Cutting Through The Noise: Tying Social Media Program to Business Objectives

The debate over whether or not social media programs should show positive ROI (a financial outcome) or not is kind of silly. It’s a dogmatic argument: People who believe social media activities shouldn’t be about making or saving money for the organization can articulate with conviction why they shouldn’t be. They will use terms like “engagement” and “conversations.” Their measurement methodology will shun terms like ROI (return on investment) in favor of terms like ROE (Return on Engagement) and ROC (Return on Conversations).

Conversely, people who believe social media programs should focus on the P&L and the bottom-line have their own set of valid arguments to support their point of view. They tend to use terms like “net new customers” and “buy rate.” Their social media programs’ measurement methodologies tie ROI to net new revenue, customer acquisition and retention, cost efficiencies, and various types of conversion funnels.

Both sides of this argument have been fighting over the same piece of turf for going on three years now, and with little to show for it. In the end, the argument itself is rubbish. The simple truth is this:

1. An organization’s social media program doesn’t have to focus on generating positive ROI, but it can. That is why professionals who work in the Social Media program management space have to understand the ROI piece.

2. An organization’s social media program can (and should) serve more than one purpose. One purpose may be to generate revenue for a particular group, or cut costs for an existing program. (This increased revenue/cost savings type of objective, being financial at its core, is the basis of the ROI issue in Social Media programs as it is with all business programs.) Injecting ROI and business justification into a Social Media program, however, does not mean social media activity cannot also serve PR, marketing and business intelligence functions. Generating positive ROI and pushing non-financial outcomes can coexist perfectly within the same social media program. Most successful Social Media program managers don’t make the mistake of taking sides in this pointless profit vs. “purity” debate.

3. Whether a Social Media program should generate positive ROI is really up to the organization’s leadership. The CEO is the ultimate arbiter here. Every organization has different sets of goals and objectives. Social Media is merely a tool kit. How it is used – and in support of what types of objectives – is unique to each organization. There is no universal right or wrong way to apply Social Media to an organization’s business model. There is only the way that best benefits each unique organization. Sometimes, monetizing Social Media is relevant. Sometimes, it is not.

Take the example of a fully funded NFP (Not-For Profit organization) or a government program. Such an entity isn’t looking to acquire new customers because it doesn’t have customers. It may not even be interested in recruiting donors or benefactors. Its sole purpose in creating a Social Media program may be to increase its reach, educate the public, and improve awareness about an issue – like teen pregnancy or the health risks of smoking cigarettes. ROI may not ever be a factor, yet Social Media can be integrated into the organization’s communications mix with potentially powerful results.

Likewise, a for-profit company may realize that at some point, it will have to deal with a major PR crisis that will involve consumer outrage in the social media space. Companies whose PR departments find themselves both unprepared and out-gunned in the social media space on the day a crisis hits tend to take a brutal beating by angry digital denizens that leaves a lasting stain on their brands, at least in the world of search engines. Among them recently were BP, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Nestle, and more recently Kenneth Cole. Digitally-savvy PR professionals understand that the faster a crisis can be defused in the social media space, the smaller the footprint both in consumers’ collective psyche and in the world of Google. To this end, new digital PR functions such as keyword monitoring, online reputation management, and digital crisis planning and management form an invaluable insurance policy against sudden unpleasant (and potentially damaging) situations. This takes planning, diligence, and a lot of front-end work in terms of building relationships with consumers through social media channels, participating in the activities of various communities (digital, in this case),etc. Some companies may decide that building this type of digital protection mechanism should be the primary focus of a Social Media program, and that is perfectly fine if that is what they want to focus on.

For other organizations, the focus of their Social Media program seems to naturally fall into any number of business functions like customer service, marketing, lead generation, advertising, market research, customer retention, consumer insights management, etc. Every business is different. Coca Cola and Pepsi don’t use social media in the same way in spite of the fact that they have very similar business models. In the same way, GM and Ford’s both use social media in their own unique way, and each works well for them. An organization’s decision to focus on financial outcomes and non financial outcomes (or the degree to which they focus on both) is entirely up to the leadership of the organization.

As advisors, program managers, social business directors, consultants, agencies or partners, our job isn’t to steer companies towards financial or non-financial outcomes. It isn’t to push our own skewed dogmatic beliefs about what Social Media and Social Business should be about. (The term “social media evangelist” suddenly comes to mind.) Our job is to first understand all of the ways in which Social Media fits into our organization – in other words, how it can benefit the organization, – and second, properly implement its use in support of key business objectives.

If an organization then wants to only focus on using social media to guard itself against a PR crisis, so be it. If it only wants to use social media to push out promotions and special sales, that is perfectly fine for them to start there. (It worked well enough for Dell.) If it wants to focus on combing the Twitternets for potential customer service opportunities, start there. (Comcast didn’t fare too badly in this area either.) If it feels most comfortable using social channels to simply extend its digital marketing efforts and make them more interactive, that works too (Old Spice, Pepsi and Coca-Cola come to mind). Likewise, if a company decides that it wants to build a more robust, operationalized program that plugs social media into every department and business function, then be ready to build that type of program as well. (Companies like Ford, GM, Starbucks and Best Buy are well on their way.)

