The
question of why about anything indicates an interest in understanding
why. Young children ask a lot of “why” questions because they are
curious about everything. Adults then ask their children “why did you
do that?” and when others ask us why we want to know “why do you ask?”.
In organizations success is influenced by a common understanding
between people as to “why” things are done the way they are and why do
we continue to do things that simply don’t work or matter to anyone.
Learning the answers to “why” about everything is a life long
journey of experience and study. Unless people know the answers to why
they cannot apply the right knowledge to the right circumstance and
subsequently responses and actions may not yield the right result. Ever wonder why you don’t get the right answers? Just maybe it is because you are not asking the right questions.
The Right Questions About Social Media
In an earlier post we discussed “5 Things You Must Ask About Social Media” in which we addressed some fundamental issues to consider before using social media. Additionally we’ve created a “How” series
which begins to address what,when,where,how, who and why questions
which we should never stop asking. The relevant questions are proposed
collectively in a white paper titled “Social Media Directions” available here.
As more and more individuals and organization continue to use social
media effective results will be realized by those who know “how” to ask
the right questions and subsequently never stop seeking the answers.
What is today’s answer to market needs can change at the click of a
mouse as consumers find more relevant and relative answers from their
“friends” on a daily basis compared the ones you provided yesterday.
The science of social technology accelerates consumption of answers to
questions the market has relevant to anything and anyone. Your answers
can become irrelevant unless you are monitoring the relative questions
that consumers are asking. Worse
yet is that if you are not engaged in “the market of conversations”
then you are not likely to even “know” what,where, when, who, how and
why the market is conversing.
Back To “Do You Know Why?”
Not knowing why social media is so powerful means you won’t know how to use it effectively. Not knowing “how” means you are likely to use it out of alignment with “what” your market wants. If you are communicating out of alignment with your market then your market isn’t likely to know “who” you are “when” you communicate. If you don’t know “where”
your market is then you are not likely going to reach them. If social
media isn’t working for you then you must ask the question “why“. The answer to this question may not have anything to do with social media rather it has everything to do with “how” well your people relate to the organization, your processes, products and technology.
Fixing your organizations “connectivity” to
your internal and external market requires you to ask the same
questions but in a different context than social media. The answers to
those questions will lead to why social media doesn’t work and why it
does. Having the right social media directions is always a good thing. Get it?
What say you?