Is Your Brand a Social Media Zombie?
When it comes to using social media, some companies thrive by monitoring their brands online, participating in meaningful conversations and reaching out to key stakeholders — all breathing life into their brands. At the same time, too many organizations are neglecting their brand presence in social media, dooming them to the fate of zombies.
Brand zombies are mindless, incapable of communication and show no signs of personality. They’re controlled in an undead state by mysterious outside forces.
Sound like any brands you know? To prevent your brand from becoming a flesh-eating drone, consider following these steps:
ANALYSIS
Gauge the relative health of your brand in various social media channels such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and niche social networks. Though you might not personally frequent these places, don’t assume people aren’t talking about your brand. Online comments and conversations absolutely affect the associations and feelings people have about your brand. Here are 5 easy research tools:
PARTICIPATION
After identifying key places and people that may be influencing your brand online, begin participation that proves you’re alive and well. Post some blog comments. Answers some Twitter questions. Be an active member in these mini-communities to show you’re not living in an ivory tower, insulated from the people that help keep your business/brand alive.
OUTREACH
Once you’re reasonably comfortable knowing your online brand dynamics and have established a baseline presence, you’re hopefully ready for proactive outreach to people important to your business: customers, partners, suppliers, employees, etc. What brand experience can you offer that delivers value to these key people? FedEx created tracking widgets, Best Buy launched TwelpForce, a Twitter-based tech support system, and GM opened up their FastLane blog. Each of these offerings reinforces important brand attributes: FedEx: Delivery Timeliness, Best Buy: Accessible Tech Support and GM: Innovation & Transparency.
Zombies are scary business. Don’t let your brands languish to the point of being undead versions of their former selves. Use readily available social media tools to ward off unwanted spirits and build your brand so it thrives for years to come.
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Comments
To clarify, when I say SM is new, I simply mean becoming so mainstream. It’s not all that new at all. 
Gary,
I love that term, Social Media Zombie! And it is so true. Today it is essential for brands to listen to online conversations and engage with their customers. Thanks for the shout-out to Radian6. And let’s try to rid the world of the Social Media Zombies!
Warren Sukernek
Director of Content Marketing
Radian6
@warrenss
Ahhh, Gary, you’ve done it again. Social media + zombies go together like peanut butter and jelly. Bravo! 
Good advice, Gary! We’ve seen a ton of brands enter social media by knee jerk reactions. One example would be the Domino’s debacle on YouTube. Domino’s had little base presence (if any at all) and tried to respond to a small crises by suddenly embracing the medium that promoted the negative message. What was interesting is that their response actually made matters worse.
To you point, had they already established a genuine and transparent presence in new media, things might have been perceived differently by the consumer public.
Lots of companies take the reactive approach, leaping to new media communication only after some type of issue or complaint has emerged. It’s a great way to put a nail in your own coffin in my opinion.
You’re giving some great advice on how brands can be more proactive in building a base that will at least show that they’ve decided to attend the online party… Keep em coming
Yes very rightly put in, I think its very necessary for you participate actively on online forums and other global platform, to not only increase your brand value and goodwill but also to reach the global market.
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Garrett on July 29, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Because SM is still new, when a brand (@paychex for instance – though it is just one person doing it on their own initiative, hopefully the company will catch on), when a brand follows and participates… it feels “above and beyond.”
Companies that want to use this window in time to be ahead can really bump up their image.
It was a great feeling after dumping ADP to see Paychex being so responsive on Twitter.