 

Whether an organization starts out with one area of focus and naturally gravitates towards expanding social media into other areas of its business, or starts out looking to build a comprehensive social media program that plugs into every facet of its business, the basic process of turning a social media program into what my friend Brian Solis calls “Social Business” is at its core fairly straightforward:

1. Take a step back and look at your entire organization, talk with your department heads, and together figure out how social media might fit into every single business function and process, from marketing, sales and customer service, to internal collaboration and data analysis. This is primarily a strategic discussion.

2. Follow the “how does it fit?” discussion with a “how do we make it fit?” series of sessions. These will be operational discussions rather than strategic ones, so you may want to invite a different set of people to participate in this phase of the process.

3. It isn’t enough to vaguely attach facets of a Social Media program to business functions. You also have to identify specific goals proper to these functions that your social media program will be tasked with supporting. There is no need to create a different set of goals for your social media program. Start with existing business goals. In regards to sales, this could be increasing sales by 13% YoY. In regards to marketing, it might be to reach 300,000 net new households in Q2, or generate 5,000 new leads. The PR department’s objective may be to both create a digital crisis response plan and improve its media outreach efforts. Each function has its set of objectives. Identify them, understand them, and make sure that your social media program supports these objectives.

Note that whether or not those objectives are financial or non-financial doesn’t matter. The distinction is irrelevant to the purpose of the Social Media program’s activities. It can support both financial and non-financial objectives with equal effect and fervor.

 

4. Once you have established what business functions your Social Media program will support, how it will plug into each of these functions from an operational perspective (who does what and how, who do does everyone report to, etc.), and what objectives the program’s activities will focus on achieving, specific goals have to be set. This is the process of converting sometimes vague objectives into specific numbers. “More sales” is thus turned into “$20,000,000 net new revenue in Q2.” “Improve brand perception” becomes “increase positive sentiment for the brand by 20%.”

The question this step aims to answer is “How will I measure my program’s success for each of those objectives?” Measuring the ROI of a Social Media program may be tied to specific increases in net new revenue or cost savings so this part is important. Having said that, measuring a Social media program’s value to an organization beyond financial justification requires an equal degree of accountability. PR, for example, is rarely asked to show ROI. Like Customer Service and Human Resources, it is a function whose purpose touches on aspects of the business that do not directly impact sales. As Social Media becomes integrated into the PR function, ROI (financial justification) may not be nearly as relevant a topic as focusing on properly measuring its impact on the PR department’s effectiveness.

You can see how setting adequate targets is pretty crucial at this juncture. PR is just one example. The same reasoning can be applied to every business function: If the business function is not generally asked to show ROI, introducing a social media element to that business function may not necessitate an ROI discussion. A discussion about how adding a social media component to its activities will help it hit specific targets (in this case non-financial) may be more appropriate. If, however, the business function or program is tasked with showing a positive financial return on investment, then an ROI discussion is appropriate when it comes to assigning resources to social media roles in support of those financial targets. What setting targets teaches us is that the ROI question is case-specific.

What this part of process also teaches us is that the effectiveness of a Social Media program should not only be tied to typical social media metrics like the number of followers, fans, likes and subscribers, but also to the program’s ability to help each business function it supports hit its targets. In fact, the latter should be your priority. Each business function has its own set of objectives, and each of these objectives must have its own set of targets.

 

This is how you start to build functional Social Media programs, by the way. Not by treating social media as a 5th marketing wheel or a vague consumer “engagement” engine, but as a fully-integrated competency deployed across every department in your organization.

So the lesson here is this: Don’t get all tied up in the philosophical arguments regarding social media and business, the ROI question, or even the pros and cons of monetizing social media. debating personal opinions can be pretty entertaining, but from a practical standpoint, these types of discussions don’t lead to either answers or solutions.

Instead of picking a side or arguing over conjecture, look at Social Media’s role in business from a practical perspective: Understand all of the ways the Social space, with all of its tools and capabilities, can help an organization improve everything it does. Figure out how the organization you serve can use Social Media to become safer, smarter, faster, friendlier and more successful in every way that matters. Some of it will hinge on financial outcomes and some of it won’t. Learn to be equally comfortable with both and you will find that building and managing social media programs that bear fruit will become a lot easier.

I hope I didn’t confuse anyone with this.

Cheers.

PS: You can find a lot of this stuff in Social Media ROI: Managing and Measuring Social Media Efforts in Your Organization (Que Biz-Tech / Pearson), due out in March, but available for pre-order now on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble. Order it now:

Additional reading:

Vadim Lavrusik’s The Evolution of the Social Media Manager – Social Monetization Manager? (Mashable) – Finally, businesses are beginning to look past the “it’s really about conversations and engagement” evangelism and into a more complete approach to social media operationalization. Vadim’s post made me realize it was finally time to start sharing some of this with a broader audience.

