A fascinating insight into Corporate Social Media based around the story of The Wizard of OZ.

From DemingHill -

During the final week of our recent “Winter that would not end” here in Cleveland, I had the opportunity to curl up with my wife and two tweenagers and enjoy what the Library of Congress has named the most-watched motion picture in history, “The Wizard of Oz.”  Even though 72 years have passed since its premiere in 1939, the lasting legacy of this iconic Technicolor musical as a cultural landmark and generational touchstone is so powerful, that even superlatives laced with hyperbole still feel vaguely inadequate in describing its impact.


While screening this classic for the first time in a decade, I was captivated by the elegant proportion of the film, exquisitely balancing colorful and colorless, pacing and pausing, dialog and dancing, script and song, and countless nuggets of ageless wisdom scattered amongst an alternating comedic/dramatic backdrop and fast-moving plot.  It was while weighing these counterpoints of memes and themes that I paused to consider whether there might be some timely lessons for social media content lurking within the timeless dialog and melodic interludes of this cinematic masterpiece. As it turns out, in capturing the universal human struggle within the classic storylines of good vs. evil and young vs. old, this movie provides a perfect metaphorical framework for distilling the foundational principals of effective social media content and endearing online community conduct.



Give First


Upon arriving through a twister of fate in the Land of Oz, Dorothy struck out on a journey to the Emerald City, and in the process befriended an unlikely band of fellow travelers.  In each case, her generous instincts were to “give first” – helping the Scarecrow get down from his post to avoid getting attacked by crows, helping the Tin Man by oiling his joints, and offering to help the Cowardly Lion with his self-esteem issues.  In giving first, Dorothy created a community dynamic of generosity and, dare I say, refreshing nobility.  When each of these characters were confronted with this spirit of caring, their natural response was to reciprocate, with each internalizing her attitude of gratitude and making it their own.


Your social media content and exchanges should be marked with this same generosity of spirit and this same posture of giving.  By thinking first about how you can serve the needs of others by bringing something of value to your community, you set in motion a positively reinforcing chain of value-adding reciprocity, wherein the needs of all parties will be met.



Be Going Somewhere


Dorothy was on a singular mission to get back to Kansas, and throughout the entire movie everyone she met quickly learned of her passionate desire to reach the Emerald City, to meet the Wizard, and to ultimately return home.  In clearly stating where she was going and why she was going there (and after consistently “giving first”), she quickly created a loyal following of people committed to helping her reach her goal.  Your strategy for social media content must reflect this same laser-focused mindset.  If you are crystal clear about not only WHERE you’re going but WHY you’re going there, you enable people to understand both your direction (destination) and your desire (motivation), the combination of which assures the momentum necessary to get there, while attracting others to take up your cause.



Be a Thought Leader Not a Thought Manager


An obscure author penned these words in a 2005 blog entitled “Leadership Unleashed,” http://digitalcasserole.blogspot.com/2005/05/leadership-unleashed.html


“A manager is someone you follow because you HAVE to, whereas a leader is someone because you follow because you WANT to. Think about those pet owners you’ve seen walking their dog on a leash. How satisfying is it for the dog OR the owner, knowing that, if the leash wasn’t clamped tightly around the dog’s neck and held firmly by the owner, the dog would immediately bolt and never look back. Now contrast that with the joy and freedom of a dog and an owner out for a walk without a leash, free to run and play. The net result, a “walk,” is still the same, but the experience is incomparable; transformed from pride-swallowing drudgery into a mutually satisfying exchange. You don’t follow managers – you report to them, you obey them, you cc them. Most managers are only “in charge” because they “hold the leash” and have the ability to reward or punish those beneath them. A true leader is the one with the confidence to remove the leash, in fact, to not even OWN a leash, confident that their vision and direction is so compelling that people will follow voluntarily, convinced and motivated on an individual basis that, by following, ALL will be better off.”  And later, “Managers say “Go,” leaders say “Let’s Go!”


Throughout the entire movie, Toto was never on a leash.  However, what’s interesting is that while Toto spent the first part of the film constantly running away, once Dorothy decided on her quest, Toto never chose to leave her side – and this phenomenon was seen replicated in the others as well.  Dorothy was on a mission, she knew where she was going, she communicated not only the where but the why, she created a culture of generosity by giving first, and she showed how each individual could benefit by joining her.  As such, she was a perfect example of what it means to be a servant leader – and what happened?  Each character internalized her vision and made it their own – to reach the Emerald City.  In fact, “We’re off to see the Wizard” became the guiding unifying refrain throughout the entire film for reinforcing and focusing their efforts on their one, common, shared goal.  Notice, too, that it wasn’t “I’m” off to see the Wizard, but rather, “We’re” off to see the Wizard, and their whole-hearted buy-in to her vision was evidenced when the Scarecrow and Tin Man propagated Dorothy’s goal, inviting the Cowardly Lion to join them – in joining Dorothy – to meet the Wizard of Oz.


This model perfectly encapsulates the way community really works – both offline and even more so online.  If your content or digital communication attempts to manage people, or FORCE them to do something, their natural response will be to resist – that’s just how we humans are wired.  However, if you create and communicate a compelling vision to achieve something of value, invite others to join you in the journey, and design a model whereby others also personally benefit by participating, you demonstrate true leadership and are rewarded in return with true community.  The “Like” and “Retweet” practices are perfect examples of this, whereby people voluntarily choose to share information of interest or value that they’ve Stumbled Upon with those connected to them, as a way of advancing the message or vicariously advocating that content.



