Recently I wrote that the distribution of information had always been a funnel but it had now turned right side up.  The mouth of the funnel is wide open and consumers are publishing because it is easy and they have opinions.  The good brands are building these funnels, advertising their communication portals (Facebook,etc) , attracting consumers, collecting opinions, engaging, finding their voices and constructively inviting/channeling consumers further down into the brand storyline. During this process the brands are quietly measuring their effectiveness, learning, and becoming much better communicators as consumers elect to engage more deeply.  They are collecting excellent data on Influencers, athletes and active consumers as the information travels down the funnel.

In recent conversations I have been painfully reminded that many me-too brands in the Outdoor Industry are not building solid funnels but building buckets with holes and no bottom.

How? Well, these companies crow that they have a Web Site, Facebook Page, are on Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.

And consumers are initially engaging…entering the bucket. But they are not directed or invited to go anywhere.  They  just sit in the bucket, quickly draining to the bottom…without direction.

And then an analyst from Channel Signal investigates. We find that they had good sign-up for the Facebook page, a decent  following on Twitter, and that YouTube and Flickr had good traffic, but that it fell off quickly.

Why did the traffic fall off?  Because these companies did not allocate the resources to engage. Employees were not assigned to respond to consumers, and direct them to the next point of interest. Consumer questions and comments went unanswered. They were not invited to go to Facebook or the Website, or YouTube, or a User Group. And because there was no natural momentum of engagement, no funnel, consumers were stranded and then took the easy way out….quickly out the bottom of the bucket. They were invited to the conversation and then nobody talked to them.

So they didn’t stick around. And  they took all of their knowledge about the brand with them.

A study by the Chief Marketing Council shows that 38 percent of the 480 executives in the industries surveyed say their companies have no programs in place to track or propagate positive word of mouth among customers. And only 29 percent rate highly their ability to handle and resolve customer problems or complaints

All that money to make products that attract consumers. All that money to sell into retail. All that money for advertising to attract consumers. All that money to set up conversation channels.  And then the pay-off…consumers responding online by engaging in one of the channels. And…

And silence. All that wonderful potential data about consumers and what they like and don’t like about your brand and products…out the bottom of the bucket. And all those potential Influencers, gone.

Never to be captured again.

Say goodbye to measuring ROI.

Let’s say a company has 200 employees. And the company itself has no New Media strategy or presence. Well, that company has a presence by default because it is likely that at least 40% of those employees are on Facebook, My Space, Twitter, posting on Blogs, have their own Blogs, etc. And what do they talk about? Themselves, which means they talk about work at least some of the time. They carry a message into the marketplace about the company, for good or bad.  

What is the best approach for engaging online? Decentralized where employees carry the New Media load or centralized where the company carries the load with a strategy and an execution plan.  

1. Decentralized: 

        a. Employees are personally engaging online and, at times,  represent the company. If all employees are loyal well-trained ambassadors of the company this can be good. A lot of voices saying generally, the same thing. 

        b. And it can be bad. An employee with an ax to grind about compensation, vacation policy, or management can create a problem, especially if it gets picked up by others and becomes viral. 

       c. There is no way to measure this kind of unsupervised activity, no metrics for the company. 

       d. The brand called Me. Employees are not employees when online for personal reasons. They are ever mindful of branding themselves for a variety of reasons, one  is furthering a career. Nothing wrong with it. Just don’t expect the company to compete with that. 

2. Centralized:

        a. A company has a strategy in place, an engame for New Media conversations.

        b. An employee or department is responsible for the company’s New Media Presence. H/she has the power to engage other departments and solicit help with responses.

        b. Metrics are assigned in the pursuit of a meaningful ROI for the effort.  

        d. Employees who have their own online presence know the general strategy of the company and are mindful to perpetuate it when addressing work or the company.

        e. The branding, product, and service conversations are all real-time feedback for the company. 

3. A Mix of Decentralized and Centralized

       a. This is probably what is happening with many companies who have embraced new media. 

       b. The companies have a strategy, execute the strategy, assign responsibility, engage in the collective conversation, and measure. 

       c. Most all departments are touched by New Media, so many of the employees are tuned into the company strategy, have engaged as a company rep, and now take it personally when a blogger’s sentiment is negative about the company. “Hey, that’s my department he’s talkin’ about!”

It’s not hard to figure out that I’m on the side of a centralized approach to New Media. When the company engages, employees engage. Often, on their own time and in their own voice… to the benefit of the company. Can’t get much better than that.