Sean McDonald’s Dell – A Leader in Social Media Innovation (Ant’s Eye View) Hat tip to @RichardatDELL for pointing this one out. The statement that “You will never fully scale your operation by just adding more headcount to a central social media team. You scale smartly when you enlist your existing employee population to listen and engage on behalf of the brand” echoes my sentiment exactly. Social media isn’t a department or a function. In order to yield the best results (whatever they may be, based on the organization’s needs) it must be a fully-integrated competency deployed across every department in an organization.

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“We have that under control.”

If I had a dollar for every time I have heard a company either say these words or infer them, I would be driving a much nicer car.

“We have that under control.”

Sure you do. 😀

That is why you are seeing 50%+ YoY growth.

That is why you are the category leader in your market and enjoy 80%+ market share.

That is why your brand commands rabid, cult-like loyalty from your customers.

That is why you don’t even need to advertise anymore. Word-of-mouth from existing customers is so good that people are tripping all over themselves to do business with you.

That is why while everyone else is cutting back, you can’t hire staff fast enough to meet your massive growth.

That is why you are driving companies that used to be your competition out of business.

That is why you have already been on the covers of both Fast Company and Inc. this year.

That is why Oprah is singing your praises every other day.

That is why you already have hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter.

That is why your CEO, CMO and other key managers are invited to speak at conferences on a regular basis.

That is why you attract the best talent from around the world without ever having to post a single position on a job board.

Yeah. You have everything under control. I can see that. The quality of your products is stellar. Exemplary, even. Your innovative spirit has helped redefine not only markets but culture as a whole. The way we live. The way we work. The way we communicate. You are the Apple or the Starbucks or the BMW of your industry.

Your Marketing communications are so fluid, organic and true that your company culture oozes from every press release, from every brochure, from every page of your website(s). It emanates from every employee. No… wait, “emanates” is the wrong word. It “radiates.” That’s better. Your company culture radiates from every single employee, from the CEO on down to the janitor, and it rings so true that people simply flock to you out of principle. Even if people don’t use your product, they love your company because of what it represents.

That’s how much you have things under control.

Your listening posts are everywhere. Every time someone says positive about your brand on the web, your community manager(s) and PR team know it, make a note of it, and even send out a little nod of appreciation. Likewise, when someone shares a negative experience or opinion, the same team immediately reacts and reaches out to the person or persons to find out how they might turn that negative experience into a good one. And that team does this flawlessly. It is fast, supremely professional and friendly, and doesn’t let anything fall through the cracks. Again, every such web interaction is cataloged, measured and reported.

Because you have everything under control.

You never ship late – and when you do, you make sure to make it right for your customers. You never make it difficult for customers to return a product or go through the warranty process. Your customer service/customer support team is among the best in the world. If you suddenly went out of business, people’s lives would be in shambles.

But when something goes wrong, the fact that you have hundreds of thousands of followers across your blog(s), Twitter, Facebook and other social web communities makes it easy for you to turn a crisis into a case study of how well companies can handle themselves when they get broadsided by an issue.

Because you have everything under control.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Whatever you say.

Every time a corporate honcho utters the phrase “we have that under control” or “we have that covered” or “we’re good in that department,” the red flags pop up like jacks-in-the-box.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Whenever I hear that phrase, I catch myself wanting to laugh outloud… Which I probably shouldn’t do, but I can’t help it because it is so… predictable, in a sad, foreshadowing sort of way.

This is what it must feel to substance abuse counselors every time an addict sits in their chair for the first time and says “I don’t have a problem”or “I can stop whenever I want.”

You see it and hear the words enough times, you learn to understand the depth of the associated dysfunction before the response is fully formulated… And what always disappoints, I suppose, is the degree of predictability and… banality I now associate with that type of reply coming from professionals and industry veterans who clearly should know better.

In my head, I imagine myself thumbing through a dictionary, looking for the exact definition of the word delusional:

From http://www.merriam-webster.com: Delusion (noun) di-ˈlü-zhən, dē-

Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin delusion-, delusio, from deludere (15th century)

1: the act of deluding : the state of being deluded

2 a: something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated b: a persistent false (psychotic) belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary ; also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs

And then I wonder how the clown I am having that conversation with ever managed to get promoted to a position of influence within a company whose very survival is now at stake because of either one of two things: a. Simple stupidity on their part, or b. an even less excusable and insidiously destructive ego trip. (Sometimes, both.)

To any company exec who thinks it smart to puff out their chests (even figuratively) and exclaim “we have that under control,” I say “grow up”. That kind of ill-informed poser confidence will kill companies and brands faster than an accounting scandal or major recall. This isn’t a game. This isn’t about playing Mr. big-shot. This isn’t about “being right.” What it is about is being smart – and that means being realistic, open-minded, and yes: responsible.

Fact: No company has “it” figured out. Even if it seems that you are doing “it” better than everyone else, guess what: You can still do it better. And just because you do it well now doesn’t mean that you will still do it well in six months. Conditions change. Customer needs and expectations change. Your company’s staff and culture changes. Doing “it” right is as ephemeral a thing as breaking a world record. It comes and goes. One day you’re on top, and the next, poof. You have to readjust.

