We’ve all seen the studies and have heard the hype. Social media is taking over the world and every company will have to have a full-blown social media strategy by 2011 (originally it was 2008, then 2009, then 2010…), or they will be obsolete and left behind.
Give me a break.
Right now CEOs and business owners all across the country, no all across the world, are wringing their hands about social media. Because they don’t understand it, but are being bombarded with messages that claim they HAVE to understand it in order to succeed in the future. These are people that like carefully crafted plans with predictable outcomes, yet we are telling them to get moving NOW with a set of tools that are completely new to them. AND on top of that, we are telling them to use these completely new (to them) tools to do something that they likely aren’t comfortable doing; communicating directly with their customers.
So the end result is that we are scaring these companies into standing still. They want to wait until they can use social media on terms that they are comfortable with. Or many are thinking/hoping that social media is ‘all a fad’ and will ‘go away’ if they wait long enough.
To these companies, I apologize. It’s unfair for us to ask you to dive headlong into social media like this. We are asking you to run, no to sprint, before you can walk.
Here’s the deal; Yes, social media is a big deal. Yes, you need to be aware of how/if your customers are using social tools to connect online and share ideas. No, you probably won’t be out of business in 12 months if you keep ignoring social media.
So instead of worrying about how you can go from 0-60 in under 4 seconds, let’s do something different. Let’s make a deal: I agree not to push you to jump into social media full speed ahead without any idea/plan other than ‘just do it!” And you agree to go at your own pace, BUT….to keep moving forward.
That doesn’t mean that we’ll have a blog up and running for your company in a week. But what that does mean is that you’ll need to start making yourself familiar with social media, and how your customers are using these tools. Start monitoring social media for company mentions, something as simple as Google Blog Search can help here. See who is talking about you. See who is talking about your competitors. See what they are saying, and notice the tools they are using.
The bottom line is, learn at your own pace. If it takes you six weeks or six months to start to grasp what social media is about, that’s ok. If you have a boss that’s skeptical about social media, or know someone that owns a business that’s worried about social media, please share this post with them.
Moving forward is what counts, and it definitely beats being too scared to move.
Pic via Flickr user Bouzafr
A lot of companies think that they need to catch up. NOW! I think if you try to boil the ocean you will fail. Instead start small, try several pilots, measure them, see how they go, learn from other companies/brands. You don’t have to be perfect right away and not everything that works for others will work for you. So start small and figure out where you fit in all of this and what works for YOU.
.-= Ekaterina Walter´s last blog ..Foursquare and BART Partnership: Case Study =-.
Bingo Ekaterina, I think it’s more important to experiment now because they want to, rather than waiting till later when they think they have to. Many of the companies that are now using social media effectively, first started experimenting 3 or 4 years ago.
It’s tough for a business, especially for a corporation, to use social media effectively without making a LOT of mistakes. Trial and error will be necessary, and it will take time.
I agree: All companies already are using social media – effectively – by proxy… through their employees and customers. Even if the CEO doesn’t understand the difference between email and voicemail.
Everything else from there is just about enriching the experience between company, brand and customer.
.-= @alanhill8´s last blog ..Make your chances =-.
Rome was not built in a day, or a week, or 2 weeks. And if one chooses to do a rush job to catch up then they are only hurting themselves. Why not take your time, study your surroundings, and then make you move. In order to be successful in something as huge and the blog world your steps need to be strategic, well thought out, and calculated.
Great article!
.-= Heather Villa´s last blog ..5 Common Productivity Barriers and How to Eliminate Them =-.
Mack,
You know when you meet someone that speaks a different language you feel like talking louder with make them understand what you are saying? Well Social Media is the same way. Sometimes I find myself repeating things over and over and still getting that look, like “what the hell are you talking about”… I am on several boards and find it becoming the norm that there are still tons of people who know what social media is, but are dragging their feet. I have started to take a new approach. I get them introduced to whatever we are starting with first and tell them, get comfortable with this avenue first and then we will move on. I find social media fascinating and overwhelming at the same time and I have been doing it for almost a year. I learn new things and ways to do stuff every day, so I can imagine the overwhelming feeling our clients have. Thanks for giving us the cue to “SLOW DOWN” Kids are at play!
Thank you! I’m am introducing social media to some local businesses and your post will help me work with them.