I found this succinct article on Social Media Experts. If you read it an agree with me that this is what most social media agencies do then we’re on the right track.
The Experts, Translated
How well do brands really understand social? We heard a lot of buzzwords–and a lot of uncertainty.
WHAT THEY SAID
“We like to listen.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“We hired a 24-year-old to stand in front of a firehose of complaints.”WHAT THEY SAID
“That data isn’t available yet.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“That data is embarrassing.”WHAT THEY SAID
“We’re inspired by Coca-Cola’s social media strategy.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“Everyone taks about Coca-Cola’s social media strategy. By referencing it, we sound informed.”WHAT THEY SAID
“Our strategy is in line with our values.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“We talk about ourselves.”WHAT THEY SAID
“We’re doing something very different.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“We’re doing something very different from what we were doing in 1980.”WHAT THEY SAID
“We’re building community.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“We promoted a hashtag once, and it was a little scary but seemed to work out fine.”WHAT THEY SAID
“We’re being authentic.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“We’re extremely on-message.”WHAT THEY SAID
“We’re meeting customers where they’re comfortable.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“Nobody visits our corporate website.”WHAT THEY SAID
“Social media allows us to understand the pulse of the customer.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“We all get into a room and freak out.”WHAT THEY SAID
“This is all very new and exciting.”
WHAT THEY MEANT
“Do you have any advice? We could really use some advice.”
The question to ask are whether traditional agencies can take on the new social, big data, and real time world? My view is that they have a long way to go.
Perhaps it’s time for a new breed of technology and consulting firm! That’s us