Companies should always be in the process of re-adjusting.

In the military, complacency and false confidence will get you killed. The business world is no different.

Show me a guy who thinks or runs a team under the delusion that he has everything under control, and I will show you a disaster waiting to happen.

All of that aside, what really tugs at my curiosity is this: What is so hard (for a good chunk of corporate executives) about simply accepting the possibility that maybe – just maybe – they haven’t thought of everything.

Maybe the Titanic isn’t truly unsinkable.

Maybe winning the war in Iraq isn’t that simple.

Maybe Apple without Steve Jobs or the culture he built can find itself circling the drain inside of five years.

Maybe poor leadership can kill or severely endanger major companies like Enron, GM, AIG and Circuit City.

Maybe iconic lovebrands like Levi’s can go from global Top 10 to WalMart sales bins in les than a decade.

Maybe platforms like Google and Twitter can make your business model completely obsolete inside of 24 months.

For every one of these stories and thousands more, there was a guy who thought he had things pretty much under control… when he really didn’t.

Ask Nestle how much they had their Social Media practice under control until GreenPeace decided to say hello.

Maybe the first step to getting your company out of the ditch is realizing that you’re in the ditch to begin with. Just because the engine makes a sound and the needle reacts when you put your foot on the accelerator doesn’t mean you’re actually going anywhere.

And maybe the second step to getting your company out of a ditch is accepting the fact that you need expert help. Maybe a little bit, maybe alot, maybe somewhere in between.

So next time someone offers you advice or a helping hand, stop and think before you speak. Listen to what they have to say. The fact they they may hold the solution to a problem you weren’t aware of yet doesn’t make you any less of a man or manager or executive. You can’t think of everything. You can’t plan for everything. Not alone anyway, and certainly not from the same vantage point you enjoy day in, day out.

Stopping to ask for directions does not reflect poorly on your manhood or ability to navigate uncharted roads. Admitting that perhaps your engagement strategy could be better, that your social web strategy is really nowhere, that your staff isn’t as talented or effective or professional as you would like, that your product design isn’t as hot as the other guys… None of these things make you inept or weak or undeserving of your paycheck.

Pretending that everything is perfectly under control, however, does.

So next time you find yourself across a desk or coffee table from someone like me and they ask you how you’re doing in a particular area of your business, instead of putting up a wall of self-destructive bullshit, why not turn the tables on them instead, and ask them… “I don’t know. What do you think?”

1. You will get the benefit of an expert opinion – which you can still choose to ignore if that floats your boat.

2. You might actually find yourself in a position to gain a competitive advantage and improve your business for the first time in six months (or longer).

1 in 7 companies will typically jump at the opportunity to partner with someone who can help them gain a competitive advantage and come out of a challenge smarter, stronger and better. The other 6 will usually wait and wait and wait while things get worse, because well… you know… they have things under control.

Something to think about. 😉

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Greenpeace vs. Nestle: How to make sure your Facebook page doesn’t become a PR trojan horse – Part 2

In Part 1 of this post, we did a quick recap of how Greenpeace and hundreds of outraged environmentally-conscious web denizens turned to Nestle’s Facebook wall to air grievances on Friday March 19, and essentially turned the company’s Facebook embassy into a battleground. If you missed it, check out the post (and the comments) here.

Today, we’re going to look at ways that this Social Media management disaster (and PR black eye) could have been handled by Nestle, had their Social Media team (internal or outsourced) been prepared for that kind of crisis. We already covered some of the major points of how to avoid this yesterday (hiring professionals to manage your Social Media outlets, planning for crises, training in crisis management and real-time PR, etc.), so – for the purposes of today’s post – let’s assume that Part 1’s advice was taken to heart and that trained, experienced professionals are now in charge of all of the company’s Social Media properties, including Facebook.

Some comments from nestle's wall

What to do if your Facebook Page comes under attack by an activist organization and/or scores of angry commenters:

1. Be there. You can’t gain control of the situation if you aren’t there, monitoring and ready to take action. So monitor keywords. Monitor channels. Expect attacks and crises to come, and be ready to act. In case your boss forgot to tell you, if you are charged with managing a company’s Facebook presence, you’re N.O.R.A.D. for them on Facebook. Keep your eyes on that radar screen at all times, and have a well-thought-out yet flexible plan of action if you spot missiles heading your way.

Recap: Nestle’s team was painfully absent when its wall was attacked on march 19th, and the result was a bloody trouncing of the brand that lasted not only hours but days. Whomever was being paid to manage that page essentially sat on their hands while it was taken over by hundreds of facebook users with – in many cases – legitimate concerns that needed to be addressed. Not exactly a stellar display of skill, professional savvy, or… presence, for that matter. Someone should have been there to at least try to manage the complaints.

2. Carefully but quickly gain control of the situation. (See 3 to 6.) Why is this here? Because it is important to realize that “response” isn’t enough. in order to be effective, you have to be more than simply reactive. You have to regain control of the situation. You have to regain the initiative. If you don’t, you will find yourself in a defensive position for days, and nothing will get resolved.

