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Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said that, while he couldn't define pornography, "I know it when I see it."
Defining transparency in social media is equally difficult.
Writing for Social Media Today, Elissa Nauful tries to do so anyway in "What Does It Really Mean to Be Transparent?"
She defines transparency in social media five ways:
You gotta be "you." Transparency rules out any fudging or posturing. Being true to thine own self entices customers. "Your authenticity will translate as both honesty and integrity."
You gotta be tolerant. Transparency means you'll accept praise and criticism. That tolerance "will immediately build brand trust."
You gotta be generous. To be transparent means to share, openly and often. Not top secrets or tawdry details, but enough hard news to keep people interested.
You gotta be forthright. Transparency demands that you disclose commercial interests in anything you're plugging. (The Federal Trade Commission demands that too.)
You gotta be chatty. Transparent companies socialize. "They reply to comments, they retweet funny ideas, and they treat their customers like new friends."
How do you define transparency? Or do you only know it when you see it?
The term "authenticity" is a social media shibboleth.
After all, consistent promise-keeping is the real rule of the authentic organization (think Amazon).
But we can at least be approachable in our social media exchanges, according to online community consultant Richard Millington.
In his recent blog post "Interact With Your Community Like a Human Being," Millington sets out his codes of conduct:
- Write in the first person. Phrase questions as personal ones. "Has anyone had experience with ....?"
- Engage first, tell second. Lead with a question, not content. Only if others reply should you respond with information.
- Begin with a story. Why are you asking for others' opinions? What's your opinion?
- Speak with emotion. "Don't default to a customer-service tone for engaging members of your community," Millington advices.
Social Media Examiner has released its annual report on marketers' use of social media.
The key findings:
- 90 percent of marketers say social media is important for business.
- 88 percent say it drives brand awareness.
- 72 percent say it drives Website traffic.
- 62 percent say it drives search engine rankings.
- 58 percent spend 6+ hours a week on it.
- 34 percent spend 11+ hours a week.
- 77 percent plan to increase the use of video.
- 28 percent outsource at least part of their program.
According to the report, 2011's top four social media marketing tools are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs.
Ad Age reports that big brands are spending countless hours every day scrubbing spam from their Facebook pages.
According to Facebook management software vendor Vitrue, 15 percent of posts should be deleted, because they're offensive or represent promotions unrelated to the brand.
Spammers target big brands' Facebook pages because the exposure is vast, even if the messages remain visible for only a few hours.
This so-called "page spam" can tarnish a brand's image and drive away fans.
Page-spam cleanup is costly because it has to be performed by humans. Some brands are hiring outside firms to do the work, spending as much as $20,000 a month.
Mark Twain once quipped, "Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation."
USA Today recently reported that business professionals receive 110 messages a day through such channels as email, SMS, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
"People are drowning in a deluge of data," the paper concludes.
As a result, executives are witnessing a rise in employee burnout, errors and miscommunication.
TMI. Too much information.
As a marketer, your path forward is clear:
Less is always more. Most readers will only browse the first few lines of any message. Break up large ideas into small, digestible chunks.
Give readers signposts. Use headlines, subheadlines, photos and captions to guide them.
Start with the desired action. Satisfy overtaxed readers by beginning with your "call to action."
