The insider’s guide to social media consulting success
Jan 20th
When I have been asked for a proposal to create a social media marketing strategy for a company, I have won the business 95 percent of the time. That may seem remarkable but I’ve found there is one simple secret to connecting with companies at this early stage of engagement.
Competing agencies typically try to impress by piecing together glossy, elaborate plans spanning from Facebook promotions to blasting out a Pinterest campaign.
I do no such thing. In fact, I put together no plan at all. I simply, and truthfully, tell the client that I don’t know what they need. And neither do they. We need to start with a foundational strategy (not an action plan) that is aligned with the company’s goals, and even more important, aligned with the company’s CULTURE.
This is the difference between creating a glimmering strategy that crashes and burns on take-off, and a realistic strategy that can actually be accomplished and change the company.
In every organization there are five common hurdles to social media success. A critical step in the strategy development process is to provide a painfully honest assessment of these factors and the company’s ability to execute and sustain a social media marketing initiative. That is where the consulting process should begin — not picking out the colors for the Facebook page!
Assessing the social media “engine”
Here are the five critical components I assess before even thinking about creating a social media plan:
Budget and resources — Is the company willing to commit the proper financial and human resources to execute the right way, or are they just checking a box to create an image? Do they seem committed to adopting “digital” as a business philosophy? How will they make this transformation?
Technology — I look at this very broadly. Is this a tech-savvy company eager to embrace new platforms or are they stuck in the 1990s? Are they fast and flexible, or ponderous in their approach to development? Have they erected security firewalls that will jeopardize success? Is the IT department a fortress resisting change or an agent propelling progress?
ROI and measurement — Does the company have a realistic view of the social media opportunity, or are they looking for immediate gratification? Are they willing to consider qualitative, as well as quantitative, measures of success? Do they even have measurement processes in place that we can build upon? Are they looking at this as a band-aid or a long-term strategy?
Legal — Can the Legal Department adjust to the new demands of the social web? Are they willing to push accountability down through the organization or will they have to approve every tweet? Are they also willing to make the cultural adjustment necessary or will they “review” an initiative into oblivion?
Corporate culture/leadership — I mention this last, but it is not the least. In fact, it is most important of all. A corporate culture is very complex but is largely determined by the leadership of the organization. If the leadership does not understand, embrace, and become actively involved in the change, a social media initiative will never move past checking a box. There is no such thing as a grassroots cultural change in a company> The leader has to be actively on board. Is the company culture customer-centric? Conservative? Slow to change? Nimble?
Now what?
Once you do this analysis, what do you do with it?
Creating an actionable and sustainable social media initiative requires all five of these building blocks to be in place. Think of these elements as integral parts of an engine. If even one part is not working, the car may start quickly, limp along for awhile, but ultimately sputter and stop.
So the strategy must be created in the context of the political reality of the company. Perhaps the first step toward social media success is not starting a blog or Facebook page, but hosting a series of social media workshops to get everybody on the same page. Or maybe it’s one-on-one counseling with a leader, or creating an internal social media council.
Strategy doesn’t start with a Facebook page, it begins (and perhaps ends) with corporate culture. Agree? Do you see these landmines and opportunities at your companies too?
Why your social media plan needs gurus and storytellers
Nov 21st
By Srinivas Rao, Contributing {grow} Columnist
A few weeks ago Laura Click wrote a really interesting post questioning “who really is a social media expert?“ I’ve never been a big fan of the term and the self-proclaimed ninjas, rockstars, and gurus cause the social web to seem like a giant pyramid scheme. But Laura’s post hit on a key point that organizations and individuals should consider:
“Yes, the “gurus” may have a keen understanding of the tools or know-how to build large networks for themselves, but many don’t know how social media fits into an overall marketing strategy or how to tie their efforts to real results.”
I’m a storyteller, not a strategist
Anytime I get on the phone with a business who wants to hire me to do some social media work and they ask me about, analysis, measurement tools and anything that has to do with numbers I tell them “I’m an Indian person who is lousy at math. Contrary to popular belief we’re not all good with numbers.” My strength is the ability to tell great stories, and create content. Does that mean I’m useless? Absolutely not … and it’s because there is a digital divide emerging.
The Digital Divide
In the digital divide I see two distinctly different and valuable groups. The first group consists of people who really understand how social media fits into an overall marketing strategy (but may lack the storytelling/creative abilities). The second group consists of content creators who may not have the analytical business background but can masterfully deliver an experience that makes people hang on their every word. I think the future lies is in connecting these two groups.
Look to “Gurus” for guidance not gospel
You shouldn’t follow anybody’s advice to the letter. Formulas are designed to manufacture the same thing over and and over again. Following a social media formula or playbook is a recipe for mediocrity.
You could eat the same cereal Seth Godin eats for breakfast, drink the same coffee, and do your writing on the same computer, and you’ll never be Seth Godin. This is because you’re not Seth. Look to the experts for guidance, not gospel.