3. Introduce yourself. Put a face, name and role to your official presence. Don’t just reply from behind a faceless corporate identity and avatar. Be a human being. Talk like a human being. Feel like a human being. Engage on a personal level with commenters. Look at what Scott Monty does for Ford, for example, and how he does it.

Recap: Nestle’s “presence” on facebook on March 19th was remarkably corporate. This didn’t help establish the kind of rapport needed to begin a real discussion. Even if Nestle’s engagement had been stronger, its faceless approach put them at a disadvantage from the start. Humanizing its presence would have been a great first step.

4. Make a point to welcome the comments. Invite them. Keep it up. See number 3, above. This is important. Popping up with a comment every three hours won’t cut it. Get in there, ask your boss to go on a Starbucks run, and brace yourself for a long day/night. Like it or not, this is where you earn your pay, so strap in and enjoy the ride. Think Marathon, not 5K.

Once you get into the game, be cordial, be kind, be professional, and assume your role as the custodian of facts. Not propaganda: facts. If someone claims something about your company or products that is inaccurate, politely respond to their comment with a link to factual information that will help them reconsider their position. That infant formula comment in the screenshot of Nestle’s wall (the one about no nutrients) should be addressed. Without getting defensive or getting drawn into an argument, the facts need to be stated.

Recap: Nestle’s first attempt at “engagement” seems to have focused on the improper use of its corporate logo in commenters’ avatars. Not exactly an inspired way to get things rolling in the right direction. After a few unfortunate exchanges, Nestle backed off and went relatively silent, allowing a free-for-all of anger and in some case, inaccurate information that is now searchable on the web. This was not the most effective strategy.

5. If you haven’t done it already, create an area for Discussions on the Facebook page. This will give discussion topics their own tab on the page, and a place for people to go to start and participate in discussions that isn’t necessarily the wall.

Recap: Nestle did not have a Discussions section on its Facebook page on March 19th… and still doesn’t. And still doesn’t. And still doesn’t. (Nestle: You still don’t have a discussions tab on your facebook page. FYI.)

Why is having a Discussions area important? Several reasons:

First, it helps move a lot of the traffic and activity off the wall, which isn’t a bad thing – for obvious reasons. (Not all of it, but a good amount of it.)

Second, it helps keep all of the conversations focused. Instead of a mess of anger and random grievances, you can create a discussion thread for each specific grievance. In the case of Nestle, these individual discussion topics could be: Saving Oranguntans. Preserving Borneo’s rain forests. The health impact of using palm oil in candy bars. Baby Formula. Etc. When the mess of noise can be turned into specific discussion threads, the company can better listen and better respond. Now you’ve created order out of chaos for both the company AND the angry commenters. It works for everyone.

This is one of the first tangible ways that you will regain control of the situation: Manage the influx of comments. Organize it. Redirect it. Refocus it. Give the discussions purpose and focus.

Notes on tone, self control, and gaining control of an unstable crowd:

A) DO NOT GET DEFENSIVE. Ever. Don’t get drawn into an argument, don’t argue. Listen. Acknowledge. Treat every commenter with respect. Be professional. A lot of angry commenters just want a fight. Don’t give them one. Offer them your ear, a platform, and hopefully a solution.

B) Don’t be a push-over either. Don’t let the angry numbers fool you: You’re the community manager. You can and must  assert your authority when people get out of line. Do it calmly, do it politely, but let commenters know when they are out of line. Don’t worry too much about the improper use of logos or “rules,” the way Nestle did early in their ordeal. It’s a weak position to try and defend, it serves no purpose, and it may only add fuel to the fire with a mob looking for weakness. (So pick your battles carefully.) That said, threats against company employees, deliberate personal insults, etc. should be met with a courteous but firm response. Example:

C – “Your executives should be hanged for what they’ve done! Baby killers! And you’re a soul-less sellout!”

R – “I understand your anger. I really do. (I wouldn’t be here talking to you if I didn’t care, and if my bosses didn’t care. We WANT to have this dialog with you.) But please let’s keep things from turning into… that. It’s just not constructive. Let’s talk about what we can do to fix these problems: What’s the first thing we should focus on?”

What you have to understand is that an angry mob looks for two things: Strength, and weakness. Show strength and they will respect you. Show weakness and they WILL tear you apart. Any loss of control (fear, anger, not knowing how to manage a Facebook crisis, etc.) is weakness. A calm, collected, confident, patient, open to dialog, knowledgeable attitude is strength.

6. Recruit your detractors’ help in fixing the issues they are angry about. Don’t just give your angry commenters lip service. “Thanks for your comments. We will review your suggestions and share them with management” doesn’t cut it anymore. Instead, ask your audience for advice and suggestions. Right there and then. Don’t wait. They want to express themselves? Great! Redirect their energy: Shift them from anger to deliberate empowerment. They’re angry at your company? There are specific things they want you to stop doing? Perfect. Take the discussion a step further and ask them to give you better alternatives to what you’re doing now. No, really. Do it. Keep probing. Keep asking. Make them think about practical solutions together.

