Now that so many businesses are using blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media channels to connect with their constituents, it’s only a matter of time before they realize what a challenge it is to use them successfully.
No, social media isn’t rocket science. But it’s definitely a BIG departure for those who have been dependent on traditional marketing, advertising, PR and communications methods up until now.
So to help educate and enlighten those who are about to use this relatively new means of engagement for the first time, here’s the first in a series of 10 ways to succeed in social media…
1. Adopt the right company culture.
I hate to disappoint you, but not every organization is cut out for social media. To those who are accustomed to privacy and top-down, one-way, interruptive communications, it requires nothing short of a transformative change from the inside out.
The truth is that those who are most successful on the grid are more than willing to share their institutional knowledge, comfortable in their own corporate skins and not afraid to reveal their personalities. They have no secrets. They have no fears. They’re open and transparent, genuine and authentic, honest almost to a fault.
Yes, businesses that get social media have no problem whatsoever with inclusive, informal dialogue. They encourage entrepreneurialism, welcome competition and frown upon micro-management. They know that to succeed in social media means to worry a lot less about control and much more about support and empowerment of their friends, fans and followers.
This is the first in a 10-post series on how to succeed in social media. Over the course of the next few months, I’ll publish the balance of the series, one post at a time (not necessarily consecutively), here on my blog, A New Marketing Commentator. Please stay tuned. And if you have any feedback on this series for me, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Thanks.
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Well said, Bob. Culture has a HUGE role in SM success.
Here’s another observation: Companies that are well-managed and do a lot of things well can do social media well, too.
@markwschaefer
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