Do You Know Why?

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?

Tagged as: blog marketing, brand marketing, business disruption, business relations, business transformation, Conversational Currency, conversational marketing, innovation economy, jay deragon, Relationship Economy, social capital, social commerce, Social Media, social media roi, social technology