I recently outlined why I'm sick of the 'ROI in web 2.0' discussion. To be specific, the debate as to whether there is one at all.
In that post, I gave examples of how naysayers reacted to social media tools in the past - and how they were left in the dust of those who experimented with these web 2.0 tools. So, where do these naysayers come from? Why is there a resistance to web 2.0? In this post I'll explain how to sell social media to those people and/or your boss!
This is a guest post by DJ Francis, founder and author of OnlineMarketerBlog.com
Your Responsibility
Seth Godin says it's not because your boss is stupid. It's not that your boss is ignorant of Facebook, but that they know the 30-second spot. Seth says that the best way of changing the world is to open the close-minded and you do that by presenting more data in a palatable way. It's your job to teach your boss about web 2.0 tools.
Here are some suggestions for ways other companies have used social media tools. Consider how these could apply to your business. Be creative and don't think about what you could do - think about what your customers want. Then determine which social media tools can help you deliver what they want.
Ways To Sell Social Media Tools To Your Boss
1. Keeping Up With The Joneses
Your boss doesn't want to get left behind and it's getting more likely that s/he's seen some of this fancy social media stuff at work. Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes and Eric Mattson report that familiarity with and usage of social media within the business world (the Inc. 500 in this particular study) has nearly doubled in the past 12 months.
This means that your boss is likely primed for a conversation about using social media in your business. You just need to fit a web 2.0 tactics to your current business objectives. Your boss might just be looking for someone to lead the charge.
Barnes and Mattson report that "When queried on the importance of social media, 26% of the respondents [Inc. 500 members] in 2007 felt social media is 'very important' to their business and marketing strategy. That figure rose to 44% in approximately one year."
2. Listening (Customer/Market Research)
Social media offers infinite market research, branding, and listening opportunities. I dare you to search for "[Your brand] sucks" and see what you find. Listening - a simple yet often over-looked aspect of human life - may be the Web 2.0 killer app and smart companies are catching on.
TNS/Cymfony found that "Revolutionaries" - companies that focused on listening rather than selling - "have a more sophisticated approach to creating strong relationships with consumers and as a result are gaining a competitive edge," said Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Jim Nail. (Bill Green at MakeTheLogoBigger concurs that social media leads to listening that eventually leads to monetization.)
When I heard AOL had bought Bebo earlier this year I cringed just thinking about the energetic startup in the clutches of a Web 1.0 holdover. From The Economist: "The non sequitur is to assume that the new service will be a revenue-generating business in its own right." But the service could be amazingly valuable if marketers used it as a listening mechanism.
3. Responding
Social media gives marketers the chance to give quick feedback and break down unnecessary walls. Businesses are using Twitter to personalize a brand (@Zappos), quickly solve customer's problems (@ComcastCares), and create more immersive interactive media experiences (@_S_A_R_A_H_ from the Sci Fi Channel's Eureka).
And these comprise only one social media tool. Response ideas are endless considering the vast array of tools at your disposal.
And speaking of response, the best way to get that is...
Comments
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oh no. . .pagination comes to RWW. . .boo
Posted by: Four20 | October 9, 2008 10:22 PM
When is the post for 5 ways to sell your value to the boss and keep your job in tough economic times coming? ;)
Posted by: Mark Krynsky
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October 9, 2008 10:30 PM
@Four20, admitedly 3 pages was overkill. I couldn't preview it when I edited. Cut it back to 2. But pagination us useful for long articles, so get used to it :-)
Posted by: Richard
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October 9, 2008 10:59 PM
"In most instances, when marketers talk about measurement or ROI of social media, they are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. You can't apply a Web 1.0 gestalt in a world where the audience cannot only respond, but can also generate more content than any single company."
I got a laugh out of that. You sound just like those poor "Web 1.0" fools who ran around saying that the "new economy" made old pre web concepts like ROI irrelevant.
Posted by: Allen | October 9, 2008 11:24 PM
I don't think point #5 can be stressed enough - it's the long-term value of insights gained through participating in social media that are most valuable. Best Buy's recent product line revamp to be more in line with customer's needs and expectations is a great example of this. Consumers are looking for opportunities to help make the product and service better, and companies that are receptive of this have a better chance of seeing long-term value. http://www.viget.com/engage/social-expectations-consumers-are-looking-for-better-interaction/
Posted by: Ryan Moede | October 10, 2008 6:51 AM
#4 should include Get Satisfaction as well.
Posted by: Seamus Condron | October 10, 2008 10:52 AM
Reason #6:
Because your boss' boss is going to ask about it, and your boss needs to be able to articulate why the company is/isn't involved with Social Media.
Because you know the CEO is going to see a report on 60 Minutes about Twitter and instantly firing off a message asking why you're not on the bandwagon.
More and more often, bosses (let's say Marketing Veeps) are going to need to explain to the CEO why they're NOT involved in Social Media, not why they ARE.
Posted by: FoolishAndy | October 10, 2008 1:29 PM
I think finding actual customers using it is essential. We did a live Twitter search with a hotel client to see what was out there. A bunch of tweets came up, one in particular asking for hotel recommendations in their city - that was enough for him to see the value.
Posted by: Simon | October 10, 2008 4:31 PM
With the DOD, it does not work. The Feds are very tough breed to move to social media and especially the contractor auditors.
I could do it but I have to work MY ASS off to do it. And government, I do not a pay raise if I do it so I am not going to do it.
Posted by: crisco | October 10, 2008 6:00 PM
Well, it'll may works
Posted by: gowers | October 10, 2008 7:38 PM
In my case, its going to be hard to explain to my boss because he's so thick. Anyway, nice points made.
Posted by: Helen Hunt | October 11, 2008 9:16 AM
"And it is a worldview, not just some notion. It changes the way you interact with the world, so it's no small task. Likewise, it's a big job, so you'd better get cracking right now."
I like how you said this. Social media has really changed our worldview and the way we interact with each other, which makes it even more important that companies are using this new outlet to listen and talk to their customers.
You mentioned that there are tons of listening tools; welp, we're one of them. We monitor, measure, and get involved in relevant online conversations. And just like you said, it's no small job. So for companies that don't have the time or knowledge to create the buzz they need, check us out.
Cari
Buzz.io
Posted by: Cari | October 11, 2008 7:09 PM
One of the top questions that boss are going to ask is how this is going to pay off. I agree that anyone that's trying to sell this should give some thought to that question and be ready to make the case.
Think about the values of your company and what's beneficial to them (sales, attention, inbound links, insert your goal here) and how you could make that happen more effectively with social media before you start the conversation.
Posted by: Michelle / chelpixie | October 13, 2008 7:03 AM
How about some real metrics? social media sees customers returning to your site 5x more often and stays 9x as long. Peer to Peer support forums and fanpages drops customer service and tech support calls by 5-10. Cost of Acquisition of customer is $0-$10 instead of 10x higher than that in many cases. Brand recall is 5x higher than search engine marketing Seriously - these stats have been around since 2002 (well the McKinsey report has, and I've quoted the others since 2005).
If you don't treat social media as a valid business proposition, it won't get the respect it deserves in corporations. Stop the fluffy posts! :) Laurel
Posted by: silkcharm.myopenid.com | October 14, 2008 1:30 PM
One thing not mentioned - as even a possibility - is that many of these rules conflict.
If you really listen and talk with the customers you may find that they have little or no interest in social media.
It is about giving them what they want and need, not what you feel like doing.
Posted by: ldaniels | October 22, 2008 7:56 AM