The Social Media Revolution: A Power Shift from Brand to Customer.

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This week, I discovered this powerful video, "Bigger than TV? Social Media's Power Shift" produced by Radian6 . I'd like to pass along and summarize my interpretation of that message here.

Is the Social Web really all that revolutionary? Or is it a fad?

Make no mistake, we’re in the midst of a revolutionary shift in how brands and customers do business. If you don’t start taking this seriously, you will find yourself lonely and without a voice.

Let me explain.

If you’ve studied marketing, you’ve heard the phrase: “The medium is the message.” This is stunningly true. The medium itself has a significant social impact on business and in our lives regardless of the message being communicated through that medium.

Think email.

It’s changed our work lives. And, it’s not because of a particular email that we've received. It’s just the fact that we have email that’s changed the way we work and how we do business.

Here's the thing. Up until now, the medium has been owned and sold by the gatekeepers who controlled it.

Think TV, radio.

It came at a price. With your purchase, you got to tell the story the way you wanted to tell it. And for a long time, that worked. But the Social Web is very different because it’s owned by the Community. No one controls it, you can’t buy it, and everyone is an equal participant.

Now, a customer has as much of a voice as the brand. That is a revolutionary shift in power.

The messages are no longer controllable.

The days of sitting in a room with your Executive, PR and Marketing teams, defining a message and pushing it out there, are over.

Your brand is defined by the conversations that are happening about it. Communicated in the language, shaped by the voice and in the words of your customer. You can influence it but, ultimately, your customers will shape it.

The reign of the dominated, one-way conversation has come to an end.

And you're better off for it. Because when you isolated the conversation, you never really knew what was happening on the other end, whether people believed and trusted you, if it struck up a conversation, if it inspired an action or idea.

Now, in real time...at your finger tips...if you choose to tune in...are all the reactions, all the ideas, recorded and living here on the Social Web. Right. Now. You have the opportunity to talk directly to your customers.

But...

You’ll have to humanize your brand. You’ll have to be more authentic and more engaging to earn their trust. You'll have to care enough to listen, and do so fanatically. And, you'll have to be ready for disappointment, be open to change, because what they tell you may not be what you wanted or expected to hear.

If you do, and if you are, one day you’ll look back and see that this single medium has revolutionized the way you do business.

I'd like to invite you take action now and join us in Dallas February 24th and 25th for TR Live: Designing Your Companies Social Media Strategy.

Tags: amanda, companies, creating, designing, hite, marketing, media, radian6, revolution, social

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Comment by Amanda Hite on February 10, 2010 at 7:18pm: @Paul you are simply awesome.
@Marcel Not only am I impressed. I'm thrilled to see you here and to read your comment. I wish I had seen the embedded code when I wrote this I'll add it now! Best video I've seen in a while!
@Marsha I need to check out that campaign thanks for sharing !!
@Susan thank you and btw I'm proud of your personal progress in this space
@Kat Hell yeah!
@BZ Cheers to that!
@Hossam You are very right sir.
@Bill Go Pepsi!

Comment by Paul Paz on January 30, 2010 at 11:00pm: Amanda....
I attended a half-day owrkshop on social media this past week her in my local area. It was an afirmation of what you say above and what I have come to learn in the past two-years with my relationship with TR and FohBoh. I'mm part of the choir now... spreading the word.
Paul www.WaitersWorld.com

Comment by Marcel LeBrun on January 30, 2010 at 6:03pm: Hi Amanda - Thanks for posting a summary & commentary on the video. I'm glad you liked it.
Cheers,
Marcel
CEO, Radian6
@lebrun

(by the way, if you click the menu button on the video, you can get the embed code to embed it right in your blog post... I know it was a bit hidden).

Comment by Marsha Keeffer on January 28, 2010 at 1:48am: 'Humanize your brand' - yes.

An example of authenticity in marketing was the Scion xB campaign. The auto maker took it to the streets, sponsored meet-ups, helped people customize. Works IF management wants to get close to customers and listen to them.

Comment by susan fawcett on January 27, 2010 at 11:01pm: Absolutely great post.....very insightful. I expect that it won't just be the social media tools that some will struggle to embrace. As you called it, I think "humanizing your brand by being more authentic and more engaging....To care enough to listen to consumers and to listen fanatically ...to be open to change because the feedback you get from your guests may require you to change some of the way you do business will be as much or more challenging than the intellectual stretch to learn how to use all the social media tools.

Comment by Kat Cole on January 26, 2010 at 6:00pm: Love this post - imagine a day where no one is talking about the power of social media - because it will just "be" the way we do things...much like TV in the last 10 yrs. People in the last 10 years haven't really evangelized the 'power' of TV marketing, because it just became the norm. One day, it will be that way for SM. In the mean time, it seems like we can't evangelize it enough. It's exciting being part of this "movement"....this "revolution". Thanks for leading the charge!

Comment by BZ Tat on January 26, 2010 at 11:36am: To follow Bill's sports metaphor, social media levels the playing field and lets the little guy (woman) have a chance. I am glad the push marketing is coming to an end!

Comment by Hossam aboueissa on January 26, 2010 at 11:08am: how to listen to the guest with appropriate body language need long educational course in topic presentation skills as worthwhile training program for whom working in hospitality industry career,who ever PR or sales and marketing or all tittle whom involved in direct customer service operation

Comment by Bill Campion on January 26, 2010 at 11:07am: WOW Amanda the points you make are compelling. The web is here to stay, social networks are here to stay and I'm afraid if organizations aren't willing to participate, as you indicate, they are going to be left for dead. Pepsi abandoning their Superbowl advertising and sinking $20 million into Social Media is proof enough for me that the world is changing. It's definitely time to get in the game.