Brands - I don't believe can truly be part of the conversation. Now this may be a moot point but I believe this for two reasons...
The most obvious reason being that if you do not passionately believe in conversations or social media, don't pretend....just don't do it!
The second reason is mulling around in my head. Brands may have personalities but they are not people. If they are not people per se then can they really join a conversation? People representing the brand can, but is that the same? Should we distinguish between the two?
I believe that brands need to see themselves as the conversation hub, the party organizer, the conversation starter etc The brand can be the hub of information, the social place for their customers, providing the space for their customers to share, to meet, to learn. So they are forming a hub not necessarily joining the conversation.
Social media is often seen as conversational, I wonder whether this is too narrow?
After all you cannot 'make' people have conversations but you can create the atmosphere which encourages the conversation to take place.
Brands are not people although people are behind the brands. Maybe the people need to join the conversation but brands need to be develop the social hub in which these conversations occur - this may be a subtle difference but I believe that within that subtlety lies the potential of brands in social media.
The most obvious reason being that if you do not passionately believe in conversations or social media, don't pretend....just don't do it!
The second reason is mulling around in my head. Brands may have personalities but they are not people. If they are not people per se then can they really join a conversation? People representing the brand can, but is that the same? Should we distinguish between the two?
I believe that brands need to see themselves as the conversation hub, the party organizer, the conversation starter etc The brand can be the hub of information, the social place for their customers, providing the space for their customers to share, to meet, to learn. So they are forming a hub not necessarily joining the conversation.
Social media is often seen as conversational, I wonder whether this is too narrow?
After all you cannot 'make' people have conversations but you can create the atmosphere which encourages the conversation to take place.
Brands are not people although people are behind the brands. Maybe the people need to join the conversation but brands need to be develop the social hub in which these conversations occur - this may be a subtle difference but I believe that within that subtlety lies the potential of brands in social media.
