Despite all the hype (positive and otherwise) about social media, believe it or not, a lot of companies are still not crazy about it. Paying for the services of a social media agency is still not a top marketing priority for many businesses. For starters, a lot of corporate folks still have no clear understanding of what social media is, how it works and why the heck a social media agency will be vital to their marketing success.
Having a shared vision is vital for any business goal to succeed. If you want to start the social media revolution in your workplace, here are five expert tips, courtesy of the Social Media Examiner.
1. Take the lead. A great idea needs a great leader for it to flourish. Don’t just shove it down their throats. Hiring a social media agency should be a willingly accepted decision from all departments in your company. If you know it’s good for business, take the reins. Being the leader does not mean that you do everything. It only means that you are the chief coordinator, motivator and filter. While social media should be a company effort, if there are too many “leaders,” the social media message will be distorted and the campaign will eventually fail.
2. Educate through an event. Get them into the social media spirit through a fun, innovative or quirky event. For example, ask your employees to write blog articles. Create a company Facebook page and suggest that they “Like” it. You can even give them incentives for it. You can also try Google Hangouts. If you have a social media agency in mind, invite them over for an informal social media summit. Education is the way to go.
3. Implement an action plan. Start with small, relatively easy projects. Make it fun and collaborative. And make sure to emphasize how the results of those actions contribute to the attainment of your company’s marketing goals. This way, they will feel motivated to do more. You can also use this opportunity to partner them up with your social media agency so that their actions are more guided.
4. Start a social media newsletter. This can be assigned to your social media agency partner (like we said earlier, you don’t have to and you can’t do everything). The newsletter can talk about special mentions for exceptionally well-written blog posts from employees, progress from social media/blogging efforts and leads and sales that were a direct result of social media efforts. You can also include positive feedback from your social media accounts like Facebook. A newsletter is also a great way to encourage communication among your co-workers.
5. Continue training and education. Education is a continuous process. As social media is dynamic, your company should also be able to adapt to the changes. For example, make sure your co-workers have the basic idea of how to produce a simple video given the popularity of video marketing. Your team will certainly appreciate the chance to acquire a new skill. Have your social media agency teach them the skills. This way, they will look at one another as partners towards a common goal.