Becoming the Trusted Source in a Social Media World

 by Judy Blatman

Public influencers once were nearly demigods. Whether it was the craggy doctor whose advice patients unquestionably took to heart, or the evening news anchor who relayed the days events, there were people on whom the public relied to tell them what to do. CBS Networks Walter Cronkite was known as the most trusted man in America. But the way information is consumed and the way people communicate, both personally and professionally, has changed dramatically. Not only in the past 50 years, but in the past 365 days; and, if were being truthful, its probably changing even now. Just like the weather, the art of reaching out to touch someone is not going to calm down anytime soon, nor is its future any more predictable.

What is certain: the influencer is no longer a demigod. Consumers have learned to question, to tear down heroes, to be suspicious of trust, and to make themselves the experts. Modern technology has made this possible. Theres virtually nothing someone cant find out about on the Internet, with some clever search terms, within a short window of time. And beyond the wealth of information on the Internet, there are growing ways of rapidly reaching people, starting with basic email (slowly becoming obsolete), to instant messaging, to I-chat, to mobilenow replaced by smartphones and (even smarter) gadgets, to texting. Even the word cloud has new meaning.

Blame or praise the role of social mediawhich Wikipedia defines as the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue. The rise of social media has granted even greater interpersonal accessibility and developed a new generation of "experts." Communities in which like-minded people can relate and interact are being formed and reformed on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and many more.

Demigods have been replaced by influencers who are relatable to specific sectors of the population. Consider the popularity of Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien, whose brand philosophy is real-world, practical advice. Shes a food-ologist, not a nutritionist. And shes a New York Times best-selling author, the host of a new television show on the Cooking Channel and the founder of a free daily e-newsletter that reaches one million subscribers looking for her take on guilt-free eating.

The Business Angle

If companies arent embracing social media, theyre missing out on opportunities to know what existing customers and potential customers are thinking, and to engage those same people in a dialogue or multilogues about living well, eating right and dietary supplements. Its hard to imagine anyone in business these days is completely oblivious to social media. But if the head of the marketing department is talking about twittering instead of tweeting, hes probably not the right person to be driving the social-media initiative. Be smart enough to find someone who is.

As an example of how to apply social media in the dietary supplement industry, consider the activities of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). CRN has been evaluating each social media platform individually and strategically identifying those that make the most sense for the goals we want to achieve. For example, recognizing that social-media platforms are built around online communities where people share common interests, it was logical to turn to Facebook and Twitter to generate interest in CRNs consumer wellness education initiative, Lifesupplemented.

The new Lifesupplemented Social Media Advisory Boarda group of seven smart, social-media savvy, relatable women with a common interest in wellnesshas provided expertise to develop online promotions and advice on growing its community and fostering engagement. This year, Lifesupplemented practically doubled its Facebook likes in three short months, and the level of interaction in the community continues to increase. The next step is addressing the CRN brand, with a focus on Twitter as an additional tactical means to reach specific audiences (e.g., journalists), and LinkedIn as a way to encourage new participation at CRNs annual conference.

Judy Blatman has more than 20 years experience in the communications field, including expertise in issues management, lifestyle consumer marketing, crisis communications and development and execution of results-oriented publicity campaigns. In her role as senior vice president, communications, at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), she is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of the associations overall strategic communications efforts, and manages the Lifesupplemented consumer wellness initiative.