Social Media Flight Operations: The View From 6 Miles High

Many years before I began my online career, it was my honor to serve in the United States Air Force from 1968 to 1972.

Not surprisingly, there is much to be learned from military strategy that can be applied to business.

I recently reported on an important study of the largest 100 companies in the Fortune Global 500 index, conducted by the Altimeter Group.

In that study, 79% of corporations had undertaken Social Media Marketing efforts.

Unfortunately, to use an Air Force analogy, many of these campaigns never got off the ground.

I have been asked repeatedly to expand on the reasons for this under-performance, from a strictly strategic point-of-view.

So, continuing the Air Force analogy, here is an operational flyover from 6 miles high.

If Social Media is so powerful, why did so many of these Social Media missions fail?  What went wrong?

Social Media is the most potent weapon in your arsenal.  But mounting a Social Media Campaign requires all of the engineering precision, timing and leadership of a military air campaign.  So why did these missions fall short of their targets?  Was it poor design, too short a runway, poor morale, a lack of fuel, pilot error?

From six miles high, a few important conclusions can be drawn:

1. It is a mistake to jettison old tools and techniques, (traditional advertising, PR, Google Ads and SEO), like so much excess baggage.  If they were working before, you should continue to use them — financial resources permitting.  Social Media should be employed judiciously, as an additional — but not exclusive — fuel source for your marketing effort.
2. The cost of fuel is rising with frightening speed, however, and Social Media does provide a much more economical fuel alternative.  If cost is a primary factor, Social Media will keep you airborne for a lot less money.
3. If things are really not working at all, Social Media is a reliable parachute.

Protect the morale of your flight crew, and maintain communication with Headquarters:

1. Change is never easy.  All organizations have their own idiosyncratic cultures, and injecting Social Media flight plans into pre-existing operational systems can be a source of friction among the crew.
2. For Social Media to succeed, it must secure complete buy-in from all levels of command:  From the pilot and his crew to the mechanics on the ground — and most importantly, from the Generals back at Headquarters.

Accept the risks, and approach the target with confidence.

1. Like all emerging strategies, there are risks in Social Media that must be embraced and opportunities that must be fully realized.  Targets of opportunity must be approached with skill, timeliness and accuracy.
2. The organizations that will excel at this new higher altitude, must be piloted by forward-thinking, highly trained and fully engaged professionals.

Understand Your Operational Plan

1. Before you can begin the campaign, you must have a carefully devised strategic operational plan.
2. Your target (audience) must be engaged before you begin operations (selling).  In Social Media, all sales activity must be preceded by a new form of conversation with your customers.  Striking too soon will seem too aggressive.
3. In addition to flight skills, the pilot must be creative and persistent.  There are no shortcuts in this type of mission:  It requires hard work, innovation and perseverance.

Do the math

1. Pilots spend a great deal of time doing complicated navigational math.  Analysts on the ground use complicated formulas to determine the mission’s success or failure.  And logistics experts calculate how best to use available resources.  The same can be said of Social Media, except we call the math ROI (Return on Investment).
2. A successful air mission quantifies targets acquired, fuel expended and results on the ground.  A successful Social Media campaign quantifies an assortment of variables also.  For example:  How much is a Twitter follower worth, before he buys?  How do you quantify the improved customer service that results from successful Social Medial ? ROI analysis must now accommodate, or at least recognize, new and arcane formulas like the Klout Score, Retweet Rank, Twitter Grader, Tweet Level and Twitalyzer Score, in addition to the Follower and Following count.

Make sure you have advanced piloting skills, sufficient fuel, an adequate runway, a maximized flight ceiling, and that Headquarters understands your overall requirements.  Make sure that all members of the team fully understand the mission.

