I am so ridiculously happy and honored to share some good news that just became official this morning.
This spring, I will be an adjunct professor at American University teaching a graduate course in Social Media Strategies and Tactics!
I’m so excited to explore the social media world with the class – and present social media in a new, engaging, sustainable way.
Case in point: my tentative reading list includes “Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead” by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan, and a selection from Grant Morrison’s book “Supergods” on how Superman foretold the online “badge” system we are increasingly living in.
This class will obviously be no fun.
So…coming to a classroom near you this spring, Professor Schaffer!
So this may or may not come as a total shock to you: I’m a Superman Geek.
The character just clicks with me. so please forgive my minor obsession, as it continues here today.
Superman debuted in 1938, as the Great Depression was giving way to World War II. Americans needed a champion of justice more than ever, as mass-media, through newspapers, motion pictures, radio and magazines permeated the culture.
Two young artistic talents, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, had toyed with the “Superman” name and character for quite some time before Action Comics #1 hit the stands.
The final version of the character was an alien from the planet Krypton who stood for truth, justice and the American Way. Hey, he may have been BORN on another planet, but the United States was his home.
Over the decades, the character has evolved and expanded into all forms of media and licensing.
Through it all, he has remained the standard-bearer, the beacon of goodness and a symbol of hope. Not too bad for a fictional character.
But the key to the story is that all of us can be a Superman. Or Superwoman.
And in the social media world, there are just three basic super powers to achieving that goal. Don’t get me wrong: Its much more complicated than just1-2-3, but keeping these abilities in mind will help you be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Metaphorically-speaking, of course.
1) Super Listening – In order to promote something – anything – you MUST be able to listen and understand the needs at hand. There is no way you can come up with a plan, or execute one, without really, truly grasping who your client is and what they are trying to accomplish.
2) Custom Utility Belt – You need to assemble the tools and tricks and Batarangs that your client needs. This requires some amount of magic, science and luck. Yep, luck. Ask any social media professional and they’ll (perhaps reluctantly) admit that luck is part of it. But without the right tools in the right strategy, luck means nothing.
3) Super Speed – Social media is all about NOW. Work quickly, but accurately. Be creative, but precise. Networks do take time to build, but good content can start instantly. What are you waiting for???
What other super powers does a social media Superman need?
From He-Man to GI Joe to Superman and Batman and everything in between, they were my favorite type of toy.
I played with them, saving the world, day after day after day, until the figures literally fell apart.
Basically, my parents got their money’s worth for each action figure. If they were going to get me a toy, I was going to use it.
Fast forward twenty-some years and as a social media strategist, those same principles apply to my professional philosophy.
I see brands and companies that spend the time, effort and money it takes to build a community of any value – and then let it go to waste. Or, even worse, create so many mini-networks, they dilute their brand’s online worth.
A network, to be effective, must be sustainable – it must have “social media equity.”
Why is it important for a network to have this equity?
Bottom line: A social media community is only as valuable and effective as it is allowed to be. And the company/brand determines the effectiveness by:
- Allowing and encouraging interaction
- Responding to all questions and comments
- Providing quality content that educates, engages, drives web traffic, increases sales and/or brand/product awareness
Creating an online community for a company or brand is really frickin’ hard. It takes more or less total buy-in from multiple departments of an organization, not to mention executive sign-off and resource allocation. Training/hiring community managers, creating a content calendar, accepting the inherent risks of going online, dedicating your company to excelling in the online space to get results…it’s no small feat.
If you are going to go to all the trouble of launching a program, why not reap the rewards of it?
Do people really think having more followers or friends or likers than the competition is all that matters?
I’ve seen worthless communities with millions of people and invaluable ones with a percentage of the network size.
Looking back on the action figures of my childhood, I have those great memories (y’know, of galactic warfare, ancient villains and global espionage) because I used the toys all the time. I think about those happy moments every time I walk past the action figure section of a toy store.
I wonder what passes through the minds of people who desperately want to interact with a company online, every time they get the cold shoulder?
The year was 1960. The Cold War was in full effect, Neil Armstrong hadn’t yet touched the moon and Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States. Heck, The Beatles hadn’t appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show yet!
However, a comic book came out, issue #28 of The Brave and the Bold. It featured the first-ever team-up of seven of the greatest and most powerful superheroes of all-time! Over the years, dozens of characters spent time as members of the Justice League of America (not to mention it’s popular off-shoot groups!). Each grouping of heroes had something in common – the whole was greater than the sum of it’s parts. Everyone working together had much more of an impact than if each hero had their own agenda. They didn’t always get along, but they worked as a team. Sound familiar, Communications Pros?
Don’t we all want to be a superhero? Check out which member of the Justice League of Communications you are most like!
Code Name: Superman
Powers and Abilities: Ummm…everything…he’s frickin’ Superman! Every communications team has a Superman (or woman)…and if they don’t, they may be in trouble. Your Superman may seem like he’s from another planet. His skills are top-flight in just about every area. He may not be THE best at EVERYTHING, but when you need EVERYTHING, he’s the best. He’s a natural leader, and not just because of his powers. Leadership and respect are earned, and this fella has done just about everything to earn every ounce of it. Deep down, you hate him. And even deeper down, you wish you were him. But it’s cool, the burden of being Superman isn’t for everyone.
