An Apology: My Social Media Confession

On behalf of myself as a professional communicator, I want to apologize.

If you are a company, I’ve misled you. If you are a consumer, I’ve used you. And as much as I’d like to change the future, there may be no turning back.

Somehow I managed to take the most engaging and exciting advancements in communications since Gutenberg and turn them into something cold. I took what used to be called “stories” and changed them into “content.” I used technology to communicate, and in doing so turned communication into something technological – not “read” or “watched” but rather “consumed.”

The more that people like me use words like Content, Engagement and Post to represent how we tell stories and connect with each other, the more distance we create. Calling social media a “tool” is just another way to emotionally detach.

Instead of bringing us closer, the words we use and the values we assign to them are pulling us apart. Even Edelman, my employer, has hired a Chief Content Officer – I can only hope that “telling stories” will win out over “creating content,” and that helping clients be “media companies” is secondary to helping clients be storytellers.

Content may want to be free, but content should not be free of context. Narrative has a place.

This is our job and our responsibility as communicators. Here’s how we can start:

• Employees are at the core of a company’s story – they are both manifestations of and conduits for the brand. Encourage employees to share if they choose, starting with creating clear “social media engagement guidelines” (don’t call it a “policy”) so employees feel empowered and supported.
• Find your best customers – better yet, make it easier for them to find you via search and social interaction online. Their stories are the companies’ stories, and in many cases are more credible.
• Drop the Veil – in other words, be human. Companies aren’t buildings, brands aren’t logos. Even the Tin Man discovered he had a heart.
• Be Real – all good stories have conflict and drama, so embrace yours. If there is a crisis, attack it head on; if you screw up, apologize and show how you are correcting the problem. Transparency and even some humility are the clearest paths to a happy ending.
• Play – innovation thrives in the unknown; play around, do something new, have adventures, fail often. It may not always work out, but think of the stories you can tell.

So let’s return to stories and narrative. That’s how brands will cut through the clutter. Tell a story and stand for something. Be in the conversation for the long haul, not just the product launch.

And who knows — maybe we can change the future after all.

Comments

[Bill]

A while back I had a similar post, Content is not content.

I like what you say about "Be Real." So many people worry about what happens if something negative is said or occurs ... Embrace it! It makes the story better.

[Mallory]

I am always amazed at how sterile the stories are that are derived from "consumer insights" and "public engagement". Not to sound too granola, but if a story doesn't have emotion, truth and human connection it's not much of a story. Yet those elements are rarely framed into the brainstorms and roundtables that make up our billable hours.

[Joecardillo]

Weird how it almost feels like we have to apologize for wanting to tell stories, connect with people, be honest.

Hope your idea catches on, it's a good one.