We have to stop using the term "social media." Everybody. Stop. Now.
We need to start over, and call this new thing by its proper name which is: "social networks."
Social media is part of a company's media strategy. Social networks are new social organizations with new rules of engagement and participation. There's a real difference.
Social media is about changing people's perceptions of products so they buy more. Social networks are places where customers are talking about what interests them, and companies have the opportunity to listen, participate and eventually lead and provide service.
So here's why the name matters: in organizations around the world there are debates, even arguments, about how to use these new social networks to reach the audiences that are members. These arguments usually begin in the marketing department. Invariably the discussion filters up to senior management---and that's where the problem with "social media" lies.
Senior management of most organizations is made up of people who don't understand how profound the new social communications paradigm is-it means giving up "command and control" marketing, it means giving up control of your brands, it means empowering your employees to engage with customers and create dialogue.
Senior management largely doesn't participate in social networks themselves. And even if they do have a Facebook page, and even if they do visit it more than once a month, they still think the only marketing value any of this has is those little dinky ads along the side of the page. It's adjacency advertising, like print or out of home.
Social media is like other media only it doesn't work nearly as reliably or well.
Social Network strategies are not about "the big idea" that has governed marketing campaigns since the 1920s. And this is the most important part: they're not part of a media strategy.
By using the term "social media," we start in a box with all the other media: broadcast, print, out of home, direct, yada, yada. For the last four years I've heard various executives talk about how to use social media as a means of engaging new audiences to "get our message out."
A social network strategy is all about how you listen to, engage with and participate in online networks of people. A social media strategy is about making sure that your Facebook page is in alignment with your television spots.
And real marketing strategy and budget decisions are being made today about social media that use the old school logic of "reach and frequency." How much is a "like" worth? How many followers does the Twitter account have? How many mentions are we getting about the new campaign from that new fangled social media listening platform? What's the consumer talking about?
The perception problem within senior management is profound. Brian Dunn, the CEO of Best Buy, is a singular and notable exception. But even he says, "You'd be amazed at the number of people I talk to-people who run big businesses around the world-who think social networking is just a fad, or that what you see on Twitter and Facebook is simply clutter."
Or just lousy media that doesn't perform well.
Words matter. What we name something gives it identity-the oldest brand copywriter in the world will tell you that.
The change we're trying to bring to companies and brands around the world is profound. A decade from now organizations will be turned inside out.
I've written about companies like Lego, who used to be run by lawyers that sued people for intellectual property infringement. Now Lego is shining example of the open and social organization, fostering hundreds of other small craft companies that build models from Legos.
Social Networks are autonomous, inter-connected, user-driven publishing, listening and sharing platforms built by individuals voluntarily and spontaneously joining to exchange ideas, pictures, videos and links with other people for personal and professional reasons.
Social Networks work in contradiction to the rules of traditional media. The sooner we call it for what it is, the better off we'll all be. Even-perhaps, especially-senior management.
So join me. Update your decks, your posts, your masthead! Let's call them "social networks," not "social media." Just so we're clear.
"Social Networks Today" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?