As you might expect, I’m pretty passionate about social media. I personally believe that Twitter is the most important thing to have happened to the Internet since Google saved us from the spam-filled directories and banner advertising hoardings that littered the web prior to the launch of everyone’s favorite search engine. However, for those of us who work at the cutting edge of digital marketing, it’s all too easy to forget that not everyone feels the same way about social media.
Some people just don’t get social media. They might be a little frightened of a medium which they have little understanding of. Perhaps they see it as a distraction from the “real” work at hand, with little or no benefit to them. Maybe they have other things to worry about or it’s just not on their radar. As a marketer, these people can be problematic, particularly if they occupy your organization’s C-Suite.
For many marketers, persuading senior executives to make a considerable investment in social media marketing can be quite an uphill struggle. It shouldn’t be.
Just because your C-Suite doesn’t “get” social media, shouldn’t mean you should have difficulty pitching it. Most senior executives are in that position because they are very good at what they do. They might be great sales leaders, engineers or accountants and, over the years, will have developed a high-level understanding of most of the business functions within your organization. They will, undoubtedly, have the best interests of your organization at heart and be unwilling to make a decision if they cannot see the opportunity or do not understand its purpose. This means you need to speak to them in a language they understand.
Instead of clouding your social media pitch with jargon and buzzwords, try and break down the conversation down into areas of business they are familiar with and explain how social media can enhance their operation.
6 Traditional Business Functions Enhanced By Social Media
- Sales: A busy sales department thrives on new leads and the social media landscape is full of them. If you can demonstrate how these leads can quickly be identified and turned into opportunities, at very little cost when compared to more traditional acquisition channels, you’ll be well on your way to opening your senior executive team’s eyes to the benefits of social media.
- Customer Retention: Social media is playing an increasingly important role in areas of customer service. Organizations that integrate social media into their contact centers will be able to identify issues before they become problems, facilitate upsell opportunities and retain customers for longer, increasing their lifetime value.
- Marketing: Most people understand the benefits of word-of-mouth marketing. Carefully managed social media marketing is like word-of-mouth marketing on steroids. Social media is the perfect environment to recruit an army of virtual brand ambassadors with the potential to drive interest, build reputation and generate sales.
- PR: Social media allows you to bypass traditional print and broadcast media and talk directly to your customers and prospects (either directly or via high profile influencers). Journalists, once gatekeepers to the world of news and information, are now playing catch-up to social media. In short, social media is “The Media” and you own it.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Even the most technophobic executive will understand the importance of driving more targeted traffic to a website. Social media does this without the veil of mystery often presented by the SEO industry.
- Competitive Analysis: Social media gives you clear, real-time insight into how well your organisation is perceived alongside your competitors. It will also flag up opportunities and threats as they arise and may even inspire new directions of business based on new product developments and industry trends. In a highly competitive world, can your organization afford not to be socially connected?
To find out how Viralheat can help you maximize your ROI from social media, join us for a free product demonstration every Thursday at 1pm (PST), 10am (EST), 6pm (UK).
Photo credit: The_Warfield
