The Future of Social Media and The Agency

By Jason Falls

When you’re a long-time reader, admirer and student of hers, fulfilling a request from Valeria to offer a guest article for Conversation Agent is a difficult task. And, honestly, when she asked me to tackle the subject of social media in the context of an agency, despite the fact that I should be ideally qualified to offer that perspective, I wrestled with the topic for weeks.

Instead of offering a contemplative piece offering the pros and cons of hiring an agency, a consultant or staffing internally (the first attempt, self-effacing yet egocentric) or case studies (the second attempt, staid and predictable) I landed here:

“What does the future of social media hold in the world of the agency? Or, at least, what do I hope it holds?”

While it’s true we’re at the front end of the social media bell curve and most agencies – social media, advertising, public relations or otherwise – have yet to acquire the requisite skill to effectively use the medium to connect and engage audiences on behalf of their clients, many are beginning to produce interesting efforts.

What good firms are doing now, all firms will be accomplishing five or 10 years from now. Now, we are learning, defining and experiencing. Tomorrow, the innovators and visionary social media minds will be pushing the limits of the media, lighting paths never before seen and, hopefully, making the consumer, and human, experience better.

Here’s how:

The definition of social media will continue to be revealed as not a set of technological tools but a communications mechanism. Thus, communications professionals will claim responsibility for it. Not in a silo-ed, “you aren’t qualified to do this without us,” approach, but by taking responsibility for teaching, developing strategies and shepherding internal and external efforts using the tools.

Agencies will begin to own more and more responsibility for those communications because the good ones will see it as a way to survive in a world where traditional media, and thus traditional advertising and public relations, aren’t reliable places to hang your hat.

Customer service will migrate its way to the forefront of social media strategies and become the primary focus of these efforts. Direct conversations with consumers will provide businesses and brands with free research, reactions and ultimately remind the companies what their customers want.

Consumers will benefit as, years later, the trickle-down effect of The Cluetrain Manifesto will flood the boardrooms and C-suites of companies everywhere, many of which will begin to see occupants who have never known a world without the web. The social media tenets of transparency and humanness will begin to tear down bureaucracies, both in business and in government.

Agencies will find a renewed spirit of living, making customers happy because the customers’ customers are happy. The pro-bono and non-profit agency partners will then begin to reap the benefits as social media platforms will open new worlds of engagement and passion-building for causes that mean something more than our normal attentions.

My own agency has approached a drug rehabilitation and treatment center with an idea to utilize those currently in the program to serve as community managers for an online connecting point for anyone in need. These are the types of social media programs that can, and I would guess will, change the world.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of what I hope will happen. Of course, all of it is dependent upon those of us who see this future and understand how social media can change the world teaching those outside the bubble of its potential.

If we don’t, old school marketing techniques will overrun social media channels with spam and the public will migrate somewhere else. I hear text-enabled walkie talkies are nice this time of year.

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Jason Falls is the director of social media for Doe-Anderson, a brand-building agency in Louisville, Ky., specializing in building brand enthusiasts. A public relations professional by trade and writer by craft, Falls is co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville.

Comments

[Daniel]

Jason -

I look forward to a follow-up post about the success of your social media efforts for the rehab center.

And, for your post on ConversationAgent.com, I think you did a fine job! :-)

[Daniel J. Pritchett]

I'm a techie with a strong interest in social media. How do I keep up with all of these qualified communications professionals?

Sure, I can probably find, install, and configure the latest SM tools better than they can but people are still going to come looking for them to manage and expand the communities I set up.

[Michael Gass]

Jason,

I enjoyed reading your post. As an agency consultant for new business I'm encouraging ad agencies to participate in social media for themselves. Most don't get it yet, because they haven't experienced it first hand in a way that allows their marketing/branding minds to kick-in as to how these tools can be used for their clients.

Agency clients are clearly frustrated at the lack of knowledge agencies have in this arena. They are equally frustrated when they turn to digital agencies who understand the technical side but do not understand branding and marketing. Anyway, just my two cents worth. Thanks again for sharing.

[Jim Sweeney]

Jason,

Great post. Tremendous insight. Powerful honesty. I am most pleased that you have avoided the typical approach of lumping all agencies into one basket labeled "Incompetents and Knuckleheads."

Many of us are doing all the right things in all the right ways for all the right reasons.

[Geoff Livingston]

I love that you said communications will own social media, because it's not PR, not advertising, not social media, but a hybrid mix of all of these elements.

Cluetrain reference is awesome. I've started buying this for staff members, who are too young to have been taught this fantastic book. Also Doc Searls chapter is part of my spring syllabus at Georgetown!

[Jason Falls]

Thanks to all for the comments and compliments. Posting for Valeria really was a thrill because I'm a regular reader and great admirer of hers. I appreciate the kind words.

Daniel - The rehab center idea could be ground breaking if the funding can be found. It might also be something worth pursuing pro-bono, so I hope to be telling that tale soon. Thanks.

Daniel No. 2 - If you're a reader here, then you're on the right track. Valeria really is a thought leader in the communication space. In what you do, however, I would recommend finding a communications professional who understands social media to help craft the education, strategies and so on for your tool sets. They aren't a dime a dozen, but there are good folks out there to be found. Good luck.

Michael - You're spot-on. Doing it for yourself is the bet way to learn. One of the competing PR firms in my town started a blog recently -- their first known social media effort, client or otherwise. It's the smartest thing they've done.

Jim - Thank you. It seems we're akin in that we're tired of being lumped into the non-it-getters category. Keep on keepin' on, my man.

Geoff - Thanks. I've had three C-level folks tell me my recommendation of the Cluetrain has changed their perspective completely. Powerful work.

[Scott Meis]

Good insight Jason. Social media isn't leaving anytime soon and I think it will be adapted on the agency front at a more aggressive rate as people continue to realize the focus is on the communications process rather than the technologies.

Good point Daniel, it will be interesting to see how the field can continue to merge the areas of programming expertise and community management. Pulling the two together will be key to maximizing any push into social media. Exciting times.