Belonging Big in Building Social Capital, But Is It Enough?

Engagement. Awareness. Conversation. All are buzzwords around the burgeoning practice of social networking.

Yet there’s another term that just might be getting short shrift in the discussion of social networks—online and off. That term is “social capital.” Definitions of social capital abound, but one of the first sociologists to use the phrase, James Coleman, describes social capital as anything that facilitates individual or collective action, generated by networks of relationships, reciprocity, trust and social norms. According to Coleman, social capital’s value depends entirely on the individual uses to which it is put.

Political scientist Robert Putnam says that social capital is decreasing in the U.S., measured by low levels of trust and civic participation. The U.S., says Putnam, is far less “connected” than it’s been in the past.

Of course, it’s the PR pro’s job to ensure that people are connected—to a brand, a product or an issue. And because of that word “social,” social capital is often discussed by communicators in relation to digital PR/social media.

“Social capital is about building up an audience in a group way,” says Deirdre Sullivan, VP of digital strategy at MWW Group. “There has to be interpersonal trust and the ability to cooperate between you and the audience. It’s a two-way street.”

Sullivan, who broached the social capital topic at the PR News Digital PR Summit last month, says that becoming an influencer yourself is a way to propagate social capital—plus using the right tools to foster it. “Twitter is better from an informational standpoint,” says Sullivan. “Start with modest interactions, and don’t brag about yourself or your brand.”

CAPITAL METRICS

Building up your audience in a group way begs the question: Can social capital be measured? “You can track increased share of voice online,” says Sullivan. “That metric links back to your messaging.”

At the moment, says Danielle Brigida, digital marketing manager of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the Edelman Trust Barometer report is about as close to a social capital measurement as there is, because group trust is key to building online followings. Brigida says the building of social capital can’t be accomplished by just sharing a message with followers. “It’s when they see their friends talking about your message that it travels to a level that they can trust,” she says. For example, on the NWF’s home page, visitors who take an action like making a donation or volunteering for a cause let their friends know through an “action alert.”

Yet building this trust on Facebook or Twitter may not be enough to foster social capital. James Fowler, professor in the School of Medicine and Division of Social Sciences at UC San Diego, isn’t sold on social media’s ability to influence and grow social capital.

Co-author of the book Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, Fowler and colleague Nicholas Christakis have done extensive research on social networks. On social media, Fowler is not sold on its ability to build social capital and, for that matter, move the PR/marketing needle.

“People think that because they have 140 friends on Facebook, instead of five or six friends, that they’ll be able to influence 10 times as many people,” says Fowler. “To me, the idea that the more friends and share of voice will translate into buying a product or listening to an idea is just wrong.”

Why? Fowler cites a few of the main findings in his book Connected: “While we found that the spread of happiness can be transmitted between next-door neighbors, and that double bacon cheeseburgers and some very subtle influence of your mother’s best friend’s brother can make you gain weight, only the closest relationships matter in terms of buying behavior and getting ideas across,” says Fowler.

Which would make social media and the building of social capital online problematic. Yet brands are making concerted efforts to strengthen connections with audiences.

Take Nikon, for example. With help from MWW, Nikon was one of the first brands to engage with bloggers, says Lisa Baxt, senior communications manager at Nikon. “We really look at subject relevance to current or future Nikon owners, their authenticity to engage in a meaningful way and comments and feedback from consumers about the value of the information found on a given blog,” says Baxt. “Today, every consumer has a voice, and peer recommendations—including bloggers—have become a part of a broader circle of influence that’s important to us.” (See tactics used by Nikon to build social capital in the sidebar.)

BENEFITS & BELONGING

Sullivan says that giving audiences a chance to interact with a brand—as Nikon regularly does—is critical.

“Users need to participate, so offer selective incentives—benefits that are available only to the people who join your conversation,” says Sullivan. “Offering tangible benefits to potential supporters will help create the notion of belonging to a privileged and select group, and a sense of belonging will motivate users and convert them into brand ambassadors.”

REAL-WORLD DATA

Meanwhile, Fowler is now involved with a Facebook project called “Find the Real Friends,” mining the rich data on the site to uncover what he calls “real-world connections.”

Findings are forthcoming, and Fowler says communicators have their work cut out for them in identifying these close connections that foster social capital.

“There will be progress in terms of targeting, but it will depend on the quality of connection,” says Fowler. “Keep in mind that social capital is more about the quality of connections than the quantity.”

And that quality, says the NWF’s Brigida, can be captured by great content: “One of the ways to build social capital is to give people the opportunity to share your content. Make it easy for them, allowing them an easy path to identify it and share it in different ways.” PRN

[Editor’s Note: For more stories on influencing audiences online and offline, go to the PR News Subscriber Resource Center at https://www.prnewsonline.com/subscriber_resources.html. ]

CONTACT:

Deirdre Sullivan, [email protected]; Danielle Brigida, [email protected]; James Fowler, [email protected].

Capital Ideas for Attracting Influencers and Share of Voice

While leveraging its reputation for manufacturing exceptional cameras, Nikon is constantly seeking ways to get consumers to share their photographic experiences and interact with the brand. Lisa Baxt, Nikon’s senior communications manager, shares some tactics Nikon uses to build its brand and social capital.

• “Offline, we offer educational classes and workshops with professionals,” says Baxt.

• Rich content on the nikonusa.com Web site through its “Learn & Explore” section is also available as a free mobile application via iTunes.

• Consumer reviews of Nikon products allow consumers to share and read about peer experiences.

• “We have a very active community on Flickr for consumers to get feedback from professional photographers,” says Baxt. “And we engage with influencers and participate in events like the Nikon Video Festival that enables the brand and our fans to capture and share experiences.”

• Nikon actively engages consumers through its Nikon fan page on Facebook, which has more than 310,000 members and a Flickr Digital Learning Center.