I guess I should be happy…it’s job security for us business consultants!!
Maybe it’s the phrase “social media” that throws people into an immediate panic. Maybe it’s because so many of the examples discussed online are B2C examples instead of B2B and many of our clients are B2B? And maybe it’s because we’ve all been asked about ROI so much, that we go straight to the business case and metrics discussion without boiling it down and making it really simple. I was reminded of this as I prepared to give a talk to a group of social media, and in fact Marketing “noobs.” The question I was asked to address was the one I started with – why does it matter to a business? As I looked over some of my more typical content I found that I was in the weeds with detailed business cases, influencer models, relationship marketing, word of mouth programs, awareness to preference measurement frameworks, the works…
Well, for sake of keeping it simple on a Saturday – let’s just make it about one simple (although complex) thing: TRUST
Who do you trust for advice about products? About services? When’s the last time you bought something significant without looking at some sort of consumer media online like reviews? Who do you trust more, that company representative or web page…or a fellow user?
So here’s to the first word out of my mouth on this topic for the coming month…TRUST! It’s all about trust.
Sean