ABC stands for Asynchronous Bidirectional Corporate

One of the benefits of virtual interaction is that, in some circumstances, the people that are doing the interacting don't have to be there at the same time. This was true in my Usenet days in the early 1980s - someone at !ucbvax! could enter a Paddy O'Furniture joke on Monday, and I could groan about it on Tuesday. This was also true in my BBS days in the early 1990s. And it's true in the blogs and tweets that I use today.

But a major component of this, in addition to its asynchronous nature, is its bidirectional nature. I can't interact with you if I don't allow you to interact back.

I mused about these truths as I read Why many marketers struggle with social media. Here are some excerpts:

[T]he problem remains that companies are attempting to take their 'me first' marketing mentality, and apply it to social media, hoping it will result in their suddenly having unfiltered access to 'consumers'....

But social media can be the X-Factor. For example, a company can start blogging from its side of the wall. But as the customer gives its input via comments, the language and thinking of the customer begins to seep into the company's space. And if the company is willing to listen, then the customer can begin to have an impact on how the company does business. The wall begins to crack. Then the customer sees that the company is listening, so the distrust begins to fade. The wall begins to crumble. If taken to its happy extension, the line between company and customer will begin to blur.

I had a 10:30 meeting this morning in the plush Megacorp offices, in which we were discussing ways to ideally capture the "voice of the customer" at an earlier time in the product requirements specification process. I don't want to talk about our current challenges (which may illustrate part of the problem), but certainly it's possible to listen to the customers, no matter what your corporate situation.

Oh, and as long as I'm at it, I should point out that asynchronous bidirectional corporate communication is not a goal in and of itself. Jeremiah Owyang reminds us that the tools are not the solution:

Weak: Focus on Technology
We need Web 2.0 tools like Ajaz, Blogs _____ (insert technology) to add to our website so we can socialize and aggregate. They are very popular right now.

Average: Focus on Features
We can connect to customers using using blogs, social networks, and RSS

Strong: Needs Assessments with Benefits
You mentioned the need to increase focus in the SMB market, I’ve data to show that they are using social media to connect to each other directly, often without our involvement. I suggest we look at ways to be part of that dialog by using the same tools they are, would you like to hear how social media can be part of this solution and make you more effective?

Stronger: Needs assessments with Value Statement
You mentioned the need to increase focus in the SMB market, I’ve data to show that they are using social media to connect to each other directly, often without our involvement. I’d like to get your opinion on a proposal to decrease our hard dollar marketing costs and increase our marketing reach/lead generation and customer retention by using social media tools to reach to new customers and embrace existing customers by creating a community.

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