If Step 5 gave the conversation order, Step 6 gives the conversations purpose. Do this, and you’re already half way there.

Why is this important? Several reasons:

First, it refocuses the angry mob’s energy. The passion that drives their anger and outrage is still, at its core, passion. Use that. Remove anger from the equation and channel that passion to a more constructive end. Lead them from the path of anger to a path of passionate, constructive discussion. In a matter of hours, the traffic to your facebook page will no longer be an endless churn of insults and angry attacks, and that’s a pretty important objective to accomplish.

Second, refocusing the mob’s mood and energy further shifts control of the conversation to you, the community manager – and by default to the company/brand as well. How? One word: Initiative. The moment your questions begin to drive the discussion, you’ve gained the initiative. You’re finally in the driver’s seat. You can safely land that previously unmanned 747 anywhere you want. Lose the initiative and you lose control. You don’t want things to go back to a mob of angry comments and insults, do you?

Third, you aren’t arguing anymore. You aren’t fighting or protecting or defending. You’ve potentially turned your enemies into allies. Even if that good will is tentative, it sets the stage for what could come next, and there is tremendous value in that. Very good things can come of it if you follow that path. Plant that seed, prove that with trust and good will, good things can happen, and build on that proof of concept.

Fourth, in the case of Nestle, an army of environmental conservation experts is right there, screaming to be heard. Why not benefit from their combined expertise and their willingness to share? Maybe the mob of activists can provide you with ideas that will help you adopt cost-neutral, sustainable methods and processes that will solve some of your resource management challenges, make your company more environmentally-friendly and improve your position in regards to consumer sentiment. There could be a huge practical win in this kind of dialog.

Fifth, the way your Social Media team turned an explosive and completely chaotic situation around in a matter of hours will not go unnoticed. Instead of being another case study in failure, you could be one of the still rare case studies in “this is how it’s done” success.

7. Follow-through. What starts on facebook or twitter or wherever doesn’t stop when you get to the other side of the activity bell curve. Once the crisis is averted, you have to take advantage of that little bit of trust and collaboration you’ve helped your detractors (and your bosses) glimpse.

Step 1: Once the crisis is over, thank the commenters for their help and invite them to continue what they started. Continue to be a good host. Build the community as a community, not as a fortified brand embassy.

Step 2: Convince management to let you turn the feedback from your new virtual think tank into something a little more formal. Form a team to look into how to take those ideas and make them happen. That kind of review process will identify what ideas have merit, and what ideas don’t. It’s a valuable exercise in that alone.

Step 3: Consider creating a crowd-sourcing mechanism like BestBuy’s Idea-X and Starbucks’  My Starbucks Idea. In the case of Nestle, a specific category, tab, or even separate microsite focusing on sustainable and responsible environmental practices might not be a bad idea. Don’t just rely on Facebook discussions to take care of it. Give solid feedback the home it deserves.

Step 4: Invite your detractors’ chosen experts and think tanks to the table. Recruit their help to propose solutions. This is a more professional and official extension of the crowd-sourcing element of the follow-up, and one that obviously needs to happen at a much higher level than Social Media management. (So yes, this requires real buy-in from the C-suite.)

The idea here isn’t just to pacify your opponents and get good press out of the effort. It’s to leverage their expertise and resources to actually find solutions to the business challenges that were at the root of the attacks to begin with. In the case of Nestle, this would mean inviting Greenpeace and key environmental action think tanks to work with senior Nestle supply chain execs on finding realistic alternatives to current methods of production.

Is there a PR component to this? Of course. You can turn anything into a media circus if you want. (That’s what conferences, summits and ground-breaking ceremonies are for.) But sometimes, less is more: Focus on finding solutions, focus on genuinely doing the work, and let the PR department do its thing. If you do that, it’ll all pretty much work out.

Step 5: Build on the momentum and trust you’ve earned, and keep going.

Is all of this difficult? Does it require A LOT of hard work and tireless effort? Yes. It does. I’m not going to tell you any of it is easy. It’s incredibly difficult to do all of this, and the bigger the organization, the more corporate, the more vertical the hierarchy, the tougher it will be for everyone. There’s no magic pill, no cool new app, no bit of enterprise software that will transform your organization overnight for you. Success requires hard work. It requires dedication. It requires vision, leadership, courage and A LOT OF WORK. But it also isn’t brain surgery. From crisis management to community management to change management, it’s all pretty simple, really. You can map it all out on a cocktail napkin. The trick lies in a) deciding to make it happen, and b) making it happen.

The alternative is… well, going through what Nestle just went through. And going through it again and again and again, until something finally gives. Not exactly a golden plan.

So remember:

Be there -> Monitor -> Introduce yourself -> Acknowledge -> Engage -> Take charge -> Redirect -> Manage -> Follow through.

