So What’s the Value of Social?

“Social Business[es] have not struck the right chord with leaders…It’s not that the ideas are losing or that the goals are without merit, they are[n't]. The problem is that the deeper meaning and richer context is being lost on executives who still think the word “social” indicates a frivolous time-wasting pursuit.” ~ Brian Solis

Sometimes, out here in the hinterlands of Northern New Mexico, it’s hard to remember that my business reality, although different, is not that different from many of my fellow entrepreneurs in other locales. I regularly complain to anyone who’ll listen that I feel like I’m trying to sell bikinis to eskimos, and truthfully, that’s a fairly accurate statement. It feels like they just don’t get the value I’m trying to offer. But I’m not alone, and I’m not experiencing this just because I live out here in the Wild Wild West.

Here in Santa Fe, NM where creative types and solo-to-small businesses are the norm, it’s a select few business owners who really appreciate social business and the need for strategy and planning. Most are trying to keep their businesses going and the money flowing. Stepping back to view their marketplace from 10,000 feet for good strategic planning is hard.

I get that I really do….but if you want good results from marketing, any kind of marketing, you gotta have a plan. You have to know why you’re out there and what you’re trying to achieve. Unlike Brian Solis’ quote above, I’m dealing with small business owners, not c-suite execs, however the quote still applies. Social business is not frivolous, it’s the real deal, but it takes time and commitment. And above all, you need to understand the value of creating a social community; the belief that building this kind of connection matters.

I’ve been told more than once when I sit down with a prospect that they just want a new ad design. Or their website updated….or that they want a thousand fans by next week. I never know whether I should stand up, shake their hand, and say ‘well good luck with that’ or try to help them grasp why this approach is destined to disappoint them. I’m going to say it, agree or disagree as you like, but small businesses just do not value social media. And sometimes it feels like a Sisyphean task to teach them where the real value is. But the luxury of only working with clients who ‘get it’ is not mine to have; at least not here.

Thankfully, I am lucky enough to hangout once a week on Ray Hiltz’s ‘G+ Lunch Bunch’, with some rather excellent marketing people and get a dose of camaraderie and support for my sense of business isolation. Hearing that very savvy marketers, in far more business-focused regions, struggle with the same value issues makes me realize it’s okay. It’s okay to feel like a misplaced bikini-salesperson as long as I know when it’s time to offer mukluks. Or just wave politely and walk away.

This week’s hangout topic, ‘Is Business Social-Phobic?’, inspired this meandering blog post on the perils of providing value in the social sphere. I think it’s true that it is phobic right now, but I don’t think it has to stay that way. It’s my hope that globally, businesses allow social media to evolve the way they sell. As Ray Hiltz put it, “it makes me sad that businesses think that social is only there to serve the bottom line when it could be helping them meaningfully connect.” I’m paraphrasing him here, but you can watch the replay. He so beautifully nailed my own unvoiced thought.