Can you imagine buying 30 seconds of prime Super Bowl airtime then delivering black screen and silence? The idea being your customers should fill in the blanks. That's what social media is asking marketers to do. It feels as though we're walking on stage bare naked. And the social media digerati are surprised some folks still don't feel comfortable with that.
In marketing we're finishers. We start with an idea and bounce it around. Develop it. Then we turn it into a program with details and deliverables. Each person tuned and playing a role as a violinist or cellist in an orchestra. The program isn't complete until the last note is played and the crowd roars. Of course, it doesn't always go that well. If not, we start again with an idea and a plan.
Now marketers have been hit between the chords with a new concept. Don't finish. Define a program as open-ended. Undone. Build a platform and leave it bare. Step back and let others (aka, "outsiders") take the lead.
What was MySpace at the very beginning? Blank pages. What about Chris Brogan's blog? No comments. Twitter? Just one tiny tweet. It takes chutzpa to put up a blank page. But when you let other people fill in the blanks, you give them a sense of ownership, a place to express their views, and an emotional attachment. They not only remember your brand, they keep coming back to it. Now that's better than 30 seconds of airtime few will remember a week later.
4 Steps to Help You Stop Finishing
- Make sure you have a strong, unique angle or idea that will draw people in and compel them to comment, add ideas, or express themselves.
- Make it extremely easy for anyone to create their own content. Could a seven-year-old do it without help?
- Entice people with points, discounts, freebies, advance information.
- Ask your audience to get involved. Seriously, I'm amazed at how many people simply don't ask.
Now, you can't risk a blank page for long, so go out and ask your advocates to help you at the beginning. Be responsive and say thank you to everyone. And remember, you're still the conductor. Stay involved. Keep pushing, adding, evolving, and responding.
