When all is said and done, social media are just a collection of tools through which to communicate. The research outlined in the link above makes it pretty clear that real social media magic happens not within the compelling post from a brand itself, but within the conversation that ensues as a result.
It seems more people behind the brand will need to not only know those conversations are taking place, but also become a driving force behind them.
I think we're getting to a point where a branded social media presence will become a small part of a larger digital conversation strategy. I wonder if people who engage with others on behalf of a brand (not to sell, but to inform) using their personal social media presences might not achieve a greater (and quicker!) impact than anything the branded accounts could ever hope to conjur.
This is especially relevant on Facebook, where business presences must pay for halfway decent exposure, and get penalized for using third-party content schedulers. Indeed, Facebook's algorithms innately prefer a personal piece of content over one that comes from a business page.
Perhaps a day will come where more businesses might expect their employees to use their personal social media accounts for engaging people in conversations that lead to more business. Let's just hope those people practice full disclosure.
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