Successful digital strategy in two words July 4, 2008
Posted by James Warren in marketing, pr, social media.trackback
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about digital strategy and I keep coming back to one very simple universal truth: the key to success in digital communications, whether you’re an individual or a business, can be distilled down to two words: BE NICE. If you don’t have it within your DNA to be nice then don’t even think about trying to do anything digital, because you will fail. If you’re generous with your time, are courteous, listen, don’t interrupt, help people do what they want to do and make people smile – in short, if you’re nice – then people will want to hang out with you and introduce you to their mates. Simple.
It’s not not called antisocial media for nothing.
Yes good point I think you do have to be nice. Everyone wants to feel valued having had someone else take their views onboard. Marketers should have these good basic social skills. Listening is an important element. If you’re seen to be listening and take action as a result if you were a company for example reacting to feedback then consumers are more likely to sympathise with your efforts and think more highly of the company and additionally be more likely to engage in dialogue in the future.
http://facevaluebook.blogspot.com/
James - I couldn’t agree more. I think a lot of people see this as being old fashioned, after all you can’t be nice and succeed surely Shirley? (who’s Shirley?). And I also agree that listening is a skill that is hugely underated.
Have I ever told you how nice you are James? ahhhh, lovely.
Have you been on the ecstacy again jimbob?
“Nice”???
Is that as in the biscuits or the town in the South of France? Because I can’t imagine that you actually mean us to be pleasant to each other online?
What will happen to flame wars? Calling each other Hitler? Posting anonymously so no-one knows it’s you?
Maybe you meant ‘diplomatic’? As in “Diplomacy is the art of saying “Nice doggie!” till you can find a rock.”
It’s a life strategy, not just a digital one.
Funnily enough, a youngster starting out on a career in PR asked me last week what my key pieces of advice would be. I said, “work hard, learn as much as you can and be nice.”
If everyone did that, wouldn’t it be great?
But being nice is such an EFFORT chap… oh yeah, I see your point…
Hi Jenny - thanks for your comment. Love your blog name!
Paul - you’re lovely too.
They don’t call it email for nothing Matt.
Yes, Simon - nice. Not diplomatic. There’s a world of difference, don’t you think?
Mark, you’re absolutely right, of course. While it’s undoubtedly true for individuals, my post was aimed more at businesses. For some reason they tend not to think of ‘nice’ as being a key business attribute.
Enjoy Stockholm Grantie!
Your original post points to the central issue: businesses don’t have niceness in their DNA. Businesses are designed to do one thing, which is to make money. They’re pathological.
But that’s not to say that the people in them can’t be nice though.
Mark, so true (funny how it seems…). I do think though there are some businesses that have hard-wired ‘niceness’ into their DNA and use it (non-cynically, they would have us believe) as a marketing device (Innocent is an obvious example). Effective digital marketing comes more naturally to these companies, I believe.
But ultimately, it’s taking on some of the attributes of ‘niceness’ that are key: listening, wanting to help, being respectful, using humour etc etc…
I am really only posting this so you get to ten posts, cos that is truly impressive.
But niceness … isn’t it more about acting with integrity? Niceness as an asset is a bit dangerous because you can’t always be nice. You may need to fire someone, and you can’t really do that nicely. It isn’t, by definition, nice. But you can do it with integrity.
Nice and Tidy
Tidy and Nice
That’s the Way that
We Leave your House
(jingle of well-known, very posh, cleaning service)
B-b-b-b-but nice people can be ‘hard’ when required. Being nice doesn’t mean being a push-over. Does it? You’ve got to be cruel to be nice. Or something.
Aren’t Nice and Tidy from Mr Messy?
Vivian Stanshall, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End. Classic stuff.
It’s impossible to be nice all the time. But you can act with integrity at all times. And, I guess, you can treat people with respect at all times, which isn’t necessarily about being nice.
But I think we’re all fundamentally agreeing with your original thought, really, which means I am listening happily to the sound of my own voice for no apparent reason. And that happens a lot in social media, too, doesn’t it?
Digital masturbation. Now that can’t be social …
Whackety whackety whack. FYI Mr Messy was Neat and Tidy - my mistake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Messy#List_of_characters
Ace point, well made. For the first time in my career, social media has meant people are really reaping what they sow and those willing to go the extra mile to help out colleagues, ex-colleagues, mates, frenemies or even total strangers are really seeing the benefits. Long may it continue.
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be human, I think. and part of being a decent human is being nice . . .