I’m glad you found the post useful and great question.

To be honest, most big corporations understand the high level uses of Social Media. They understand that a conversation is taking place out there and there is a major untapped opportunity for them to help group their brand through Social Media channels. The problem is they really don’t understand where to begin or where their company fits into the Social Media world. This is where my group comes in on a mission to inform and educate. Our goal is to first understand the business and what they would like to achieve through Social Media (ex. increase brand awareness, drive sales etc.). Then it is vital for us to understand other marketing activities that can be leverage to support our online/social media initiatives. After the data gathering/discovery process is complete it is my teams job to prepare a well mapped out Social Media plan that is complete with objectives, tactics and reporting. Once we present this to the client, it quickly becomes very clear how Social Media can impact their business objectives. If not, it is our job to continue the education process. In my mind we educate about Social Media rather than selling Social Media.

Regarding the legal issue and how big firms with strict regulations can get started in Social Media. (PS – I get this question ever time I speak on Social Media.) This is a very common issue especially in certain industries that have very diligent legal process. If this is truly the case then I strongly recommend that marketing managers start with simply using Social Media as a source of Online Public Relations or brand monitoring. Most firms do not have strict regulations regarding these two disciplines, thus providing marketing managers valuable insight about their brand, product etc. Online PR is also a great brand building tool and search engine optimization (SEO) tool that I strongly feel is underutilized by most firms. Once managers understand how valuable Social Media can be to their marketing efforts, they generally request additional services thus creating an organic internal culture shift.

If questions regarding specific tactics arise, you can always contact a firm such as Spyder Trap Online Marketing to help identify how you and your firm can get started in Social Media.

I hope this helps. Thanks again for the comment.

Mike

How would you sell social media to corporations that typically do not use it because it’s not considered an accepted practice and there are too many legal ramifications?

Thanks for the great comment. I could not agree more that not responding is truly a major downfall in most social media plans. Whether constrained by legal departments or short on staff it is crucial for firms to prioritize and focus on areas that will display the greatest results. When out speaking I always try to stress how Twitter is such a great Social Media/online marketing tool that allows you to do so many things such as connect with people you would otherwise never meet. Its incredible how much you can learn whether an individual or a fortune 500 company when you simply sit back and listen to what people are saying about your brand/product/industry/competition etc. Very cool!

Thanks again for the post.

Mike