Sunday, March 22, 2009

Social Media with Purpose

When it comes to social media, I'm relatively new. There are a lot of experts who know more than I do. But I know a lot, and when it comes to brand strategy, I've definitely been around the block a few times. I've put skin in the game on brands like American Airlines, Gateway and Harley-Davidson, and I want to see them and others succeed at this insanely huge opportunity for better communication and relationships. 

My purpose for this blog is three-fold:

1) to learn. learn. and learn. 

2) to try to engage more "brand people" in the conversation about the conversation, so we can all learn more about the social life from their perspective. "We" (agencies and social media consultants galore) seem to be doing a lot of talking about what "they" (brands) should do, but the world looks rather different from where "they" sit. Maybe if we understand that better, and speak more in their context, we can be of more help as they try to educate others in their organizations about the potential of the social web. 

3) to encourage clients of all shapes and sizes to use social media in a way that delivers on a larger strategic idea rather than as the tactic du jour. Rather than starting the conversation with "We need a Facebook page." I would love to see more brands asking "How can social media support our overall business and marketing strategies?"  

I'm looking forward to sharing ideas with you and brainstorming together. 

If there are particular "brand people" you would like to hear from, let me know and I'll see what I can do.