1- Employees will waste time with social media.
Many large corporations block their employees from accessing the Internet altogether. Others try to block employees from accessing personal email or social networks like Facebook during work hours.
In May, 2009, according to emarketer, there were 29 million smartphones in the United States. That’s a lot of Internet access available to workers everywhere – and employers can’t stop us from accessing the Internet – on breaks, at lunch, in the bathroom, you name it.
The value to workers of having Internet access – in terms of research, communication, and speed – is far greater than the threat of lost productivity. Companies have a right to make policies and rules about personal use of the Internet, but blocking it during work is just stupid.
2- Haters will damage our brand. “What about the haters?” is the first question that comes up at my corporate and conference social media workshops. “What if people say bad, mean, nasty things about our brand?”
Well, there may be things you need to change about your brand, and in that case, you should thank them for letting you know what they are. Then you should make changes.
If you have built an online community that includes people who don’t hate you, that community will rise to your defense and they will handle the problem for you.
Bonus Link: Starbucks Social Media Monitoring & Community Help It Survive Brand Attack
3- We’ll lose control of the brand.
Listen up: every person with a computer and even a tiny skill level has the tools to make their opinion about your brand heard by other people. They’re already talking about you.
Message control is an illusion. Give it up.
Your workers are talking about you in closed Facebook groups designed to keep you out so they can talk about you in peace. Your customers are emailing, Tweeting, Facebooking, and that old standby – calling – their friends about their experience with your brand. You don’t have control. You might as well join the conversation. At least that way you can influence what is being said.
4- Social media requires a real budget! It’s not really cheap, or free.
While many social media tools are free, knowing how to use them takes experience and perspective.
The boss’ friend’s high school or college kid can’t integrate social media into the company’s overall marketing. That requires experience and perspective. Having a large social network and a stellar online reputation helps too.
Just as there are carpenters who can knock together a book shelf and master carpenters who can create objects of genuine and lasting beauty, there are thousands of social media gurus (of all ages) who’ve never worked for an actual client. Hire them at your own peril.
Geoff Livingston said it beautifully in a recent post:
“Parroting and/or reporting what you see on the Internet does not equate to actual savoir faire. Nor does it make someone fit to offer insights or counsel.”
Bonus links:
Brand Week: Kraft Shells Out $12 million for a Trumped up Double-Stuffed Oreo Campaign
David Berkowitz: The New Pricing Model for Social Media
How much does a social media campaign cost?
5- They’re scared they’ll be sued.
Oh puh-lese. Next!
6- They’re scared of giving away corporate secrets or that information on social networks will affect the stock price.
If you don’t already have a social media policy, you need to create one.
If you don’t trust your employees to talk to customers, or to represent the brand, you need to look at 1) your hiring practices, 2) your training practices,
Bonus links:
Everything you need to know about corporate social media policies
Does your company have a corporate social media policy? IBM and Sun Do
Jeremiah Owyang The Variance of Corporate Social Media Policies
B.L.
I know, it’s crazy. Though I am definitely noticing a change. More and more companies are realizing that they have to (maybe for the wrong reasons; i.e. competitors are doing it or they think it’s cheap) and are actually starting to learn or at least listen. The latter is a technique we use a lot. Get them to set up a listening station and get used to what’s out there. A. It’s not so bad. And B. They’ve already lost control. So what are they waiting for.
I’ve noticed a big change too. And in fact, I’ve never been busier with social media-related work. I agree with your method.
I also show them what their competitors are already doing, and that usually gets them in gear to at least learn more. But progress is slow, and it beats me why!
Love your perspective and is there such a thing as a social media guru? I run as fast as I can when I hear someone say that.
Thanks for your insight!
I think #6 is a “reality check.” It’s often the most cited reason I receive from clients as to the root of their social media fears. And you’re right, if you can’t trust your employees, something is very wrong that has nothing to do with SM itself. I also agree with the previous commenter… Many are jumping in because of false assumptions related to cost and the need to keep up with their competitors, also false thinking that can be costly :-) Great post.
terrific list, though you left off one of the biggest:
Our customers don’t use the Internet/Social Media/Twitter/Facebook
I have yet to find the company that insists that their clients are the ones who never use any of the latest technologies on the web. Of course, if their clients were actually active on the web, they’d have to develop online strategies. Much easier to simply deny.
