EduMusings

That social media is forcing companies to open up and expose their vulnerabilities is old news. We’ve seen campaigns that shelter their brands too much fail (Wal Mart) and campaigns that recklessly dive in fail (Skittles). But what does success look like? Are there any companies that really “get it?”

I found the basis for answering these questions in this article about how companies are translating their traditional marketing tactics into Web 2.0 language. One of best and easiest-to-implement ideas in the article is being put into practice by Business Week editor-in-chief,John Byrne. As with all major publications, readers often submit story ideas to the editor. Byrne made this process more transparent by asking readers to submit their story ideas on his blog and promised to follow through with at least one of the stories each week. Last week marked the one year anniversary of this initiative. Byrne says he started soliciting story ideas because he believes in the wisdom of the masses.

This phenomenon of reaching out to your audience and asking for their feedback and suggestions is known as crowdsourcing (compare to the term ‘outsourcing’). This isn’t a new concept, but it is one that’s getting increased attention and legitimacy from unlikely sources. The New York State Senate announced today that they’ll be making their website social media friendly. Each senator and committee will get their own homepage on which the public will be allowed to submit comments on legislation, view streaming videos of hearings and link content back to their own social networking pages.

Now that deciding whether or not your company should participate in social media is no longer an option, institutions need to start figuring out their next steps. Will you go beyond just providing a forum for discussion? How can you engage your constituents in discussion on topics of your choosing? Not content to be passive, the decision makers I mentioned above have grabbed the bull by the horns and started initiating conversations with their constituents. Some companies have been so caught up in the negatives of social media (less control, missteps amplified), that they’ve overlooked how the medium can actually help them. As social media starts to have an increasingly large impact on your constituents, you need to move beyond engaging them in their space. Universities now have a powerful tool to collect feedback and metrics on their prospects, current students and alumni experiences. With the distance between the decision makers and consumers decreasing, social media will allow institutions to provide better experiences for all of their constituents.