1. The pilot must have the requisite skills to fly the mission and a comprehensive knowledge of all mission requirements.
2. The pilot’s professionalism must be appreciated by those on the ground.
3. Pilots cannot be inexperienced crop-dusters with little battlefield know-how.
4. To be effective, Headquarters must appreciate the pilot’s judgment and years of experience.
5. Headquarters must rely on the pilot and crew-members to determine the amount of fuel and ammunition the mission requires.
6. Runways must be long enough to allow for take-off, and firm enough to allow for a safe landing.
7. Pilots must believe in the strategic value of the targets, and should collaborate with Headquarters in target selection.
8. The airframe must be capable of operations at a maximized flight ceiling.
9. The same is true of Social Media.  Social Media campaigns must be manned by qualified professionals.  They must have adequate funding, a long enough period of time to succeed, and a maximized operational ceiling, (minimum 10,000 Twitter followers, with the potential to reach 100,000).  Management must be fully engaged and cognizant of your requirements.  Importantly, be certain that management understands the Social Media mission, and has progressed beyond the common Social Media myths.
10. Twitter campaigns are a case-in-point.  These campaigns are often tainted by the false management beliefs that:
    a.  Twitter has few business applications
    b.  Twitter users are only interested in mundane references to “where they went for lunch”
    c.  Twitter expertise is a skill enjoyed by every unemployed college student
    d.  The science and art of Social Media strategy are somehow lesser disciplines than traditional sales and marketing.

As a result, proper funding in all but the most enlightened, socially savvy companies is in very short supply. Time will show that this short-sighted funding approach, similar in degree and results to hiring your cousin to design your website years ago, is a failed strategy.

Airframe technology is constantly improving, and  must be continually upgraded.

1. A pilot is only as good as his aircraft.  Why would you ever want to go into battle with inferior equipment?
2. In addition to understanding all aspects of his current aircraft’s performance, the pilot should always look for better, faster and more effective planes to fly.
3. R&D engineers and scientists should look to the pilot for operational assessments, and listen carefully to his practical suggestions for improvement.
4. The same is true of Social Media.  The technology, methods, tools and related skills of effective Social Media, all change at the speed of thought. To be efficient, the Social Media Strategist must reside at the edge of innovation.  To keep pace, companies and their strategists must be constantly vigilant, trying new approaches as they become available.

Ground support is not a luxury, it is absolutely crucial to success.

1. As can be seen in the evolving air battle over Libya, a “No-Fly Zone” is difficult to sustain without boots on the ground.  Someone has to keep the aircraft maintained, the munitions ready, and the day-to-day needs of the aircrews met.  All of this requires commitment and funding.  As the battle wages on, and even if operations are successful, these requirements are likely to expand.  Increased support requirements can be abrupt and expensive.
2. Again, the same is true of Social Media.  Success results in two pressing difficulties. First, demands for support within the company increase exponentially, and second, a newly engaged customer base demands even more attention. These changes are abrupt and are seldom met with increased funding. Taken together, these results compound already scarce resources, and can easily wrench defeat from the jaws of victory.

The best pilots are in command of their units.

1. During many military campaigns in history, the most skilled pilots were promoted to positions of authority.  They were skilled strategists and tacticians, as well as airmen, armed with the klout necessary to get the entire job done. Their most important function was often Command and Control.
   
2. In Social Media, one shortcoming often responsible for under-performance is the lack of authority invested in the Social Media Strategist.  If it is true that Social Media is destined to permanently change the way the world does business, then it is equally true that the successful Social Media Strategist should be an integral participant in company operations at the highest corporate level. Political turf wars notwithstanding, his input should be a major component of all company decisions, both strategic and tactical. This pivotal function should not be relegated to the communications, customer support or marketing departments, but should instead have a place at the C-level table.

Getting in touch with me is very easy

Have a question? Or just want to chat about your business? Simply call the number below. During normal business hours (8 AM – 5 PM Scottsdale, Arizona time) it is my direct line. Otherwise, just leave a message. If you would prefer to exchange email I would love to here from you. Just email michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com or click the email badge below. I promise I will get back to you within 24 hours.

 

 

 

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