Have a Brain


Scarecrow: “I haven’t got a brain…only straw.”

Dorothy:  “How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?

Scarecrow:  “I don’t know, but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”


An obscure author once wrote, “I believe that, just like some people shouldn’t be singing in public, some people shouldn’t be writing in public either.” Online blogging and publishing has turned the Internet into one giant Karaoke contest, whereby anyone with a computer or smart phone has the ability to broadcast whatever thought comes out of their head or mouth to a worldwide audience.  This is both good news and bad news.  It’s bad news because it creates exponentially more noise and clutter online, but it’s good news because the bar is now so low that the contrast with genuine talent will be much more pronounced.


You social media content needs to drip quality, not only in the creativity of the concepts, but also in the construction of the content, to reflect a refined wealth of insight and intelligence.  I’ve written over the past five years under theSoundbite Laureate pen name, a moniker hand-picked for use in the Internet age, as it communicates and combines timeliness with timelessness, sizzle with steak, satire with science, and searchability with sensibility, as it relates to my personal writing style within the emerging “infotainment” sub-genre.  To be effective, your content must also aspire to achieve that delicate balance, combining critical keywords with compelling content to reach and add value to your communities.



Have a Heart


Wizard of Oz:  “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”


Wow, if that quote doesn’t move you, I don’t know what will!


I don’t want to belabor this point, as it is pretty straightforward, but for some reason it is often these simple ideas that are the hardest to understand.  Social media content gets messed up by so many organizations because they try to sterilize it, reducing all of their communication and exchanges to corporate “brochure-speak” in an attempt to mitigate risk.  What happens instead is just the opposite.  In an effort to contain risk by revealing as little of their true brand voice as possible, their efforts backfire and, in fact, actually increase risk by becoming so benign and un-engaging that the market instead turns away, in favor of a more personalized experience elsewhere.  The lesson here is that we all have a heart, and we shouldn’t be afraid to reveal it, because it is only when your audience connects with the pulse of your message that they can become the valuable and passionate brand advocates, brand evangelists, and brand ambassadors that you desire.



Have Courage


Wizard of Oz: “You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking.  You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you’re confusing courage with wisdom.”


For your content to be relevant on the social media landscape, you need to have the courage to stand for something.  There is no such thing as a “jack of all trades” anymore, because there are just too many trades!  Don’t be a generalist.  A niche has power.  I’ve had the opportunity to write a litany of business plans over the past 20 years, and have found that the process of deciding and specifically declaring what you DO always has the added ancillary benefit of determining what you DON’T do.  Effective planning and strategy creates focus, enabling you to zero in on that finite set of things that you do really well, and those are the things that will define and resonate with your audience.


Career placement counselors will tell you they’d much rather work with a candidate looking for “An accounting role in the real estate industry” versus a candidate looking for “A job that pays.”  Sure there will always be LION’s and Tigers and Bears on LinkedIn, but don’t let that impact your courage to take a stand and be counted as a specialist in your unique area of domain expertise.



Be Authentic


If you say the words “Wizard of Oz” out loud, it comes out sounding surprisingly like “Wizard of Us,” and perhaps that homophone was not by accident.  Like Dorothy, we have the power to go home anytime we want.  You have the ability to connect with that single, authentic, unique brand DNA script, the one that accurately reflects who you really are, and is consistent with your inner self.  That is the brand voice and the persona that needs to be consistently communicated in your content and throughout your entire digital footprint – even if it’s not perfect. Sure, it’s tempting to say, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain,” as we inflate our profiles, sensationalize our achievements, and photo-shop our pictures, but at what cost?  And whom are we really trying to impress?  I don’t know about you, but I would much rather connect with someone genuinely reaching out for help, versus someone projecting to the world, “I’ve got it all together, and don’t you wish you were me?”


In the movie, just like in life, there will always be good witches and bad witches, and when you’re authentically creating compelling social media content – passionately sharing your heart and brain – and doing it with courage, you will always have Likes and Dislikes; supporters and detractors.  Expect it. Plan for it. Deal with it.


Wicked Witch of the West:  “Just try and stay out of my way. Just try!  I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little blog, too!”


Don’t try to be everything to everyone, because you won’t succeed, and you’ll drive yourself and everyone else crazy in the process.  Be yourself, have integrity, and let the chips fall where they may.



It’s All About Story


At the end of the day, the secret to the longevity, popularity, and staying power of The Wizard of Oz is the fact that it’s just a great story, and if there’s one thing human’s love, it’s a great story.  At the Content Marketing Institute’s annual Content Marketing World Conference (which I will be attending in September here in Cleveland ) Founder Joe Pulizzi has selected the centerpiece of great content – “The Power of Story” – as this years’ theme, and has invited some of the best storytellers in the business to present and lead over 30 breakout sessions and panel discussions.  The emotion and connection resident within even the most primitive storyline opens up the floodwaters for brands and buyers to bond over shared emotions and interests, and it is this consistent fulcrum of “story” which serves as both the elixir and catalyst for activating our universal predisposition towards social interaction and community.


By focusing your firms’ content on the creation of great stories, you tap into the power resident within the telling and retelling of shared memories and experiences, and in the process, achieve all of the individual objectives listed above.  If your story is authentic; if you story has heart, a brain, and the courage to stand for something, and if you clearly articulate where you’re going and “give first” along the way, you establish that essential trust and credibility necessary to position you and your firm in an influential leadership role within your niche or industry – with a loyal following of brand advocates and raving fans – and do so all from the comfort of your computer.


Remember, there’s no place like home…page.