Cheers,

Olivier

Update (25 March, 2010 – 21:15GMT) : For a similar perspective expressed in white-board “war room” format, check out Jeremiah Owyang’s Social Warfare Analysis here. (image) Really nice exercise that, remarkably, touches on many of the points we discussed in parts 1 and 2 of this feature. Consider it a solid “second opinion.”

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Greenpeace vs. Nestle: How to make sure your Facebook page doesn’t become a PR trojan horse – Part 1

For once, I am not going to take sides. Let’s just keep things simple, stick to the facts, and see if we can draw some lessons from last week’s coordinated attack on Nestle’s Facebook page. Not in terms of resolving the feud between Greenpeace and Nestle – I could make that my full time job and still not put a dent in it – but rather in terms of helping companies not end up in the same kind of situation vis-a-vis their Social Network presence.

But okay, fine, here is my token opinion bit: Greenpeace makes good points and Nestle has a company to run. The reality is that the solution to their argument lies somewhere in the middle. Not in compromise – that isn’t the point – but rather in collaboration between the two organizations. (And no, I’m not crazy.) More on that in Part 2 – tomorrow.

First, let’s do a quick recap of what happened, in case you missed it.

Part 1.a – What happened with Nestle on facebook?

Prologue: Not surprisingly, Nestle, one of the largest global suppliers of food products in the world, finds itself at the center of a number of boycotts relating to product ingredients, environmental issues, economic impact, trade practices, etc. Greenpeace is involved with several of them, and routinely attacks nestle on a variety of issues, hoping to pressure the company into adopting more ecologically sound practices. Last week, Greenpeace’s latest action against Nestle spilled onto the food giant’s Facebook page with… fracas.

Some quick facts about Nestle:

Nestle, founded in 1866 now generates over €100,000,000,000 (yes, €100+ billion) in revenue per year and is present in virtually every country in the world. For their complete list of products (many of which stock shelves and pantries all over the world), click here and here. Among them: Perrier, Kit-Kat, Purina, Nesquik and Power Bar.

Chapter 1: Greenpeace’s fake Kit-Kat commercial focusing on palm oil and deforestation is released on YouTube and quickly goes viral.

Chapter 2: Nestle fights back by chasing the Greenpeace video all over the internets in a game of censorship whack-a-mole.

Chapter 3: Fueled by the momentum of the Greenpeace video, anti-Nestle discussions move away from activist blogs and land on Nestle’s facebook page. (Not an accident or an organic shift. This tactic is part of a deliberate and well planned campaign.)

Chapter 4: Echoing Nestle’s logo censorship efforts with the video on Youtube and across other channels, Nestle’s Facebook team responds to criticism on their wall by… threatening to delete comments left by individuals using modified versions of their corporate logo as avatars, which only adds fuel to the fire.

Chapter 5: Emboldened by Nestle’s seemingly unprepared and not particularly PR-savvy social media team on Facebook, the anti-Nestle attack grows into a mob beating of the brand well into the weekend and continuing into this week. The campaign, initially managed by Greenpeace assets, moves into the mainstream as environmentally-conscious Facebook users join the anti-Nestle crowd.

Chapter 6: In spite of Nestle’s ruthless beating over the weekend, decent media coverage and questionable reports of stock woes for the company on Friday, people are still buying Kit-Kat and other Nestle products – at least in the 29601 – as if nothing happened, and seem relatively unaffected by whatever Greenpeace does to nestle’s Facebook page.

Epilogue:  Yet to be written, as we all wait for Nestle to do… something – anything – and for Greenpeace to adopt a more results-oriented approach. (Applying pressure is one thing. Actually saving the rain forests is another. A+ on making noise. Now what?)

Part 1.b – So, are there lessons here for businesses and big brands? You bet:

1. Don’t let one company’s failure scare you: If this episode has you reconsidering a corporate presence in Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) don’t let it. There is a VAST difference between having a presence in the Social Media space and having a well planned, well managed presence in the Social Media space. Nestle’s presence was… not the latter.

If it may seem that Facebook is a liability, consider that it is no more a liability than email or the telephone. What happened to Nestle last week happened because the team charged with managing its Facebook page was either not qualified or not empowered to do their job. Properly handled, the attack on Nestle’s facebook page could have been managed differently and the outcome could have been radically more positive for the brand.

Fact:  Had Nestle’s Social Media team been experienced in crisis management and properly trained, Greenpeace’s attack on the Nestle Facebook  page could have been made to fizzle out in under an hour. In other words, Greenpeace’s attack could have been made to backfire had it been met by professionals instead of amateurs. (See lesson 2.)

Corporate comms isn’t about creative copy and pushing it out through a breadth of channels. It’s professional chess.

2. This isn’t amateur hour. Social Media management requires rigorous training and razor-sharp focus: Having a Social Media presence for your company and brand(s) is serious business. It isn’t an afterthought. It isn’t something you can afford to assign to interns. It isn’t something you can afford to completely hire out to a digital shop, a “social media” firm or an ad agency. You have to take the space seriously. This requires planning, preparation, training and focus.

