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Social media and Ethics

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Markets today are better informed, smarter and they demand quality services. You cant fool them into buying into substandard stuff. You shouldn’t. Your consumers should be longterm community members and should feel like an active part of your organization. The more they are kept in the loop, the better decisions they can make - they more they will trust you.

I’ve seen people malpractice in internet marketing, thinking that they’ll get away with it - which they don’t. The interesting thing about social media is that people don’t forget and they hardly ever forgive anyone if they feel like they have been cheated in any way, most of the communication is on record so is easy to remember and pass on to others. One bad move can spread far and beyond and soon enough everyone will want to stay away from you. Being true to yourself and your network is the only way to go here.

The best way to do that is to have products and services that are actually worth talking about and soon they’ll spread by themselves via WOM. The social networking effect, if you get traction is flabbergasting yet real - and can not be faked. It has to happen naturally, if your stuff really is good then you can rest assured that there will be a stir. If it is not, then bring it to par first.

Traditional monologue advertising has less than 30% effect on people. People want to have real conversations with real interaction even if its online, they want brands that have things to offer of real value and they want social proof that what ever they spend their money on represents value. Be present. Be on social networks. Be real. If you offer a product or service that offers true value then you should Blog often to communicate yourself to your audiences. AND most importantly, don’t dodge, lie or deceive your readers. People don’t get a second chance here. Have good intentions and your actions will follow suit.

Social marketing is a very delicate business in that you are facilitating people’s emotions in the process of getting your message out. You need to be careful about how your messages are perceived. You need to be careful about leaning into practices that some may seem to be bordering on unethical or misleading. If you get it right and your message represents great value and happiness then people will broadcast it for you without cost, if your message is a negative one it will broadcast just as far except it will be at a considerable cost.

Heres a great presentation on social media to watch:

SlideShare | View | Upload your own

Simon U Ford (SUF.EDBD)

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  • I wanted to also add something on teaching ethics as a part of teaching about how to use social media. I read today on another blog about whether we should be teaching kids about social networking in school (as if they couldn't teach us a thing or two) and it did occur to me that what we should be teaching our kids is the fine art of conversation. Simon is right, this isn't about monologue marketing or even dialogue. It is about relationship and conversation. Only from that will come referral and reputation. That is true word of mouth media which will yield true social proof for your efforts.
  • One of the true strength of social media in my opinion is the fact that you cannot stay invisible any longer. The result is that you have to be honest about your products and services, otherwise people will make it very difficult for you. Just like in the offline world, if you don't deliver on your promises the word will get out and your business will get harmed.

    On the upside, if you do deliver on your promises the word will get out also, and this time it will help you grow your business. With the enormous reach of the online world this can have a major impact on your sales.
  • For many people who are new to social media, the idea of blogging regularly for what seems like little return can seem like climbing a tree with no fruit at the top but you only have to look at the investment made by Obama and his team during the run up to the US election to see that by engaging openly with your audience over time great prizes can be won.

    Obama may not have climbed each of those trees but he encouraged a community of people to stand in the forest and gather the fruit which fell from them.
  • The footprint you leave behind can
    always be found by anyone using
    Google.

    That's why it's important to add value
    to your audience with every interaction.

    So many marketers start out with a mentality
    to TAKE value before they ever earn it.
  • The interesting thing about social media is the interactive nature of it. So if you are unethical, or your product doesn't measure up to the promise, you are "outed" pretty quickly. I think that is one of the key reasons that big corporations are so slow to adopt a strategy that makes social media integral to growth. In the past, their dirty laundry essentially was the purview of the Customer Service department and no one but product development (including sales and even the executive team), had to know what was broken.

    Social media is all about transparency. And if you are unethical inside, it will surely surface in social media!
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