Nothing is Permanent Except Change: An Ancient Lesson in Social Streams
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for he is not the same man and it is not the same river.”
Heraclitus was an outcast among the ancient Greek philosophers. His dark wardrobe and ceaseless infatuation with the state of change earned him the reputation of an unwelcoming outsider. Most of his work has been lost, ignored, or otherwise forgotten since his death in 475 B.C. Nonetheless, what remains of Heraclitus’ doctrines are a few elegant ideas that resonate deeply with present day social marketers. His teachings can be boiled down to a few quaint governing principles:
-Everything is in a state of flux
-Everything flows constantly
-There is nothing permanent except change
Re-visiting Heraclitus in the digital age gives his work a bright new context. Today, it’s not hard to grasp the ubiquity of streams, flows, and constant change in our everyday digital lives. These concepts are all around us, in our Twitter feeds, Facebook streams and Pinterest boards. Streaming content is indeed the very heart and soul of digital interaction in the 21st century. To that effect, Heraclitus might have been the best UX guy to ever live. Unlucky for you, your company is a couple thousand years too late to hire him.
Plato criticized Heraclitus’ theory of flux by arguing that if something is constantly in a state of change, it ceases to be real or meaningful. Social marketers know that the challenges of marketing to a digital population living in real-time are vast, but that doesn’t make the social stream any less real or valuable. What we know to be real-- emphatically so-- are the relationships and networks of influence that form on social platforms. Leveraging these relationships to spread the word about your product or service at scale should be your primary social marketing objective. Instead of fighting the speed of the river, your social marketing needs to flow with it. Sorry, Plato, but you were wrong. (GASP!)
So how can you get your voice to be heard?
First off, staying afloat on the social stream requires a fundamental shift in what you consider your “voice” to be. Brands are increasingly relying on collaborative efforts and tapping into their most passionate consumers to do some of the dirty work for them. They’re recognizing that multiple authentic voices are better suited for the social stream than one individual brand voice. Bringing the power of word of mouth marketing to your social strategy not only amplifies your social reach, but it also gives you an opportunity to harness the individuality and creativity of your consumers.
It’s true: we will never able to step into the same river twice. Instead, the key to social marketing success is getting your advocates to step into the river on your brand’s behalf as often as possible. It’s a shift away from the traditional notion of social campaigns and a move towards on-going advocacy programs that allow you to get closer to your consumers and ultimately keep your brand above water.
