A Week For Getting Social
I was fortunate enough to be involved in two social media gatherings this week. First was the Wichita American Marketing Association’s “Social Anxiety: Social Media Meets Corporate Policy” seminar which dealt with the impact that social media is having on corporate culture, corporate policy and corporate law. Second, was breakfast with the editor of the Wichita Business Journal, which brought together a group of local social media enthusiasts for discussion related to achieving business objectives with social media. Two sides of the social media coin explored in the span of three days – my head is still spinning.
While the topics varied significantly, there was a constant takeaway from each. Whether you are developing a policy for addressing the many issues of social media use in the workplace or trying to generate more sales through marketing via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, you need to begin by assessing your organization’s objectives.
For instance, a social media policy can be designed to promote responsible use of social media tools, restrict the use of these tools, or a bit of both. The policy should flow from the relationship social media has to your organization’s objectives. Is your objective to empower employees to build relationships with existing and potential customers? Or, is your organization trying to protect proprietary technologies? Each of these objectives can impact policy related to how social media is to be used.
From the marketing side, companies that want to measure the effectiveness of social media need to start with measurable objectives, not tactics. Before asking, “Do I need a fan page for my business?” you should ask, “What are my overall objectives and measurable indicators of success?”
If you have the objective of increasing revenue by 5%, a measurable indicator that could lead to this outcome may be the number of leads that you generate. The more leads you generate, the greater the opportunity to close more sales and reach the growth goal. With lead generation as a measurable indicator, you can develop a strategy that includes using social media as a source for new leads.
Bottom line: as in all business endeavors, success comes from a strategy built around core objectives.
Discussions on these topics are continuing online and at upcoming events like Free State Social. You can join in the conversation by connecting with the following people on Twitter, each of whom were involved with one or both of this week’s gatherings: