Broaden-and-Build

While trying to find ways of explaining admin roles/ community managers work in Social Media, I stumbled upon a psychology theory, brought to my attention by Costin Jelea. Broaden-and-build, the theory of positive emotions. In one sentence if people are experiencing positive emotions, they become more creative, wiser, socially integrated and thus happier.

A community manager always has to stay positive an keep the answers for the members of the community assertive and favorable to the brand. This is rule number one. In Social Media you never fight. But the interesting question is what happens between admins and the people they answer for or get engaged to, on long term?

If the relation between the psychologist and his patient is meant to cure the patient and methods of broaden-and-build theory can do this, what happens between the admin and brand advocates?

First of all, let's define the therapy roles. The admin is the brand social media psychologist. Brand advocates are the people who are most present in the community/page, comment and interact with the brand often. They are those who need counseling from the brand. The reasons for which they come to "therapy" are different, depending first on the category and second on the conversation pattern. They come for beauty advices in case of cosmetics and end up talking also about self confidence. They come for entrepreneur advices and start talking about community issues.

Just like in any therapy interaction, admins and brand advocates get attached. The admin raises a question or launches a discussion on a social network and he is the first one to give the answer or guide it. If the admin respects the first rule, he will have a crowd to talk to and guide it further. The brand content has to raise positive feelings. (second rule of social media). I'm not talking about posting funny cats or comedy movies/illustration. I'm talking about generating good content, educational or entertaining, that follows brand equity and values. This is how the transfer of emotions begins, from the admin, towards the brand advocates, by starting a conversation that enables people to write positive stuff.

The second step for the admin, when transfer happens, is to become friends with the advocates and educate them to create more valuable content. They are sharing same values, so why should't they become friends? The reason behind this is to generate the milestone of online communication - WOM, to have more people taking the message further, but also to generate duplication of content.

Social Media and the Unconscious

What if the only role of social media were to drive conversation? Then it would sound like you're going every day to your psychotherapist and unveil him your conscious thoughts so that your unconsciousness could get out or deposit itself in a another box.

If you watch an analytic account and search for referrals you also observe that social does not drive traffic. It contains and consumes itself, as unconscious thoughts mess with your mind.

You do not take decisions upon on what you are reading and interacting on your newsfeed, it only helps you deposit and include information for further discussions or cognition processes. Brands should take social media as an opportunity for listening and driving conversation, just like a psychologist listens to his patient. Consider also that a patient can get cured and would no longer need the brand. Then the conversation changes.

About brands, social media, churches and legacies

Some churches are small, quiet, traditional, repetitive and full of rules like orthodox churches.
Some are loud, crowded, organizing each week humongous meetings like megachurches.
The admin is the priest, the mediator between brand values and followers.
Priests are changing. The pope can resign.
Priests can influence the church, but not the religion.
Some priests do not influence anybody, not even themselves  Some admins also.

I was the "priest" of some communities and left the job. The first community was a swap clothes event that I wanted to turn into an online swap community, but did not managed (lack of budget). I was preaching on Facebook (page and group) and on a blog, beside the event itself. After I decided to leave the community, I found another preacher, but only offered the Facebook page. I didn't want to lend my entire legacy. The blog space remained empty in recency ever since, even though the Facebook Page continues it's activity.

Now I have to do the same with Oriflame and the feeling is torturing me. I have to leave everything clear. This is why I am asking myself if the work I have done is social and visible enough to be easy to understand for the person who will replace me, beside the training that I will support. Each brand advocate that the brand acquired in the past year has it's own story and it's own drive to be part of the community. I have the police woman, the school teacher and the mother near the brand. The woman from rural area, the one from urban and the one from outside our country. Each one of them entered the community with some expectations. We become friends. I just met one live, the others only during Facebook chats but I will surly miss them.

How can you be sure you will leave all the advices on the table and the community will be run in the best way or better? How can you be sure that your recipe is easy to follow?

Calendar de reacție

Am greșit când am pus titlul articolului anterior. Nu am folosit calendarul de conținut sau tabele până acum, în afară de scurta perioadă cât am lucrat pe Cosmote. Nu am planficat posturile de Facebook pe o perioadă mai mare de 2 săptămâni (adică astă vară, când am plecat în concediu). Posturile de Facebook nu intră precum spoturile din media plan în direct și te miri de ce apar lângă o emisiune care dăunează imaginii brandului tău. Urmez o strategie de conținut, mai mult decât un calendar. Am gânduri și idei despre ce, cum și când trebuie anunțat, dar nu un calendar detaliat cu imagini și texte.

La ce reacționăm și când
În primul rând, la momentele din calendar, (postul de pe Facebook de dimineață și de seară, câteodată chiar și la prânz, de "gustare"), zile de sfinți și sărbători din timpul anului, evenimente mondene, cum ar fi un festival de film.

Sunt însă multe momente care nu apar în calendar și care trebuie exploatate, o știre din altă țară,  alegerea unui nou papă. Evenimentele organizate sau susținute de brand, care chiar dacă au conotație calendaristică, de cele mai multe ori sunt destul de spontane, deoarce echipa de Social Media este ultima car află. Acestea trebuie exploatate în social media, repede și bine. Nu poți să întârzii publicarea imaginilor de la un eveniment. E bine să îți anunți publicul prezent la eveniment că a doua zi le vor vedea imaginile pe Facebook. Se așteaptă să se eticheteze în ele, dacă a ieșit bine evenimenul!

Cum reacționăm? Ca un newsletter/facem buzz/ implicăm comunitatea?
Majoritatea modurilor de a reacționa, sunt de reacții de tip newsletter. Un conținut îngrijit, pus într-un format ușor de citit și simpatic de distribuit, etichetat sau apreciat. (pentru acest tip de conţinut, poţi să îţi pregăteşti un calendar). Pe lângă acestea am identificat alte două tipuri de reacţii, mult mai apetisante, conotative şi vibrante : buzz - puterea unei idei creative și social - activarea comunității. Am găsit și două exemple, diferite în rezultat pozitiv pentru brand, unde primul se concentrează pe a crea buzz în timp ce în cel de-al doilea cineva uită de tot de comunitate și puterea acesteia de reacție:
1. BUZZ <: a="" href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/how-oreo-got-that-twitter-ad-up-so-fast">Oreo care a aprins repede un ad
.2. Comunitatea >: DKNY care a folosit imagini fără drept de autor și fără să știe?!!.

Concluzie

Conținutul pe care un brand îl publică, trebuie să fie relevant și actual, de aceea, înloc de calendar, cred în puterea de reacție a celor implicați pe brand: creativi, echipa de social media, client și comunitate. Relația trebuie să fie foarte strânsă și coechipierii bine antrenați, pentru a reacționa instant la pase.