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Organisational Wheel Alignment

Adding social media to the Marketing Mix doesn’t mean re-inventing the business wheel. What it should do for firms interested in entering the social space is provide an opportunity to perform an organisational wheel alignment. This means taking a good look at the overall marketing strategy to ensure social media compliments the direction of the firm, not complicates it. Basically ensuring the new is aligned with the current, and everything is moving forward in the right direction.

The culture of an organisation is fundamental to a successful Social Media Strategy. This is no secret. Jeremiah Owyang discusses the importance of having the right platform to launch a new media strategy in a piece about Social Media Adoption. A sound foundation to base a social media marketing strategy upon is the essence of this post. Where does this foundation come from? In my humble opinion it stems from The Marketing Concept.

Understanding what your customers want and then tailoring your offerings accordingly is not achieved by launching a social media campaign, it is something that needs to be inherent to the firm’s business philosophy. If your organisation is product-centric and unwilling to listen to the voice of your customers, any social media initiatives will likely end in disaster.  Why start a conversation if all your going to do is ignore or yell profanity at anyone that responds? If you have never listened to your customer before then how is social media going to help? It will only alienate your prehistoric organisation further.

On the flip-side firms that are in tune with customers can utilise social platforms to improve their offerings extremely effectively. Is there a more efficient form or market research than engaging in a conversation directly with consumers? And not just any consumers, those who are loyal enough to follow your online activities. Tapping into the Collective Intelligence of you community is now possible in an instant with the myriad of new media tools available to the savvy marketing strategist.

So before embarking on a social media experiment that could further distance your organisation from your potential customer base, it is important to consider your firm’s current market orientation. Look at it this way… If they tell you something you don’t want to hear, will do you anything about? Or are you even really willing to listen at all?