I work directly with senior level executives on their communications programs. On a telephone conference call with two VPs, I suggested that as a part of their thought leadership program either one or both of them should be social networking (by setting up a blog, commenting on trade magazine blogs, creating a Facebook profile, joining linked in, etc.). It’s a relatively small investment of their time and can lead to some great interactive conversations.
As expected, the suggestion was met with resistance. The first question from the executives is always, “Why should we be blogging and how are we going to reach C-level decision makers and other professionals to sell our programs?” It’s a valid question. After answering this question numerous times for other senior level executives I felt confident about my answer. I explained, “Blogging and social networking are about conversations and it’s a great way to reveal your expertise and thought leadership. As you network in communities, you will come across C-level and senior level executives because they are out there having conversations, with or without you. You definitely won’t be pitching anyone through a blog because that’s not what blogging is about. However, you will have interesting, in-depth conversations with people who share like interests, which can lead to relationships. Let’s face it – the best relationships can turn into business for your company. Blogging is also a great way to reach the influencers, those bloggers who have captured the attention of many people who may be interested in what you have to say. You can reach people that you may not have been able to reach before.
Sometimes I think business professionals should just take the leap leaving all of their questions and concerns in the back of their minds. If they would just experiment with different social media applications that made sense in their PR programs, they would realize the benefits of blogging and social networking a lot quicker. And, chances are if they searched right now on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc., they would see their competitors having conversations and building relationships. Unfortunately, if you ignore the blogosphere and disregard the conversations, then you do this at your own risk.
Nice post. I’d agree that missing out on the social media (SM) conversation can potentially weaken a business, increasingly as time goes on and usage of SM grows.
It can be time-consuming to be involved in this form of communication. Do you think it’s worth highlighting that upfront? For instance keeping a corporate blog going can take a considerable amount of regular resource (something particularly scarce at the C-level).
Do you think it can help to tie this effort to tangible business rewards? For instance, a corporate blog leading to an increase in overall site visibility in search can have a directly positive effect on sales. Do these kind of arguments carry any weight?
Great feedback. Thanks for commenting. I think that executives need to know that blogging is time consuming however, we all know that’s what it takes to build the best relationships and earn trust. After all, C-level execs can’t hide behind a moniker anymore. Look at the “Dell Hell” example. I think the more a brand is willing to take a position, share it’s voice, show some perspective and be humanized through its executives, the more likely its customers and prospects will trust the brand itself. In addition, blogging can definitely lead to overall site visibility as the blog comments will be picked up by the search engines and can also be tracked by sites like Technorati. I think this argument does carry weight and foreward thinking companies are realizing that the time spent blogging and social networking is worth the time invested.
The Obama campaign will be a case history that will lead to more social media. His use of the Internet us just incredible. He has almost a quarter million contributors for a total of more than $32 million. I get an email message from someone on his team daily and his later tool for contributors is to link them together using opt-in messaging. Who will write the book on how he used social media to drive his contributions?
Robert, you’re right, Obama has done an great job using using social to drive his campaign. That would be a very informative and useful book.