Up the Flagpole: Selling Social Media Internally

Organizations are inherently schizophrenic when it comes to defining social media strategy. Either they’re enamored by the tools of the trade or paralyzed with the fear of implementing social media practices, training and policy in a manner that properly serves their organizations. Still others have decided to simply leave the job up to entry-level employees who may or may not work independently of the key communication stakeholders throughout the organization, resulting in half-baked tactics that lack bigger thinking focus.
Meanwhile, management shoulders the brunt of this activity (or inactivity) by reeling in renegade employee posts, asking IT to blow open access to social networks and convincing the powers that be that an organized social media approach is, in fact, a necessity for your product or service. If you fall into any of these categories, here are a few tips to consider when making your internal pitch:

• Social Media is Community Outreach. Every organization has goodwill ambassadors. People willing to press the flesh, forge new relations and act as the face of the organization. Empower the ambassadors in your organization with the tools of the trade because they’re the people worth training. (Most likely, they’ll be the audience to your pitchman as well.)
  
• Social Media is One Form of Media. You know what I hate? A Holy Grail mentality. I’m certain that when the first TV ad was placed, someone yelped, “The Death of Print!” The reality is 1/3 of the world isn’t even on social media. TV still remains a huge driver of mass advertising. Get real and sell in social media as the smart partner to your broader media mix. Allow it to complement and strengthen your marketing activities rather than revolutionize your entire approach.
  
• Social Media is Growing Exponentially. Social media’s explosive growth cannot go unrecognized by any organization using marketing to generate awareness and/or drive sales. Demonstrate the necessary facts and figures to the skeptics in your organization who, otherwise, may be unwilling to commit the time and resources necessary to play in this arena.
  
• Social Media is Discipline. I’ve made posts that I’d rather forget about. It’s hard when you have the freedom, access and tools to share as much information as you want. But resist that urge and stay focused on the business goal in front of you by being a disciplined steward of your message. Organize your approach in a way that will show your boss a well thought-out plan behind your brand’s social media messaging as well as how this type of activity works side-by-side with wider marketing efforts.

Unless your organization’s decision makers have been living under a rock, they will see the value of the medium. Your job is to present it as a business tool and not a gimmick.