Code Name: Batman
Powers and Abilities: Top-flight athlete, master strategist, genius inventor
The Dark Knight strikes fear into the hearts of evil-doers everywhere. He strikes from nowhere and everywhere at once. He knows you better than you know yourself – and while his methods are suspect, nobody gets the job done as consistently as he does.
On your team, there is probably a person you don’t like or trust. They keep to themselves, possess a mysterious past and speak grimly about the future. However, the one thing you know about them is that their work is second-to-none. You don’t know HOW they get the job done, and frankly, you are probably better off not knowing. But at the end of the day, your Batman is on your side
Code Name: Wonder Woman
Powers and Abilities: God-level strength, speed, flight, lasso of truth
If you think Wonder Woman is just a female version of Superman, you are selling her far short. The champion
of the Amazons has the requisite superpowers needed to get the job done, but her ability to look at the bigger picture is what’s really important. She has conversed with the Gods and has greater vision than anyone else on the team. Being able to see how everything fits together (or how it should) is critical on a communications team. You are not acting in a vacuum – there are many moving parts here, even for small companies, so you have to be able to understand the greater plan.
The other notable Wonder Woman trait is empathy. Someone as smart and talented as she is could be horrible to work with. However, she understands that not everyone views the world as she does and works to open eyes instead of punishing people. She ain’t a “den mom,” though, so don’t take advantage of her.
Code Name: Green Lantern
Powers and Abilities: No fear, alien power ring that turns your will power into hard energy
Test pilot Hal Jordan was given a power ring from a dying alien that made him one of the most powerful entities in the entire universe. He just didn’t really know it at the time. Green Lantern started as a smart-alecky fly-boy who chases the ladies, parties hard and makes it to work on time (ish) and get the job done. His will to succeed allows him to overcome some sloppiness.
On your team now, you have someone who’s maturing. They are living life, making some mistakes, and, despite some major faults, able to save the day. It’s a constant juggling act and if they don’t start making some progress soon, you’ll have to reevaluate their status, even knowing how good they are. Can you take that risk?
Code Name: Flash
Powers and Abilities: Superspeed
The Flash has one skill: speed. And he has mastered it. He has used his speed to break the time barrier, travel todifferent dimensions, clean up dangerous debris, deflect explosions, save people from would-be-tragic falls and more. But he is NOT a one-trick-pony.
This person on your team became known for one particular skill. It was something you needed at the time: writing, proofreading, pitching, whatever. But over time, they became more than just that one skill. They proved to everyone that their mastery of one area translated to another part of the team. Perhaps someone who’s great at calling reporters also became the person who sold ideas up the flagpole? Or a great strategist showed aptitude at dealing with clients. That’s The Flash. One ability doesn’t just mean one role.
Code Name: Aquaman
Powers and Abilities: Lives underwater, swims like a fish, ruler of the seas
Arthur Curry is a conflicted man: he is a man of two worlds. He is the King of the Seas – ruling 70% of the planet, a daunting task for anyone. But he is half-human, as well. So while he must represent the 70% on dry land, his prime loyalty is to his Kingdom.
Everyone is a little bit Aquaman. Be it your family, your house, your dream side gig, we all feel the pull from another important aspect of our life on a daily basis. The key is to manage it properly. Unlike any other superhero, Aquaman sets limits and boundaries. When someone goes wrong at “home,” he checks out immediately. He may seem aloof and jaded by peers and observers, but he sleeps soundly at night knowing he is comfortable with his priority scale. The team is important to him, but not THE most important thing.
What other heroes belong on your Justice League of Communications?
This morning, while walking Balki (you couldn’t miss me…I was the guy wearing jeans, Ithaca College hoodie and flip flops, walking through our nation’s capital), I had my beloved iPod throw me for a loop.
It was set to a mix I like to work out to, hoping to get the blood pumping a little bit.
It gave me, honestly, these two songs back-to-back:
2) Green Day’s cover of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero”
Now, I was first stunned that in my 300 song playlist set to play randomly, I had two “hero” songs in a row.
Ready to be a Superhero?
But maybe my brain works a little funny, but I always figure out how to apply real-life instances to PR. (OK, my brain DOES work a little funny!)
So what did I get from this?
These songs give the absolute ends of the spectrum on what a hero is. One is all about super powers and doo-goodiness, while the other is about rebelling against the system.
In PR, we need to utilize BOTH portraits of heroism. We need to both follow the rules and break them, when necessary. We need to be both upfront and less-than-upfront. We need to be a superstar and we also need to fade into the background.
Some may say we need to be Superman and Batman, or Captain America and Wolverine, depending on your comic book brand loyalty.
But above all, it’s critical to know both sides of the coin…and know which one to play at which time.
Test pilot Hal Jordan was given a power ring from a dying alien that made him one of the most powerful entities in the entire universe. He just didn’t really know it at the time. Green Lantern started as a smart-alecky fly-boy who chases the ladies, parties hard and makes it to work on time (ish) and get the job done. His will to succeed allows him to overcome some sloppiness.
