Johnny Cash was often perceived as a hard drinking, hell raisin, authority defying man- which he was throughout much of his life. Yet the true essence of Johnny Cash could be in the fact he wore black on behalf of the poor and hungry, on behalf of “the prisoner who has long paid for his crime”, and on behalf of those who have been betrayed by age or drugs.” Yet perception is reality and like Johnny said “life ain’t easy for a boy named Sue.”
Perception is reality is an unfortunate fact when it comes to naming or branding a product or service. Social media has a history of snappy, silly, cartoon like names meant to inspire a smile rather than a knowing nod. Names like Google, Bebo, Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, hi5, digg, Bit.ly, del.icious, and Orkut do little to inspire the perception of serious business tools.
What would happen if the two largest and most successful social networks, Facebook and Twitter, had serious names?
Facebook aka CRMA
Facebook’s name does little to describe it’s versatility and powerful role as a business tool in today competitive economy. What would the adoption rate and acceptance as a sales and marketing channel be if Facebook was named CARMA? Facebook is one of the most valuable customer relationship management (CRM) tools available today.
- Customer: the focal point of every business
- Relationship: creating relationships which tether consumers to your product or service
- Management: showing up in the network to listen, respond, and offer help
- Aggregator: collect and aggregate your brand’s consumers in one spot where they can communicate, find answers, and express their love your your product or services
Twitter aka MUSCLE
Twitter is often perceived as a fad or game due to the perception the name evokes with many potential users. The reality of Twitter is that it is one of the most powerful real time lead generating prospecting tools available today. What if Twitter was named MUSCLE?
- Multiple: multi ways to prospect for new customers
- Utility: the satisfaction involved in Twitter’s multiple uses
- Sales: make offers in real time, close sales
- Channel: measurable sales channel with specific etiquette and return on investment
- Lead: keyword searches reveal real time consumer conversations providing leads for your company
- Equity: brand equity built through real time engagement, service, and offers
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