John – good one! when companies tell me that, i tell them their customers must be dead. Because every age and demographic group is using the Internet in their own way, and their customers are among them.
Good article, thanks for breaking it down. Most of it is just common sense but many don’t use common sense when they are faced with the unknown. Good insight and advise.
You missed one of my favorites: “What’s the ROI on social media?”
Meanwhile, I’m picking up all of the business they are missing because they are afraid of social medial.
Great article!
Christine
To expand #3 — I have seen a fear of the democratization of online — ‘will we lose our authorativeness by engaging in social.’ Of course this is rather silly thinking but specifically with luxury brands who view themselves as the authoraties in their business, telling customers what to want, how to use it, and when. They are fearful of losing that position. Luxury as a whole has been going through an evolution — still aspirational but not completely defined by the industry and brands, but more about what consumers deem it to be. Interesting times.
Hi BL,
to get a clients attention we use a “what’s going to happen if you don’t adopt social practices” approach.
Putting it this way you give them a ‘worst future’ perspective. It’s aggressive but if you want to get someone’s attention really quick it works.
You got me thinking and I think I’ll write something about this.
Great post!
I think you’ve dealt with number 5 very blithely. For businesses who’ve not used social media for professional/business purposes, this is a real concern. I’d love to know your thoughts on it.
Companies may also want to analyze how they treat their employees as to why they may distrust their employees in the first place. Treat employees badly, employees do not feel a part of the company and will care about the brand and products less, thus giving an employer a reason to distrust them. #6 is a powerful statement, seriously.
Haha, quite an entertaining article. So true, this is. Brands are so protective about themselves. My friends in advertising tell me how many hours are wasted as the client deliberates over the size of the logo that should appear on the ad.
Marketers should take a step back, forget all that semiotic crap they ‘learnt’ at a workshop, put themselves in consumers’ shoes and ask a simple question: Do I give a shit?
With the advent of Google Sidewiki, brands and companies have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Poor products really have no excuse now, as they can be trashed even on their company homepage!
Centuries after freedom struggles, this is certainly power to the people, in the truest form!
What a great post :-)
1- Employees will waste time with social media.
In the 60’s business leaders prevented computers as those machines may not be accurate
In the 70’s business leaders prevented phones on all desks as people may call friends
In the 80’s business leaders prevented PCs as they could play games – which they couldn’t on terminals
In the 90’s business leaders prevented Internet access as the team could waste time surfing
In the 00’s business leaders prevent social media …
10 years later the same business leaders INVESTED to promote the technology use within their organizations.
2- Haters will damage our brand.
Isn’t that interesting? So people do believe they sold products against their customers will?
Isn’t it that customers had a choice, businesses has competition and customers chose the product for a certain reason?
And now those businesses try to prevent the customer to talk about those good reasons :-) Hallelujah
3- We’ll lose control of the brand.
Yes – But the customer is already in control. “It’s not about loosing it but getting some back by sharing it with the customer”
4- Social media requires a real budget! It’s not really cheap, or free.
Yes, not free. But neither is marriage, kids, friends, good customers – any relationship.
Hoping to get any for free remains a dream.
5- They’re scared they’ll be sued.
A serious threat if you have different messages for different people. So stop lying is the easiest.
6- They’re scared of giving away corporate secrets or that information on social networks will affect the stock price.
Business leaders are always afraid of that. So keep your secrets like you do in real life and trust your sales people like you do every day.
Great quote from WholeFoods. “We trust the team on the shop who talks to customers every day – why should they not tweet every day??
Axel
I love the article! The list is great and very insightful.
Interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing. I think that this is a medium that should be embraced by big business especially.
This is a grat list you have put together and certainly they are very real reasons to be scared of social media, but looking back through history, fear was almost always attached to new technology or new ways of doing business. Businesses just need to do their research and use social media to address problems they may have, ie lack of cohesion amongst employees, lack of approrpriate feedback from consumers. Our business has found the use of social networking technology to be incredibly useful. Thanks for sharing!