicate it to many or a few people. Once you’re team or group has formed, collaborated and organized, you then communicate again to drive awareness and action. You will likely create all kinds of communications content to get action (video, images, brochures, documents, blog posts, tweets etc.) Just as online tools enable collaboration, development of ideas (writing and research) and organizing, they facilitate communications that are faster, almost no cost and easier than ever before.

It is these 4 elements that combine to result in the actions that change our world; whether that be political or business. If you’re seeking to understand the translation of online activities into real-world actions, apply these elements to any groups and you’ll have a framework to understand how these interested parties are behaving and what may happen in your area of interest.

Perhaps you have some thoughts on this? Anything to add? Let us know.

What Marketers Are Missing in Social Media Analysis

Never before in the history of marketing have marketers had their toes held so close to the fire of profits by senior management. While the C-Suite may not entirely “get” social media or internet marketing, they do know that it affords the ability to collect a lot more “data” than ever before. While that’s true, the challenge is turning that data into information and that information into intelligence – it’s “intelligence” within information that we use to make decisions. But hang on…in this mad drive by marketers to validate dwindling and increasingly fractured budgets, are they missing some of the key intelligence from social media? Perhaps they’re missing the real point of engagement.

Sure, there’ve been some successful social media marketing campaigns. Note the word “campaign” here. And this is the marketing problem with social media. Marketers (driven largely by agencies) STILL see social media engagement as campaign based rather than long term. Through our extensive research, we also see that the only “long-term” engagement by most companies is customer service. And even that is a half-hearted gesture most of the time.

Values Marketers Are Missing in Social Media Analysis
Here we list a few of the valuable metrics and intelligence marketers could be pulling out of social media for their companies. While they may not seem to immediately impact the bottom-line, they can actually help in corporate strategy and long-term survival as well as new opportunities for revenues.

1. Product Feedback: Consumers leave some incredibly valuable insights into features, uses and problems with products. This information can be shared with product management and R&D teams. Try to get that information out of an online survey or focus group – just isn’t going to happen.

2. New Verticals: Some deep research and analysis may (and often has in our research) point out new vertical market opportunities that may have taken years to uncover, if at all.

3. Competitor Woes: Similarly, you can gain vital indicators of problems and challenges your competitors are having. These can be exploited through effective campaigns.

4. Seasonal Trends: Just looking at sales data doesn’t always indicate a seasonal trend. That data may show something post-event, but social media analysis can identify seasonal shifts as they’re happening or ahead of time…so maybe instead of launching your campaign in May, you start in April and get out ahead of competitors.

5. Cooperative & Partnering Opportunities: By cross-referencing your company’s products or services against a semi-competitor or complimentary business, you may find unique co-marketing opportunities. Ones that would’ve otherwise gone missing.

6. Looming Disasters: Social media channels can be your canary in a coal mine. Shifts in consumer attitudes and behaviours can indicate potential problems with your product or market. Be nice to head off a disaster and adapt ahead rather than sit in the ruins of bankruptcy in a bar.

7. Problem Areas: Sales dropping in Topeka? Spiking in Halifax? Why? You can call the sales office in the affected region if you like…you’ll get the usual ass-saving remarks, but likely not the truth. Turn to social media and you may find some answers.

These are seven of well, quite a few valuable metrics we’ve uncovered in our various research projects. Perhaps you can think of a few yourselves.