This is a guest post from marketing executive and blogger Tom Johansmeyer. Johansmeyer is the group marketing director at The Cross Border Group, which publishes IR magazine and Corporate Secretary. He has written about social media for SocialTimes, PR Daily, Business Insider and The Huffington Post.
“What happens if someone says something stupid?”
When it comes to corporate blogging and social media marketing, I’ve heard this question a lot from company executives. In fact, it’s usually one of the greatest barriers to adoption. The fear that reputation or relationship damage could be caused is usually sufficient to overshadow the business advantages available. So, if you’re going to get your corporate blog off the ground, you’ll need to address this concern head on.
Start with reality.
A corporate blog isn’t the problem. After all, you’ll send all your content off for leadership, legal and (if relevant) compliance review before you unleash it on the world. Think about the process by which you get a press release approved – your blog content is no different. Drive this message home.
Additionally, take some time to explain to the executive team that their concerns are not really about social media. The risk of someone spreading damaging information (or misinformation) about your company predates social media, and it exists even if nobody in your company has a Twitter account.
Email lists, message boards and online forums have been around much longer than Facebook, and they offered plenty of opportunity for employees to get into – and cause – trouble. And, there was always the risk that an employee would pick up the phone and call a reporter, a risk that hasn’t gone away. You can even step away from the digital world: word of mouth has always been powerful.
The real risk that keeps executives awake at night isn’t the medium; it’s the message. They want to make sure the company is kept safe. Today, the reach that social media affords has turned an issue of degree into one of substance, and as a result, you have to address it, particularly as it relates to your marketing and PR objectives.
Remind your executives of the underlying risk, and show how you are going to use effective marketing and PR operations to mitigate it. Don’t just tell them not to be afraid, show them that they don’t need to be.
