A What's Next Blog Social Media Reality Check for CEOs, CFOs, and CMOs

By B.L. Ochman

Many companies, large and small, are rushing to get into social media because they believe it's a cheap, quick way to drive traffic and sales. Sadly, most are nowhere near ready to try communicating with customers using social media. They don't even talk to each other.

An inside job
Again and again, I consult to big companies where the PR VP in one division has not met his/her counterpart in another division. IT doesn't talk to HR or PR. Hourly employees never meet, let alone share ideas with, senior management. Advertising doesn't coordinate with marketing, or digital, or legal. Senior executives doors and minds are not open to suggestions from the rank and file. Each department and division is busy as hell, doing its own thing - often competitively and at cross-purposes, and certainly at great expense on many levels.

Dear big companies: If you want to try using social media - start inside. Create a wiki, internal blogs, company-wide IM, a help line where any employee has access to any other employee's knowledge at any time.

Crowdsource from within the company - and be willing to act on and reward good suggestions.

Don't even think of external social media until you get your house in order. First, create an internal community of people who share their knowledge and experience freely and transparently. Then we can talk external use of social media.

And remember what social media is not:
Social media isn't a technique, a short-term project, a marketing campaign, an experiment, an event, or a quick fix. It's not something you throw money at, and using it doesn't guarantee sales or influence.

Social media is a set of tools that can help you establish credibility and gain trust, particularly when you start inside your company.

This is why I write the Gliebers Dresses story!

Thanks for telling it like it is. Advertising agencies that are "gurus" at SM should heed this.

Joel Cohen
www.RestaurantMarketingBlog.com

BL - very true. I would say in about 90 percent of the social media programs with large corporations we end up watching people introduce themselves to each other for the first time. It's an interesting moment.

Great post! Many of the big companies can't even get it together internally, how could they possibly fare well externally? Perhaps this is one of the many reasons that so many big brands misuse social media and think its just another outlet to push sales - it really should be about connecting and listening.

Another note: I really liked your comment about social media being a set of tools. All too often, companies are quick to demand quantitative results. Social media is a means to establish trust & credibility, not necessarily an instant increase in metrics such as sales & site traffic.

Welcome back!
Thanks for telling it like it is. Great post!

Great information! I cater to small businesses that want to use social media and they have those same misconceptions about social media and what it can really do for them. Like you said, so many believe that driving traffic back to their site will instantly turn into sales. I am in the process of creating a white paper that can better explain to my prospects and clients what the real benefits of social media are so we are on the same page from the start.