5 A's for the social media mix
Posted: Thu May 29, 2025 3:55 am
Social media are still an opaque forest for many companies. Where do you start, how do you approach it, what works best from a business perspective? Companies often copy each other, hoping that the success of the other will repeat itself. That is different from 'copying well', learning from good examples. You can find these examples, possibilities and advice in 'Get social in business', the new guide by Jeanet Bathoorn .
Questions about social media
Before I read the book, I wrote down for myself the questions that many organizations have about the use list to data of social media:
Should we outsource it or embed it in the organization?
Which social media should we choose and how are we going to use them?
What is the right tone of voice, the balance between marketing, business and personal approach?
How does the use of social media pay for itself? And how do we measure that?
What changes in our organization due to social media?
What expectations do social media raise among our customers?
Outsource or do it yourself?
Right in the introduction, the author stokes the fire by outsourcing social media to the young intern. Young people often have more experience with it, but use it fundamentally differently: as a chat box or a wailing wall. These are not the qualities that fit a social-business image.
Then it goes on to the working generations of today who did not, somewhat or completely grow up with the internet and new media. These generations play a role in companies, because often the manager is a baby boomer who judges whether a department full of young people should start tweeting with the customer.
Dangers and risks
And what about privacy? Technology is not good or bad, but it does cause the necessary problems of getting used to it, that much is clear. Being for or against social media is a waste of time. We have to use them in our work to be as effective as possible. It is a given: the Netherlands is a leader in the field of social media use. As an organization, are you therefore aware that using social media is not a one-off, but a continuous process.
After this introduction, Bathoorn addresses the bumps and pitfalls with a checklist to check whether your company is ready for social media. The social media iceberg addresses the strategic foundation of the resources:
Social media iceberg
Jeanet Bathoorn also launches an alternative for the 5P's from the marketing mix. These 5 A's for the use of social media have previously been described extensively on Frankwatching:
Action : from yourself (completely transparent)
Alert : on what is happening and written
Attention : for your customers and your environment
Ambassadors : from your work
Attractiveness : of what you do
Social media: what is interesting NOW?
Then the most important social media of the moment are discussed, in what is actually the main part of this guide. LinkedIn in first place, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. There is not much to criticize about this selection. Hyves is rightly discussed, because it is still interesting for certain target groups. Google+ has not really taken off so far, but has a number of strong assets, such as the Google Hangout.
Questions about social media
Before I read the book, I wrote down for myself the questions that many organizations have about the use list to data of social media:
Should we outsource it or embed it in the organization?
Which social media should we choose and how are we going to use them?
What is the right tone of voice, the balance between marketing, business and personal approach?
How does the use of social media pay for itself? And how do we measure that?
What changes in our organization due to social media?
What expectations do social media raise among our customers?
Outsource or do it yourself?
Right in the introduction, the author stokes the fire by outsourcing social media to the young intern. Young people often have more experience with it, but use it fundamentally differently: as a chat box or a wailing wall. These are not the qualities that fit a social-business image.
Then it goes on to the working generations of today who did not, somewhat or completely grow up with the internet and new media. These generations play a role in companies, because often the manager is a baby boomer who judges whether a department full of young people should start tweeting with the customer.
Dangers and risks
And what about privacy? Technology is not good or bad, but it does cause the necessary problems of getting used to it, that much is clear. Being for or against social media is a waste of time. We have to use them in our work to be as effective as possible. It is a given: the Netherlands is a leader in the field of social media use. As an organization, are you therefore aware that using social media is not a one-off, but a continuous process.
After this introduction, Bathoorn addresses the bumps and pitfalls with a checklist to check whether your company is ready for social media. The social media iceberg addresses the strategic foundation of the resources:
Social media iceberg
Jeanet Bathoorn also launches an alternative for the 5P's from the marketing mix. These 5 A's for the use of social media have previously been described extensively on Frankwatching:
Action : from yourself (completely transparent)
Alert : on what is happening and written
Attention : for your customers and your environment
Ambassadors : from your work
Attractiveness : of what you do
Social media: what is interesting NOW?
Then the most important social media of the moment are discussed, in what is actually the main part of this guide. LinkedIn in first place, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. There is not much to criticize about this selection. Hyves is rightly discussed, because it is still interesting for certain target groups. Google+ has not really taken off so far, but has a number of strong assets, such as the Google Hangout.