One of the signs that you’re with people who don’t entirely understand the effective use of social media is when the conversation turns into a lengthy discussion about what tools to use. Should we ditch our blog and go entirely to Twitter? What’s the best video site? What’s a better monitoring tool Radian6 or Spiral16?
Making the tools the primary topic of discussion reflects the habits of the broadcast media world. A 1993 media plan started by weighing the advantages of TV vs. print vs. radio vs. out-of-home. After that was decided, the messages and programs were then crafted for the channels.
Social media is more about fitting the tool to the task than the task to the tool. To fulfill its promise, social media requires companies to engage with customers and prospects on a non-trivial level. It requires reaching out to people for their support and ideas. It requires responding to them when they respond to you. It requires keeping up on conversations that are happening in multiple places. It is not that the tools are unimportant, it’s just that the success of social media efforts depends less on the tools and more on the effort behind them. It’s a bit like working out. Assessing whether spinning, swimming, or Tae Bo is the better method for getting in shape is less important than doing any one of them vigorously and consistently.
In the broadcast world, if you forced me to choose between having the best message placement (e.g. the best programs, the best locations, etc.) or the best messengers, I would probably pick the placement. In the social media world, if you forced me to choose between the best tools and best messengers, I would definitely pick the messengers.
The most important step in planning a social media program is understanding who you want to engage and why they would benefit from engaging with you. When it comes time to pick the tools, there are numerous sources to guide you (with the practical, experienced guidance of Jason Falls’ team at Social Media Explorer being high among them). But your ultimate success will depend more on the commitment you put into it than the specific tool you use.
The Ryan Report 