One of the seemingly more exciting benefits promised by
social media is transparency. How
titillating! Going behind closed doors, and effectively closing the gap between
the informational haves and have-nots. But,
if the early rounds of this social media experiment have taught us anything,
it’s that transparency and TMI are intimate dance partners. Like anything that’s inherently good,
transparency has the ability to turn bad (then good again - like Luke from
General Hospital). But just because you
get a stomach ache it doesn’t mean you stop eating chocolate bunnies! Transparency is of serious value to your
brand when done right. Hence, we’ve
established our list of six rules for
making transparency work.
Rule 1: Be honest – This might sound crazy – “of
course we’ll be honest, that’s what transparency means.” Not so fast hot shot. Sure, transparency starts out as an honest
play, but next thing you know, you’re manipulating the entire process to show
how great you are “behind closed doors.”
It’s not you, it’s human nature, but if you really want this thing to
work, commit to giving away some honest trade secrets and maybe even answering
some difficult questions publicly.
Rule 2: Use sparingly – Transparency is like
brining a turkey. Just because it works
doesn’t mean that you should start brining everything (you know, there’s a
strong link between sodium and hypertension).
This brings up the TMI element. Quality
transparency is appreciated more when it’s provided in proper frequency. Less is more.
If you post pictures of your conference room meeting every day, it’s
boring. If you show a picture of your
conference room being used for Friday afternoon cocktails, that’s interesting.
Rule 3: Break some news – Hired! Promoted!
Fired! (careful with this one) New! Better! Smells Great!!! You get the idea.
Rule 4: Promote – Who say’s that transparency
can’t be honest and also self-serving? Received
the new customer reward cards – show it to your online community first. It’s letting them in on something new and
also spreading the word. A win-win! Popular inventory items go on sale – give
your online fans first crack. That’s
“behind the scenes” and we all love to see it first.
Rule 5: Put it to a vote – Take a chance. Give your online community a say in creating
a new policy. Give them options to vote
on and be okay with each choice. Gain big
points on being real, honest and transparent. It’s also a good way to promote and get
buy-in.
Rule 6: Make time for “real time” – Most people
understand that while social media creates the ability for real time exchange,
schedules often do not make such allowances.
While there’s nothing wrong with communicating in “near time,” having
periodic exchanges in real time can be powerful, as transparency is built in to
the timely engagement. Schedule a
twitter chat or host a conversation on the company’s facebook page to create a
simple event designed to engage the audience.
When done right, transparency creates engagement and
empowers an online community. It’s also
great for getting the word out. Like
everything else, doing it right takes commitment and thoughtfulness. Have we made ourselves clear?
