the medieval guide to social media success
DESCRIPTION
Social Media Marketing does not have to be overwhelming. In fact, we can look to the Medieval marketplace of 1,000 years ago for the rules of success!TRANSCRIPT
THE MEDIEVAL GUIDE TO
SOCIAL MEDIA
SUCCESS
@markwschaefer
Hi. I’m Mark W. Schaefer.
Hi. I’m Mark W. Schaefer.
An author. Blogger. Marketing consultant. College educator.
I want to help you use the social web to
grow your business.
To do this, I’m going to tell you a short story
It all started around 1,000 A.D.
No, really. Let me explain.
That’s when marketplaces were created in Europe.
Here are some characteristics
of those markets.
Business was conducted
person to person.
1
You purchased goods from people you knew and trusted.
Nobody cared about your logo or press release back then.
2
There was transparency.
You could see the goods right in front of you.
The only expectation was honesty.
There was immediacy.
3
If someone felt cheated,you knew it right away
because they were showing up at your door.
Success depended on word of mouth.
4
There was no advertising or PR back then.
If you wronged a buyer, word would spread through the marketplace
like a plague.
Oh, sorry. Bad analogy?
There was a primal need to connect.
5
It wasn’t just about buying and selling.
there was a social aspect to the marketplace and that was part of the fun.
Business was conducted this way for
hundreds of years.
Until…
this changed forever on November 2,1920
Until…
the first commercial radio broadcast went on the air.
the first commercial radio broadcast went on the air.
Hello Pittsburgh!
what we didn’t know then was…
We had created a permanent digital divide between us and our customers.
First radio. !
First radio. Then TV.
First radio. Then TV.
Then the Internet.
We bought massive amounts of airtime.
We created slick ads.
And we waited for something to happen.
Maybe that’s where you are today.
Here’s the problem, though.
Many of the ways we use to market to customers
are evaporating.
Newspapers?
Newspapers?
Print circulation is down.
Newspapers?
Advertising is at 1950s levels.
Newspapers?
Many cities have no daily papers.
Television?
For the first time in history, Americans are watching less on tv and more on Netflix, Hulu & iTunes.
Television?
Internet?
Between 2010-2012, two thirds of Fortune 500 companies had fewer visitors to their websites.
Internet?
Where has everyone gone?
you probably know by now…
the social web.
Now this is where things get interesting.
Get ready to go back to the future.
People’s expectations haven’t changed.
The social web just exposes those expectations that we have forgotten for 100 years.
It’s all about person to person.
1
Forget about B2B or B2C
to succeed on the social web...
you have to focus on P2P (person to person)!
Get out from behind that logo and legalese and act like real people!
There is a demand for transparency.
2
People don’t want to be sold to.
Genuinely help them in some way.
There is immediacy.
3
If someone is mad at you or your company, you will hear about it.
And today, they’re not just going to tell their friends in a village.
They’re going to tell their 6,000 Twitter followers.
So there is no room for error anymore.
We must listen & respond to our customers on the social web.
Success depends on your word of mouth
reputation.
4
(now more than ever!)
Everyone is a publisher. Influence has been democratized.
if you’re a reputable company, this is a great thing on the social web.
but if you already have a problem with customer service
the amplifying effects of the social web will make things worse!
There is STILL a primal need to connect.
5
Nobody has to be on the social web. People want to be there.
and they’re sharing with thousands of friends.
and they’re sharing with thousands of friends.
FacebookFlickr
Snapchat
Google +
We are returning to the way people want
to buy from us…
person to person.
humans buy from humans.
humans buy from humans.
humans buy from humans.
It’s not new.
It’s simply medieval.
1. They want to know the people behind the business (P2P!).
2. They expect transparency and honesty.
3. If you wrong them, you’ll know it right away.
4. Success depends on your word of mouth reputation.
5. There is a primal need to connect, to be social.
People have always had the same expectations from companies:
So if you want to grow your business with the social web…
Be more human.
Need more social media advice?
Get more social media advice with my book, Social Media Explained. !Buy it here on Amazon.
Buy the book!
Content by @markwschaefer Design by @sarahsmason
businessesgrow.com/blog uncommonlysocial.com/ services/presentation-design
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Images #12 Medieval girls by Hans Splinter #15 Medieval food by Hans Splinter #19 Knight by Hans Splinter #22 Medieval neighbours by Hans Splinter #23 Bubonic plague by Hans Splinter #27 Dancing in the wind by Hans Splinter #34 That Love All Those Mistakes by Thomas Hawk #38 Live transmission by bricolage108 #40 Killing time... by zilverbat #52 The Calm After the Show by Thomas Hawk #54 Woman sitting with iPhone by Death to Stock #60 Business Decisions, Plate 3 by Thomas Hawk #62 Conversation on Haight Street by Thomas Hawk #65 Times Square by Unsplash #66 Please Ask by Roo Reynolds #70 Anti-Torture Vigil - Week 18 by Justin Norman #72 Listen by Alper Tecer #74 Red by Thomas Hawk #77 Jérôme's Vox amp with ShinyBox and Shure SM57 by Marc Wathieu #79 Woman with iPhone and drink by Death to Stock #80 Paul Oakenfold, Coachella 2013 -- Indio, CA by Thomas Hawk #83 Peter & Noel #12 & #13 100 Strangers by Just Ard #84 Untitled by Adam Lerner #85 Urban Cowboy by Adam Lerner !Typography Calisto MT !!!
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