Splash, Then Ripples

Given the amount of information available on all of these networks, feeders, blog apps, widgets, etc. I think they are just overwhelmed and don’t know where or how to start. Even when they understand the WHY. They are willing to pay a consultant, but there are so many of us out here scrambling to open the eyes of Marketing Managers to entrepreneurs to CIOs to CMOs to CEOs, if given the opportunity.

Sometimes they feel they can try it on their own first and then they fail to make the most effective use of their time, (like the consultant who told me Twitter was useless and overwhelming for her, but had never heard of Tweetdeck . . . insert eyeroll here, hers!!) or they take a chance with someone who claimed to know what to do with Social Media and Networking just because they have been working in marketing for years.

These old media marketers then either denigrate, or otherwise minimize the potential success of an ongoing communications campaign that includes Social Media, or they promise the moon with it. Either way, expectations must be managed realistically, markets must be analyzed as well as the tools to use, and a strategy must be developed.

Then the tactics must be executed to further those objectives. That said many people just jump in and then go from there once they wade around a bit and assess the temperature of the water.

Here’s a quick checklist for businesses to consider:
1. Are their clients human at any level?
2. Are they individual consumers? Or do they only purchase products and services at work?
3. Are their clients online?
4. Do they want their clients to interact?
5. Are they willing to listen and not just post?
6. Are they willing to act as an information resource that covers an industry or even just a niche?
7. Are they willing to wait for results? How long?
8. What results do they expect?
9. Are they going to compare their results to those of others even if they are apples and oranges?
10. Are there specialty networks to address that they may not be aware of?
11. Do they realize that time is money, and if they don’t have money, they need to make the time?
12. And that if they don’t have the time now, do they think they will have MORE time later on when they will have to play catch up once all their competitors have established their brands within social media.

The list is endless . . .what questions would you ask?

This post was inspired by Chris Brogan’s post on the Social Media Life Raft.

I’ll save you the click, HERE’S HIS ORIGINAL POST . . .

Social Media Is Not a Life Raft

January 23, 2009 · 40 comments

US Airways Evacuation. When thinking about what social media is going to do for your business, please be wary of setting it up to be the salvation, the be-all, the life raft. It’s a set of tools, a strategy, and a handful of tactics. It’s not always appropriate. It’s not always the best thing in the world. But it’s not a guaranteed everything.

What we’re doing is changing how some of business communications are being done. And how? We’re looking for ways to rehumanize the web.

Sometimes, that’s not the goal. Sometimes, companies don’t need that service. As social media practitioners, make sure you’re thinking like this all the time. Ask yourself EVERY time whether this is the right fit. Though this isn’t surgery, we need to ask whether every diagnosis ends in an operation. Answer: no.

What’s the checklist for thinking about this? I’ve got my thoughts, but I want to hear yours. How about we think about that some more together? What do you think are the tell-tales for when a company might try social media and when not?