A Big Social Following Can Be Both a Blessing and a Curse On the Global Front

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The value of a company -- whether big or small -- developing its own powerful social media presence can not be overstated.  You literally make your own news.  But it can also serve as a curse if you are not careful.

Pete Blackshaw, Nestle's global head of digital and social media, has it right:  “What happens in the social world, is that if you get that right, you get disproportionally rewarded. If you get it wrong, you get disproportionally punished or outed. There’s a real cost to getting it wrong.”

For big social media-minded consumer-facing brands — from technology to automotive to CPG — having large social followings is a blessing from a communications and control perspective. No longer are they suppliant to the fifth estate to disseminate their news. What’s more, they can engage directly with their constituents using language and visuals of their own choosing.

Read the entire article:  The Pain & Pleasure of Branded Social Media