Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web

Chapter 1. The Social Media Manifesto: Engage or Die

THE SOCIALIZATION OF MEDIA IS YEARS IN THE MAKING

In my 19-year marketing career, I've dedicated the last 13 years specifically to the practice of and experimentation in online interaction. My findings are based solely on the chemistry of failure, success, and, well, ambivalence, which by many accounts equals either defeat or promise. The constant theme throughout has been the sustained balance between the pursuit of new influencers and the incorporation of verified traditional methods. This experience, and the experiences of others, ultimately serves as the foundation for creating a new communications bridge between companies and customers. Socialized media has:

• Rewired the processes by which consumers share experiences, expertise, and opinions.

• Broadened the channels available to consumers who seek information.

• Changed how companies approach markets.

• Altered how companies develop products.

• Remodeled the processes by which companies connect with and show appreciation for their customers.

• Transformed the method of influence, augmenting the ranks of traditional market experts and thought leaders with enthusiasts and innovators who self-create content-publishing platforms for their views.

  

• Facilitated customers' direct engagement in the conversations that were previously taking place without their participation.

A fundamental shift in our culture ...