In the last blog post I discussed why you need social media in your business and provided tons of references that show value.
Now I want to talk about how to pitch social media to the people in your business that make the decisions. If you’re the owner of the business, then skip this part and go to “How to Pitch Social Media to Your Employees.”
Pitching Social Media to the Boss.
Yes, you need to pitch the idea. No, you shouldn’t just do it and then show them what you did. You’re messing with the company’s brand without them knowing. People don’t like that, even if it goes well. If it doesn’t go well, you can pretty much go pack your desk.
Also, if you are several levels below top management, you need to understand that this has to go in front of the executives. For small businesses, this is going to be the owner. For bigger companies, it might be a Corporate Marketing Officer or the head of a division.
Get the initial buy-in for a presentation. You need to get some time with the top brass. I would never recommend presenting to your immediate supervisor and then letting them take it to the boss. Give them an overview of what you’re going to present, but save the big presentation for the Boss.
Focus on the Goal. The goal of every business is, at least in part, to make money. Your pitch should revolve around making money in social media. How does it help the business do that better than what you’re already doing? (Hints: bringing in leads, generating attention, closing sales, building a list, generating good will, product research, customer service)
Cover the key steps to any successful social media campaign. I like the way that Groundswell defines them. Listen to what’s being said. Engage with your customers and potential customers. Empower your fans to talk about you more. Measure the results constantly & respond to what the numbers are telling you.
Think of possible objections. You know your organization. What are their limitations on listening to customers? Does the company have a culture of openness? Are they cutting edge in their marketing tactics? Do they openly talk about numbers and accountability to those numbers in business? Make a list of all the objections you can think of and then figure out ways to proactively suggest solutions to these objections inside of your presentation.
Take what you can get. Many times you can lay out a grand plan for a social media campaign and the Boss will only take part of it. That’s okay. Prove the value of an exploratory plan and you’ll get more.
Pitching Social Media to Your Employees
Obviously you can just lay down the law and tell your employees to start ‘doing’ social media. But you wouldn’t do that without a little understanding first, right?
Talk to your employees. Find out who is using Facebook, Twitter, or other social media already. If that person is someone with some marketing expertise, then you’re in luck. That person should head up your social media efforts.
If your person with social media person is someone outside of marketing, then a good strategy is to pair them with someone in your marketing or PR departments and have them work together. Jack Welch, CEO of GE, famously ordered 600 managers to find people further down the ranks to mentor them on current trends.
If you don’t have anyone on staff who is already an enthusiastic social media user then you’ll have to educate your team on the value of social media a little bit and figure out best practices. This might be a good time to bring in a professional. DON’T just hire a young intern to do your social media. You’re talking about your reputation here – and you want that overseen by someone you trust.
In the next post, I’ll go into more detail about who should be involved in social media in your company – and who you might need to bring in from the outside.
