Social Media Is the Language of Smart. Do You Speak It?
One big misconception about using social media in business is the idea that it’s only about the technology. It’s not. There is much more than that. Social media, particularly from a marketer’s standpoint, is about getting an entirely new perspective on marketing. Some people will tell you this new perspective is only about engaging people in conversations, embracing transparency, or building community. Frankly, it’s all of these, but at the heart of each of them is one thing: the social media mindset assumes that people are smart.
Have you ever been around someone who was trying to speak English to a person who doesn’t understand English? You’ve seen it. They slow down, get louder, and pronounce things more elaborately as if it will help convey the words they are saying. It’s like they think the person is deaf or dumb because they can’t understand what they’re saying. We know neither are true. The person simply speaks a different language. No amount of increased volume or slower speech will teach someone a language they never learned.
To me, traditional marketing is like the rude English speaking person. It assumes a lot of things about people that aren’t true. What if the best thing marketers could do was to quit trying to be louder, more elaborate, or more easy to understand, but change their marketing language altogether to the language of smart?
Learning the language of smart is a massive shift for traditional marketers. If you believe people are smart you treat them differently from people who are dumb. You explain yourself to a smart customer but not a dumb customer. You listen to the criticism from a smart customer but not a dumb customer. You value the lifetime relationship with a smart customer but not a dumb customer. You know the customer has more options than what you do if you think they’re smart, but you think your business/product/service is their only option if you think the customer is dumb.
Your customers already speak the language of smart, so are you yelling at them in a different language? If you don’t assume your customer is smart, you’re not speaking the language of smart. Your customer already assumes she’s smart. Shouldn’t you?
Tags: digital marketing, language of smart, new media marketing, social media marketing
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
Interesting and thought provoking points. However, I think it is very inconsiderate to assume that customers/clients understand technology or marketing techniques associated with Social media. I agree by default you should treat/talk to people as smart, while never assuming they have a greater or lesser grasp of the technology involved. I enjoy educating people - as much as I enjoy being challenged or learning new techniques - but I would suspect that customers/clients don’t appreciated condescending language, just as much as not understanding the technology or your intended message. It is true, as you say, we are often more attentive to a ’smart customer’ while almost dismissive of people we consider ‘dumb’ - very important facts to keep in mind.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
I think the point here is that consumers are smart about the companies and brands they have affinity for. And with all the web has to offer, they have a plethora of information at their fingertips. I don’t think we should assume our customers are all technologically savvy. What I got out of this posting is that social media is the perfect conduit for companies to speak to their audience as savvy consumers of their brand and also speak to them where and when they are most comfortable; in their own space. There are so many opportunities to reach targeted audiences through social media and promote your brand through word of mouth in an organic way. The key is to be authentic and treat your audience respectfully.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
the language of smart. I dig it. When we don’t treat people like idiots, they trust us? That is genius. Perhaps it shouldn’t be genius… but it is!!
Thanks for writing about this.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Darrin, I’m not sure I’m following you completely here, but this whole discussion has little to do with technology. It has everything to do with a company’s inherent attitude toward customers. Some companies speak the language of smart and some don’t.
Katrina, great points. The customers who are most interested in the company are the smartest about that brand, products, and possibly the industry. They’re usually the most likely to talk about your company too.
Evan, thanks. Seems like I saw somewhere that we should do to others as we would have them do to us.