Greenpeace and organizations like it do this for a living. They are well-funded, staffed by passionate, dedicated and extremely well educated professionals, and THEY WILL NOT QUIT. If activist groups (even at the grass-roots level) set their targets on you, you CANNOT afford to leave any of your communications (digital or not) virtually unmanned. You need Marines, Navy SEALS and Rangers on that wall, not green, untested recruits. Hire professionals. The real time web isn’t a joke. Take it seriously and you’ll probably be okay. Hire amateurs, and suffer the consequences. It’s that simple.

3. Absence from the Social Media space won’t save you: Whether or not your company is active in the Social Media space has no effect whatsoever on whether or not people talk negatively about it. In other words, not having a facebook page or a presence on twitter will not protect you from boycotts, coordinated attacks, and defamation campaigns. Quite the contrary. You need to be there in order to a) monitor, b) learn, and c) respond quickly and adequately.

The old question: “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?” does not apply here: If EVERYONE is in the forest except you, they hear the crash loud and clear. Not being there doesn’t change the fact that it fell and that it made a sound. All it means is that you weren’t there.

If you think that not having a Facebook page will ensure that what happened to Nestle won’t happen to you, think again. Anyone can create a page on facebook. They don’t have to use your corporate facebook account to launch a massive attack against your brand. At least, if you have a page and a group tries to use it against you, you’ll have an opportunity to turn the situation in your favor. (Just because Nestle didn’t know how doesn’t mean you have to follow the same unfortunate path.)

4. Even the best crisis management program can’t fix your company’s problems: No matter how great your PR and crisis response and Social Media management teams may be, if your company opens itself to attacks because of specific practices (employment, commerce, environmental, etc.) you’ll still have to face the music in a public forum. There comes a point when comms are just comms, and the dialog has to move beyond well crafted words and community appeasement. Listening and talking are just the beginning. Action is the best way to silence your detractors. (And by that, I don’t mean just legal action. Not everything needs to be a show of force.)

Fact 1: Greenpeace has a valid argument when it comes to environmental protection.

Fact 2: Nestle is a complex business with enormous supply requirements, relatively inelastic price-points, and tremendous pressure in the middle of a global economic crisis to perform well for its shareholders.

Once you take a few steps back, it doesn’t take a genius to see that – while the two organizations are engaged in a years-long bare-knuckle brawl, the two would get a lot further if they worked together instead of wasting so much energy fighting. This isn’t a battle of arguments or a battle of philosophies. It shouldn’t even be a battle at all. Comms could be used to open a dialog, find some common ground, and begin a process of collaboration: Nestle knows food production. Greenpeace knows environmentally sound practices. It seems that they could both learn a lot from each other. (And no, I am not being naive.)

The reality of this campaign: Not a single hectare of rain forest will be saved by a bunch of people shouting insults at Nestle on their Facebook page. Not one tree, in fact. (Update: I was wrong. Nestle listened, and rain forest acreage will, in fact, be spared as a result of this campaign. Check this out: Click here) Likewise, no PR progress will be made by Nestle until they think this problem through and start using their digital comms team to open the door to constructive dialog on these issues. Moderating the ensuing discussions – no matter how difficult the first few hours and days may be – would be a solid next step. (More on that tomorrow.)

As a company, do you want to keep wasting precious resources and energy fighting a blood enemy who will never stop dragging your name in the mud, or do you want to focus on helping your business grow and making its practices sustainable beyond 2025? It really isn’t a trick question.

5. Don’t get caught with your pants down. What’s so embarrassing to Nestle isn’t that Greenpeace’s video went viral or that its Facebook wall was taken over by environmental activists, or that people now associate the brand with dead orangutans. What is embarrassing to Nestle is that its team fumbled. Royally. In plain sight. How much firepower does a brand bring to the ring – and how seriously can it be taken – when even its digital communications team doesn’t seem to know what to do? Who’s in charge here? How did a company of such size and importance, with so many resources and access to talent leave itself so open to an action of this kind? How did it not see this coming? How is it that it had no plan?

More to the point: As with all cracks in the armor, if Nestle left itself so vulnerable in the digital space, where else is it dropping the ball? What other parts of the organization are operating on auto-pilot? A single failure of this kind invites more attacks. Embarrassment is just momentary: The real danger of getting caught as unprepared (as nestle was last week) is that once your enemies smell weakness, they will keep probing until they find the next crack. And the next. And the next. Companies do themselves no favors by not being prepared for things like this. In this instance, Nestle KNEW that Greenpeace would continue to attack and probe and poke, and still, nothing was done by Nestle to prepare for the group’s unavoidable attack on its Social Media properties. This kind of thing is nothing new. Someone at Nestle fell asleep at the wheel.

Tip: Know your enemies. Anticipate their tactics. Be ready.

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the steps that Nestle (and any other company faced with a similar attack on its Social Media outlets) should take when faced with a well coordinated campaign of this kind. It may not be brain surgery, but obviously it’s worth bringing up since not everyone seems to know how to plan for this sort of thing. Nestle Social Media team, come back tomorrow for some tips.

Cheers,

Olivier

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