How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

Drives me nuts... I keep seeing all these first social media attempts at the “viral video”. Many of them are taking form as “contests” trying to get YouTube or other users to submit videos for varying levels of prizes.

Yes, I have to admit that I’ve been part of the planning team for more than one of these. I agree that they can help companies/organizations/clients take their first steps toward the conversations and community that are social media. It’s straightforward. It’s clear to the mind (and the sales process that gets the CEO and board to buy in).

But it’s getting crowded. I find that the contests often divert attention from what the organization is actually about by attempting to be cute/cool/funny rather than digging in and helping your audience/fans/friends get more involved with/connected to you.

You can only consume so many attempts to be cool/hip/crazy before you realize it’s just more cotton candy when your audience/friends/customers are hungry for substance. Additionally, cool/hip/crazy does not fit the personality of many (most?) organizations. That’s okay. We don’t expect our banks, research institutions, or hospitals to be thus. We come to them for other reasons.

Then this came along... written up in perhaps its most concise/readable form in Time Magazine this week. YouTube (owned by Google, of course) has sponsored/created the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Aspiring performers were required to audition via YouTube-based videos. Those chosen via audition videos are in New York City this week to rehearse and perform in Carnegie Hall. As one of the performers quoted in the article put it:

For Moe, who believes that "orchestras need to figure out how to be relevant and reach new audiences," the most fascinating aspect of the YouTube orchestra is its vision of community. "The purpose of music and maybe even the purpose of life is to connect with people and create," he says. Whether that will work musically is anyone's guess. But it is undoubtedly, as Moe puts it, a "really fun experiment." And for the performers, there's not much to lose. "I'm so glad someone is footing the bill!" Moe says.

Let's embrace the fact that this is sponsored by Google and comes with some major PR powerhouse thinking behind it so that we can milk it as a case study for our own purposes.

Essentially, they embraced social media to realize an efficiency in something that has to happen to create an orchestra: auditions. Previous options were to send scouts into the field, invite the musicians to travel to audition, or to ship recordings (audio or video).

In embracing YouTube for this process, they open up exposure to a much bigger audience. What was once "behind closed doors" is now accessible to all of the musicians involved, to aspiring musicians (imagine inspiring your kid this way - beyond just their school orchestra and occasional city-wide or regional "ad hoc" orchestras), to both existing and future Carnegie Hall programs/event participants/audiences.

Think of that. Classical music has an air of exclusivity to it. It's elitist. On a pedestal. Not for the masses. It also has a much smaller audience than mainstream pop music. Providing access leveraging widely-available technology both reaches the smaller audience despite geographical separation... but it also provides education that grows future participants AND audience.

This doesn't require a bunch of fussing around with demographics. This doesn't require a "zany" campaign... it can be directed right at and delivered to the audience involved based on their collective interest. In fact, they will hear about it from others with the common interest and be drawn to it. (That's the core of true "viral" marketing.)

They simply created a single, attractive opportunity based specifically on auditions. Then let the musicians add their own creativity. It doesn't even require editing the videos. Just be yourself.

So, when you're thinking about what to do with social media... before you create a new campaign... ask yourself (your organization) questions along these lines. But first, set aside the notion of "perfect". Instead, imagine it through the lens of a digital camera that's been balanced on a kitchen counter:

1. What do we already do that could be made more efficient or done better through social media tools? (Think in terms of pictures, videos, or one of your customers/constituents sitting down and talking directly to others like her.)
2. How can we embrace those we serve, those who are already passionate about us or our cause/mission, or those with whom we already have a relationship with? What do they already tell us or wish they could?
3. What do people already come to us for or want access to that could be shared via social media tools? (Note: Some of this may already exist. You don't have to always produce your own... you can share something someone else produced.)
   
4. Can we embrace social media to provide access and openness where we might be considered clique-y or "overly exclusive? (Bonus: Are there "myths" about what we do that could be "busted"?)
5. How can we use social media to accomplish something that takes up a lot of (unnecessary) time? (Ask your front-line people on this one...What questions do they repeatedly answer that could be simplified if they could send a quick link to a quick-and-dirty product demonstration or other information?)
   

Some quick random brainstorms:

1. I'm always intimidated by casino table games. I don't play them often enough to have any skill. So, I avoid the tables. If you're a casino, make my experience more rewarding by providing me with a how-to tutorial (even recommending I ask for a "beginners" table).
2. Got a piece of machinery or a procedure (say, a medical procedure) that your customers could understand better via video. YouTube it.
3. Deal in a disease, such as cancer? Video 10 patients each answering the question "I've just been diagnosed, what should I expect?" I'm no longer alone with my diagnosis and I'm meeting people who have made it through.
   
4. Deal in volunteers? Ask 100 volunteers why they volunteer. Compile the top 20 different answers into a video to inspire people visiting your site. We each have our own reasons. (BTW: Most typical digital cameras now have a video mode. The files transfer to your computer via the same cords. Plus, most computers sold in the last three years come with free video editing software that is perfect for YouTube.)
5. Want to thank a sponsor? Put their name and logo up in a video showing who/what their money went to. They might even share that link with other prospective donors.
6. Hand a few cameras over to staff, volunteers, even customers. Tell them to show you how they experience your organization. Ask them to be candid. The raw footage is a great way to view your organization through their eyes. Edited footage can tell other staff, volunteers, and customers what to expect when they interact with you.