Six Reasons Companies Are Still Scared of Social Media
Yes, These Fears Still Really Exist
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| B.L. Ochman | |
Employees will waste time with social media.
Many large corporations block their employees from accessing the internet altogether. Others try to block employees from accessing personal e-mail or social networks such as Facebook during work hours.
In May 2009, according to eMarketer, there were 29 million smartphones in the U.S. That's a lot of internet access available to workers everywhere -- and employers can't stop them from accessing the internet on breaks, at lunch, in the bathroom, you name it.
The value to workers of having internet access -- in terms of research, communication and speed -- is far greater than the threat of lost productivity. Companies have a right to make policies and rules about personal use of the internet, but blocking it during work is just stupid.
Haters will damage our brand.
"What about the haters?" is the first question that comes up at my corporate and conference social-media workshops. "What if people say bad, mean, nasty things about our brand?"
Well, there may be things you need to change about your brand, and in that case, you should thank them for letting you know what they are. Then you should make changes.
If you have built an online community that includes people who don't hate you, that community will rise to your defense and they will handle the problem for you.
We'll lose control of the brand.
Listen up: Every person with a computer and even a tiny skill level has the tools to make their opinion about your brand heard by other people. They're already talking about you.
Message control is an illusion. Give it up.
Your workers are talking about you in closed Facebook groups designed to keep you out so they can talk about you in peace. Your customers are e-mailing, using Twitter and Facebook, and -- that old standby -- calling their friends about their experience with your brand. You don't have control. You might as well join the conversation. At least that way you can influence what is being said.
Social media requires a real budget. It's not really cheap, or free.
While many social media tools are free, knowing how to use them takes experience and perspective.
The boss' friend's high school or college kid can't integrate social media into the company's overall marketing. That requires experience and perspective. Having a large social network and a stellar online reputation helps too.
Just as there are carpenters who can knock together a bookshelf and master carpenters who can create objects of genuine and lasting beauty, there are thousands of social-media gurus (of all ages) who've never worked for an actual client. Hire them at your own peril.
Geoff Livingston said it beautifully in a recent post:
"Parroting and/or reporting what you see on the Internet does not equate to actual savoir faire. Nor does it make someone fit to offer insights or counsel."
We're scared we'll be sued.
Oh puh-lese. Next!
we're scared of giving away corporate secrets or that information on social networks will affect our stock price.
If you don't already have a social-media policy, you need to create one.
If you don't trust your employees to talk to customers, or to represent the brand, you need to look at 1) your hiring practices, 2) your training practices.
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR | |
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B.L. Ochman is a marketing strategist and blogger and can be found Twittering, at WhatsNextOnline.com or with her newest venture, Pawfun.com. |
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1. You have to integrate social media in your overall strategies. That's fine.
2. If more problems arise from using social media it is because your company has problems. Not social media.
3. Social Media can't really fix problems they are exposing, you need to reorganize and re-evaluate your company from within.
As much as you are 100% correct. How the hell are you going to sell that to high level executives or business owners? Especially in an era where Social Media is so new and is trying to penetrate the corporate world.
I will re-iterate it again. 99% of what you said is true. However, I doubt that it is by saying your company has problems and you need to fix them that you can get companies/clients to use social media.
Saying to a person that they have problems and they need to fix them in order to use your product/service is not a good idea in my opinion.
You might as well say they are dumb to their face. :P
Happily for me, because I've been doing social media campaigns for companies large and small since 2005, companies are crying out for help with social media.
The thing they need to be most scared of is the thousands of clientless, self-appointed social media gurus.
Another element in the mix is that often companies don't know WHO should be doing Social Media: their PR company, a dedicated digital agency, an independent consultant, their advertising agency?
There is no right answer but it is important that whoever curates a client's social media strategy is aware of the client's overall positioning, branding, voice, and communications messaging so that the social media strategy compliments and/or reinforces it.
A couple comments based on our experience integrating social into client programs:
1. To take full advantage of social requires an organization-wide commitment (at least in philosophy and strategy). Just as brand-building extends beyond the marketing department, so too does social. While PR and Customer Service are two obvious targets for audience conversations, they are certainly not the only ones.
2. To think of "social" as purely a marketing tool, and to measure its effectiveness as such, is short-changing your opportunity to engage with your audiences in ways they value and want. It is not a silver bullet that on its own can drive "effectiveness" as you use the term above. But aligned with other vehicles, provides both the push and the pull (attraction) to more meaningfully engage audiences.
Eric
www.twitter.com/ericbrody
Check out my blog for my favorite ads that do just that www.ad-vantage-us.blogspot.com
Rjw2116 - the issue of message control is huge for corporations. change in corporations is coming along though, ever so slowly.
After working at a small agency with only one web developer I question why the big budget fear is on the list. Making a facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace etc. are skills high schoolers have. A developer can easily create a whole campaign consistently with the help from just one or two other people. I think industry professionals are afraid of Social media because they don't understand it. If you sit back and look at the brand, if everything is consistent with the social media there shouldn't be a problem.
As a side note I agree the PR department should run the Social media part of the mix. Although, for small companies I see more relevant information posted from within.
I am trying so hard to restrain myself from adding LOL - but, I can't!
But I bet agencies and marketers won't cotton onto that fact until after the burial service.
MoonWink http://moonwink.wordpress.com
tim3948 - best of luck with your no budget strategy and high school kids. those of us who actually *are experienced professionals* with *actual client campaign experience" do not come cheap. You prolly can find yourself a cheap not self-appointed social media guru though.
Josh - thank goodness - a voice of reason.
But what this article failed to point out is the real benefit for us.
We operate in an industry that often comes under fire. Some of that is fueled by misinformation that perhaps our devoted customers will refute, if given the chance, but how many people really and truly track a thread on an ongoing basis?
Some blogs have faithful followers, but often those that 'drop in' (which probably are a goodly number), might never stop back in to get the 'corrected' version. If someone can convince me of the value of social media, please do. We know it has power, but the way our company is staffed, in this present, economy, we'd have a hard time justifying the personnel. In fact, the PR person in our sister company recently told me he has no time to be PRO-active with PR, just RE-active, since moving to social media. Hmmm.