How do you make money from social media? How do you monetize blogging? (notice I'm accepting the 'z' rather than the UK 's'.... good eh?) Everyone seems to be obsessed, and with some good reasons other than just plain greed, in the how's and whens of turning social media traffic into hard cash.
The very 'grail' in coming up with a way to do this is in fact a way to make money so everyone (who's involved, not my parents!) is going to sleep at night trying to figure out this enigma for the year 2007.... and the strange thing is that it's really, in my opinion, sifting those who understand what SM is all about from those who don't.... and just because these people who don't understand have a blog and maybe a podcast does not a SM expert make!
Just go and look at some of the PR firm's web sites to grab a slice of 'feel' as to what they are saying, writing and proposing on the subject - it's akin to either nothing or just random incoherent babble and waffle.... funny but scary at the same time. Why? ....because these are the people and companies that corps are going to be soon turning to and asking the question: what do we do about our corporate blog?
Oh, and btw I obviously discount in this brief post the idea that the way to monetise is to simply have advertising on the site you post your blog; this works to an extent and the early personal bloggers continue to do well at a tidy income on their Google AdSense revenue. It's a relevant income for some but not for all, for all sorts of reasons (which is a whole new post full of opinions and POV's). (see I reverted to the 's' there?)
Where was I? Oh, right, making money from SM.
Yep, I just see it now - the PR firm meets with the CIO of some corporation.... and the question is asked...... and how do we increase income by doing this?
The PR crumbles under the omnipresent $$$ question and comes up with some intellectual pitch on the style of the writing (voice they call it) allowing the corporation to drop in product placement 'copy' talking about how great their latest gidget or mop or service is and why the reader should be using it......zzzzzzzz BOLLOCKS!
There is no omni answer here! The real answer is - look we don't really know how your particular corp is going to use this but whatever you do don't try to use SM and the corporate voice to sell the product - no one will care, no one will come back and no one will share the blog link or subscribe....... just won't happen. Let's work together and we'll help you not make mistakes that will lead to loss of reputation - we'll be your guide in the darkness; but we only have a 'lantern' ourselves - you see honesty sounds so weak sometimes and no one is going to say that in a 'tooth and nail' pitch; but they probably should and if I were a CIO and a PR guy or gal said that to me - they would have my full support and account.
However, corps do need to be involved in SM at a corporate level and they should engage... but I fear they'll totally fuck it up, especially if they listen to some of these 'experts' in the PR field and the associated marketing consultancies out there banging on about the same old bollocks and just trying to force the same business objectives into a new 'channel'.
My opinion is that they need to change the title and duties of the CIO to CRO - Chief Reputation Officer..... you heard it here first (probably!) These people need to have enough 'clout' within a company to be able to say to a CEO/COO/CFO... STOP! You can't do that!
The one thing that SM will probably end up bringing to corporations? Honesty.
This in part comes back to my '34th miracle syndrome' (see archive) but it's real and easy and should be the way forward for all corporations from this day on (sounded a bit preachy but what the hell - it's Saturday).
The 'almighty dollar' is alive and well but just don't look for the quick buck in SM Mr. Corporation - it just isn't there! ....and that goes for you PR's out there, too!
Oh and does anyone have a good link they could comment on regarding to what has happened so far in Heroes? Off topic I know but I saw the episode the other night and although I liked the show I had no idea who was doing what, who was the baddy or goody... you get the idea - anyway I'd like to catch up and be ready for the new episodes.... please?
Although I haven't put this blog 'out there' yet, well not much; I don't expect a flood... ;-)
PS - Isn't 'Dexter' a cool show? Lovin that!!
3 comments:
Harrumph. Well, a kind of half-grudging, half-agreeing "harrumph", anyway - if it's possible to do such a thing.
See - I think you're mostly right to be indignant about the utter and complete bollocks spouted by the majority of PR professionals coming late into social media and attempting to carve out a slice of the monetisation/monetization action.
(I'm another transplanted European, btw - an Irishamn who grew up in Solihull, West Mids. I've been here in Canada for 10 years now and, like you, I'm still not sure whether my peers and associates prefer British or the American S vs. Z stylings. Feh.)
But, please - don't tar all PR folk with the same brush. I've been in the marketing and PR business for most of my career, with the last six years spent mostly on the agency side. I've also been online since my first Compuserve account in 1989, and actively engaged in the blogosphere since early 2001.
Doesn't necessarily mean that I've any more of a clue than most flacks, of course; but at least I've spent a bloody long time doing this stuff before getting into the role I'm now in, where my main job is to advise clients on all this social media loveliness.
One of the central tenets of my advice to clients interested in figuring out how to "monetise" in the social media space continues to be to get their PR and marketing people (including people like me) the hell out of the way.
We can, as you suggest, help with advice and counsel around finding an appropriate, authentic voice for the corporation (or, more precisely, for the people who are going to be doing the writing. Corporations don't blog, people do). But as soon as someone attempts to apply even the tiniest amount of spin, self-serving product placement, or anything of that sort - everything quickly turns pear-shaped.
Over two years ago, I wrote on one of my "official PR bloke" blogs: "The blogosphere treats spin as damage and routes around it" (yes, channelling John Gilmore, I know).
And bear in mind, this is from a guy who is paid to spin - who makes his living as a tail who wags dogs.
So - the collision of PR and social media is indeed a scary, messy, FUBAR kind of place. But not all flacks are entirely in need of being held down and bludgeoned with a clue-by-four.
For me, the best pargraph in your post is the one that opens "There is no omni answer here!" Aaaaa-men to all that, brother!
Righty-ho, then. Pardon the extended rantage. What I really meant to say, of course, was: welcome to Canuckistan and, even more, welcome to the nerdosphere. Happy to have another intelligent ex-pat voice in town.
M,
Thanks for the 'harrumph', but there's really no need to be 'half-grudging'; I honestly believe there are some really good PR's out there who actually do get this whole web two point Oh! thang, but I find they are the exception - I enjoyed reading your comment and was waiting for the big BUT.... and it never came... so thanks for that! ;-)
I think there is probably a good business to be made out of de-programming PR's and Marketing communications people - but that's not my bag, so I'll not be going 'there'.
I was in Canada in 89-94 so I should really know my z's from my s's by now - but secretly, I don't really mind as I can puff out my chest and do my own 'harrumph' at the bastardisation of our sacred language! My spell checker even wants to put a z there!
Once again, thanks for dropping by.
PiC
Eric,
Couldn't agree more..
Thanks for droppin by.
PiC
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