Posts Tagged ‘social media strategy’

• A staff member is excited about social media…but the boss thinks they’re ridiculous and don’t jive with the company’s brand strategy.
• A PR effort has begun…but crucial players/interviewees disdain Web-based journalism and think journalists are covering the wrong story.
• An in-house B2B program has launched…but the sales team constantly resists, drags their feet, and refuses to get on board.

These are just three examples of ways in which lack of buy-in can undermine marketing efforts.  Sometimes the effects are just annoying and mosquito-like, but other times they can sabotage a business’ long-term potential for success.  And recently, I’ve seen several marketing programs falter, even fail, due to inconsistent buy-in across organizations.

What do I mean by buy-in? For the purposes of this discussion, I’ll define buy-in as support for a particular program or practice within an organization.  Buy-in is not always enthusiasm; it can be expressed by diverting manpower or dollars to a process.  In a perfect world, buy-in would mean that a project was really supported on all levels of an organization and given adequate resources and respect at all times.  Sadly, though, this is usually not the case, and achieving buy-in can be like a battle for hearts and minds.

So, how much buy-in do you need, anyway, to help a new program or mentality succeed? The answer will vary widely depending on the organization, the number of responsible parties, and the extent to which responsibility (or blame) has been spread across an organization.  Usually, it’s good to establish a point person with a high level of enthusiasm for the project who has, ahead of time, spent some time thinking about why the program is a good idea and why it deserves the company’s buy-in.  This point person can then identify allies and enthusiastic or competent parties throughout the organization as they implement the new plan.

The problem with the one-person, one point of enthusiasm strategy is that if that person moves on or messes up, the blame can only go in one direction, often preventing the “failure” from becoming a learning experience.  To counter this, it’s often a good idea to make the planning process an inclusive one, even if that means much convincing has to go on up-front.  Bringing in the dreaded consultant can also help with buy-in…having someone on hand to ask the right questions, sculpt a strategy that makes sense based on an org’s current priorities and resources, and investing money up-front for that clarity can create a sense of buy-in from the start.

Let me put it bluntly:  no matter how good your plan, results are the best way to get buy-in.  It’s often more effective to do a small, successful pilot program before securing the big bucks to follow your dream. Think of carrots, not sticks.  How can this program directly benefit a certain department or decision-maker?  Whose blessing is most important?

Sadly, there will always be people who resist change.  The key is not necessarily to convert these people right away, but to balance sensitivity to their perspective with a very well-justified plan (or, even better, one that speaks their language — numbers if they’re a numbers person, pretty pictures if graphs speak to them, etc.).  A bit of assessment and planning up front (yes, that would be Erin encouraging you to shy away from reactive thinking and decision-making again) can help you create buy-in for the long term. –Erin

You’ve heard about the 90/10 rule, right (or the 80/20 rule or the 96/4 rule or one of its many incarnations)?  In Jack Humphrey’s excellent blog post on Twitter networking, he lays out the 90/10 rule so:

90% of what you share on Twitter should be made up of personal insights and thoughts along with a heavy dose of helpful links, while 10% should be made up of messages that more directly benefit you.

By keeping your “buy from/benefit/look at me” Tweets to 10% or less of your total content, you don’t lower your skeeze factor…you create a great opportunity to use your social networks to promote others.  and isn’t community what it’s all about?  Here are 10 easy ways to share the social media love:

Join the conversation:  Social media is no fun when it’s one-sided.  So get active and start conversing with your community!  Just engaging in conversation is a great way to attract attention to the worthy causes and businesses of others.

Retweet:  RTs are a great way to point your network to people you know and love.  So find relevant tweets, and pass them on!

Attribute:  Nobody likes to pass on an insight or link, only to be disregarded when it comes to attribution.  So take the time to link to the blog, Facebook page, or Twitter handle of the person or company you’re citing.

Interview:  Ask your favorite colleagues and connections for a quick interview on your blog, website, or newsletter…and remember to include their contact information.

Guest spot:  Better yet, invite contacts you love to guest blog, sharing their insights and expertise in their own words.  They just might ask you to return the favor (and at the very least will drive traffic and goodwill your way).

Follow Friday:  The #ff tag is de rigueur on Twitter these days, and for good reason:  you can generate tons of goodwill by taking just a few seconds to identify follow-worthy friends to your Twitter tribe.

Recommend:  Take a few moments to give a concise, eloquent LinkedIn recommendation or Yelp review to colleagues and service providers who have impressed you.

Star and save:  Like someone’s blog post?  Take a second and star it on Google Reader or save to your de.licio.us account.  Your recommendation will doubtless drive a bit of traffic their way.

Share plans:  Do you plan to attend a colleague’s new networking meeting or seminar?  Publicize your plans to attend and share links where applicable.  There’s nothing like showing up to an event your friends and connections have helped make successful.

Follow through:  It can be tempting to treat backscratching and cross-promotion as a short-term gig.  But remember…consistency is the enemy of mediocrity.  Follow through on your commitments and consistently promote others.  You’ll get a great feeling in addition to those elusive brownie points.