There’s a difference between tribe members and cult members. Cult members never question anything and follow advice blindly. They drink the “Kool-aid.” Tribe members support the leaders but are also capable of thinking on their own. They bring new ideas and insights into the tribe.
Hire a Strategist and a Storyteller
The person who wrote the movie script is not responsible for putting together the trailer, spreading the word online, and the driving ticket sales. The job of the screenwriter is to do what he or she does best, write an amazing script. The job of the director is to translate that script into an amazing story. Nobody would call Steven Spielberg and say “hey, do you mind sitting down and analyzing the ROI of our social media efforts on this film?”
Most corporate blogs are awful while many personal blogs (written by us starving artists) are amazing. The solution to this problem is obvious. Marry the two. Hire a strategist and a storyteller. Bring in a seasoned marketer who really gets how to tie social media to an overall marketing strategy. Then hire somebody who understands how to tell a story without making an audience want to gouge their eyes out.
I think that key to getting value from blogs and other social media properties is combining strategy and good storytelling. Right now most organizations are only focused on the strategy, and if they happened to be good at storytelling that’s probably what is setting them apart.
Individuals have a voice like never before and if organizations want to reap the benefits of these voices, then let them tell their stories. Free your story-tellers from the red tape that turns corporate blogs into digital graveyards. If brands can learn to embrace the amazing storytellers on the social web and connect them to an overall marketing strategy, I believe the value of an organization’s social media efforts will increase dramatically.
Agree?
Srinivas Rao writes about the things you should have learned in school, but never did and his the host-co founder of BlogcastFM. You can follow him on twitter @skooloflife
6 Factors that turn social media strategy into RESULTS
Oct 14th
After working as a marketing consultant for more than a decade, I know how exhilarating it is when a client really executes well on a strategy.
Unfortunately, I too often see deeply-embedded cultural baggage weighing down a company’s full potential to succeed. Here are the common elements that make the difference between a strategy document gathering dust on a shelf or becoming a dynamic business driver:
1) Active executive sponsorship
I was recently brought in to do a social media strategy workshop with a big health care company. The president of the company greeted me and said “I know we need to do this. We are counting on you to lead us in the right direction.” Not only did she verbally demonstrate support, she was actively engaged in the entire meeting and led the part of the program determining next steps. This active leadership is CRITICAL to organizational change.
There is no such thing as a grassroots cultural change. The person at the top must “get it” and make people accountable for the change. Measurable expectations for change must be driven into performance objectives. Here is the most important thing a leader can do to keep the change going week to week: Ask questions about it in staff meetings.
2) Immersive learning
“Can you just do this for us?”
When I hear that question, I know my client is not ready to commit to the organizational change needed to make a social media strategy work.
The big difference between a company “checking the box” and one that is really being transformed is that people are rolling up their sleeves and learning by doing. They’re not out-sourcing tweets and blog posts. They’re making “content” and customer engagement central to the company’s marketing mission and adjusting job requirements accordingly.
This is excruciatingly difficult. For 100 years, we have been conditioned to pay an advertising agency to handle our customer media and then sit back and wait for something to happen. Certainly advertising is still an important part of the marketing formula. But a content strategy must be organically linked to some extent between employees and customers for it to “take” in the company culture.
3) Patience + Resources
Starting a social media strategy from scratch is like putting a soccer team together while the game is underway — you still have a business to run. Certain players will rise or fall, certain strategies will work or be abandoned as we adjust to the competition and the reaction from the market.
To persevere in this rather chaotic transition, a team should be provided with the appropriate amount of resources and enough patience to allow them to gel and perform. The change is not sustainable if it is simply an “add on” to an already full plate. You wouldn’t take a cross-country trip in a broken-down car running out of gas. The first few miles might be fine, but for the long-term you need to have a vehicle and the fuel to help you get to your goal.
4) Focus
Chasing the shiny red ball is a strategy killer. If you have done the upfront research and planning, you should be confident in following a plan long enough to give it a chance to make an impact. Shifting priorities without following through on a plan will waste time and money faster than anything else.
5) Creative application
A few years ago, I might not have made this such a priority. Back then, it was probably novel enough just being on the social web! But today, everyone has a blog. Everyone has a Facebook page. Are you devoting creative resources to these efforts to really stand out and deliver the goods for your customers? That is becoming increasingly difficult isn’t it?
6) Measurement aligned with goals
Repeat after me. “I will measure my marketing efforts.” In today’s data-filled world, there is no reason NOT to measure. It’s just this simple: How do you know your strategy is working if you don’t measure? Don’t get caught up in the endless ROI debate. Pick meaningful KPI’s that are helping to move the needle for your business objectives.
Well that’s my take on what it takes to make a social media strategy work. What’s your view? Which one of these is the most important to you?
Business icons courtesy BigStock.com
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