Comments on: Your Boss Doesn’t Care About ‘The Conversation’

By: Suzanna Stinnett

Suzanna Stinnett — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:53:08 +0000

That concept Steve mentioned, “customer engagement,” is the flashlight shining down the rabbit hole, I think. Our selling of the concept of blogging – and microblogging – can evolve quite productively around that engaged customer every business lives and dies by. Engaging the customers has never really even been possible before. And corporate execs don’t want to hear “never even been possible before…” just another way it can’t be measured, they figure. My job is different, I have to reach the near-illiterate and wave the appropriate words in front of them (which does not include “Twitter,” “blogging,” or “social media,”) and then, once I have their attention, begin to reveal how vital these tools are to their immediate future as Interested Earth Citizen. If they really are asleep, and have no compulsion to know anything or grow anything or discovery anything inner or outer, then they don’t belong in my classes. If they have any ambition whatsoever, I can make the connection between their desires and the need for modern communication skills.
Thanks for the …. conversation.
Suzanna Stinnett
Suzanna Stinnett´s last blog ..Why I love the Google Profile

By: Links for August 12th through August 16th | daveharte.com

Links for August 12th through August 16th | daveharte.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:48:56 +0000

[...] Your Boss Doesn’t Care About ‘The Conversation’ – Already spotted by Podnosh but noted here as one for me to read and digest: "For your company, your ‘X’ could be more traffic, it could be more links, it could be more traffic from the blog to your website, etc. But the odds are your boss understands ‘X’ a lot more than they do the importance of ‘the conversation’. If you want your boss to launch a blog, you need to show her how the blog will help her business. You need to understand what needs to happen AFTER ‘the conversation’ happens on your blog, and how that ultimately helps your business reach its larger business goals." [...]

By: Things I’ve spotted August 13th from 19:06 to 23:31 | Podnosh

Things I’ve spotted August 13th from 19:06 to 23:31 | Podnosh — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:04:21 +0000

[...] Your Boss Doesn’t Care About ‘The Conversation’ – So what the hell IS ‘X’? [...]

By: Rich Nadworny

Rich Nadworny — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:08:13 +0000

You nailed it on the head Mack. It’s like all things digital – you have to take a lot of time to explain it, and it’s always been that way (why should we do a Web site? Why should we do paid search? Why should we create a microsite? etc. etc.)

We don’t have to explain advertising, even if the boss doesn’t know what X is there either. They understand how an ad works (and you can show it to them in context!).

From an utterly simplistic standpoint, the best reason I’ve found to start taking about why is the huge benefit in organic search that blogs supply. It’s a way of reaching people through keywords you’d never have on your corporate site. This is always one of the first points I make, and since the bosses finally understand this (after all, they all use Google) it opens the door to the next X.

And personally, if it weren’t for my blog, then no one would have ever found me Googling “Moms want gigalos”
Rich Nadworny´s last blog ..The End of the Beginning for Twitter?

By: Social Media Marketing in the Manufacturing World | Totally Incorrect

Social Media Marketing in the Manufacturing World | Totally Incorrect — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:40:57 +0000

[...] Wow, this morning that inspiration might just have arrived. It was delivered to my Google Reader by that Guru of Corporate blogging, Mack Collier. Strangely, the story isn’t even new, it has been there for the best part of a month. It is called Your Boss Doesn’t Care About “The Conversation” and you can read it at Mack’s site here. [...]

By: David Holliday

David Holliday — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:48:05 +0000

This is a great post – I can’t believe I missed it when you published it.
This has helped clarify something that has been on my mind for a while!
Cheers!
David
David Holliday´s last blog ..Blog of the Week – Global Patriot

By: cedric ervin

cedric ervin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:19:39 +0000

I worked for a company that was on the leadin/bleedin edge of selling ecommerce software a decade ago and hear the echoes of those who thought selling stuff on line made no sense. I would suggest you present your company/industry stats on customer retention and use this as the initial goal of the “conversation.”

By: Tibi Puiu

Tibi Puiu — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:49:59 +0000

Excellently well pointed out, Mack. I can’t even remember the number of times I had this kind of confrontations with people ranging from corporates to small time clients to simple friends. It all comes down to laying down clear pros and advantages relevant to person you want to convince.
Tibi Puiu´s last blog ..Blogging in a Twitter World: Is There Any Room For Both?

By: Mike Evans

Mike Evans — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:42:34 +0000

There is a subtle but important difference between working to “help your boss understand the conversations” and “learning to make the conversation work for the good of the business” The latter is very important. The former is not very useful.

The real key is that the person who is in charge of the social media conversation at a company uses that channel to forward the company goals. Its not about making the boss understand how to make the conversation better by including your business in it.
Mike Evans´s last blog ..Stand on principle; Swim on style

By: Marivic Valencia

Marivic Valencia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:54:46 +0000

Mack, thanks for your comment on Mandy’s post, how I’ve missed subscribing to your blog I have no idea but I am now!

One of my clients took a baby step in understanding social media when I connected the dots between prospects (business owners targeted by his sales team) interacting with his brand online, and having that brand reinforced with the press releases dropping in those markets. CEOs still very much understand Sales/Marketing 101: Top of Mind Awareness.
Marivic Valencia´s last blog ..Immediate Response Required!