DISQUS

Michael Gass · 1 year ago

Jason, another excellent, practical posts. I've already "Twittered" it and forwarded your link to my clients to spread through their offices. I always gain from your posts. Thanks for sharing.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

An sharing it with others is all the thanks I need. Much appreciated.

genieyclo · 1 year ago

Very good tips. I've found the last one on solve problems is really good, brings anyone on board.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Thanks for saying so.

KathyElkins · 1 year ago

Very helpful post. I'm struggling with this exact issue. My biggest hurdle is my husband (we own a biz together). It's slow going, but I'm making progress. I'm going to bookmark this post and come back to it on the days when I'm feeling like I'm losing the battle. Thanks!

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

That might be the best compliment I've seen in a while -- coming back when you need a lift. Glad to provide the inspiration. Good luck and keep battling.

Len Kendal · 1 year ago

I never even thought about the impact of RSS on my daily life but you're absolutely right. I find that when I'm talking about current events with coworkers I generally am aware of news much further in advance. I used Snackr to scroll my RSS feeds and essentially lets me tune in when I wish. Great post and something that I will certainly have to reference as rationale in the future.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Thanks Len. I appreciate the encouragement.

Jodi · 1 year ago

Great post. Good, usable information. It is sometimes hard to explain benefits, but showing benefits produces buy-in. Thanks for the tips, Jason!

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

You're welcome. Thanks for reading!

AdamSinger · 1 year ago

Great tips Jason, as usual.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Thanks Adam. Here's hoping I continue to live up to expectations. Heh.

Geoff Livingston · 1 year ago

A much needed post! Thanks for writing this Jason. Individuals need to read posts like this.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Honored you'd say so, Geoff. Thanks for commenting. In a lot of ways, you're my hero, dude. Keep fighting the good fight. I'll do the same.

Alanna Kellogg · 1 year ago

The very best example of social media in the workplace I've seen is this: for months, I experienced publishing issues between the Blogger platform and my host, Network Solutions. I was so frustrated, getting nowhere, posting note after note on the Blogger No-Help Forum. Then one day out of the blue, my phone rang, it was Gerry Rosso from Network Solutions who'd seen my postings on the Forum. Within a couple of days, with his escalation, Network Solutions figured out how to solve the problem ongoing, not just for me but for all NetSol customers using the Blogger platform. Amazing.

A nice little twist is that NetSol's new CEO is a former client of mine, so Gerry's success with social media got very high-profile exposure. And here I am, STILL singing the praises of Network Solutions ...

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Great example, Alanna. Thanks for sharing. I've had the honor of knowing and working a bit with Sashi Bellamkonda from Network Solutions. I have a lot of respect for what they do and the changes they've made to keep up with the social times. Thanks for sharing.

imseekingbalance · 1 year ago

"Show the administrative assistant how to search for company mentions and print them off for the boss and you’ll find yourself getting recommendations from the most influential person in the C-Suite."

*snicker* Why is that even standard procedure these days? I'm not arguing with you; that is exactly the course of action for most CEOs it would seem... surely with all these social media tools there is an easier way to get them to look in.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Hey Michelle! Until the web-savvy generation is the C-Suite folks, we're kinda stuck with the secretary route. But that's not always bad. At least we have a route! Thanks for the comment.

Leah · 1 year ago

Great post! I'm in the situation where I'm the only one at my company who understands the point of social media, so it's been an uphill battle to get people to sign on. Luckily, my immediate boss realizes that it's a brand new way to market the company and build up our "ecosystem," so he lets me experiment, and our CEO (it's a small company) comes to me to ask me to explain it to him. There's hope yet!

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Good for you, Leah. Keep it up and change their minds (and worlds)! You go.

igorthetroll · 1 year ago

Getting information of the Internet about your company is good but may not always be relevant. Your company has a website, right! You can get a lot of information as to what pages are being looked at and what search results land people on these pages.

Use a good analytics software to measure what your customers are actually interested in. Now compare that with the noise of Social Media.

This is SEO + SM = SMO

Jason, keep up the good work

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Ah Igor. Nice to see you on the blog, my friend. Appreciate the comment!

Kipp Bodnar · 1 year ago

Jason,

Thanks for writing this post, it is one that needed to be written. I feel like you and I have had similar experiences since we are dealing with social media in traditional agencies. I would add that some clients are still very unsure of social media and that you have to show them the value by taking the time to sit down with them and really walk them through. This is even the case with something as simple as Google Docs.

I would also add a 7th tip to this list: Social Media Is free!

At least in traditional agencies, folks are used to services being expensive. If you can solve a problem that some has using a free application, you become an instant hero. Everyone should talk to the PR team they work with and tell them to sign up for Peter Shankman's HelpAReporter.com for free and stop paying for ProfNet. It is amazing the respect that comes from helping someone save $2,000.

Thanks!
Kipp

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Kindred spirits we are, Kipp. Thanks for the comment and the added 7th. Agreed!

Joe Dawson · 1 year ago

Great post I will make sure to distribute this in the knowledge that I am a champion :)

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Atta boy!

Deb Kolaras · 1 year ago

Great ideas and the perfect opportunity for companies to create "brown bag" sessions so everyone's on the same page. When people understand the purpose, they're more likely to champion for you, so it's not such an uphill climb.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

What a great idea, Deb. I like it. May use it at Doe.

CraigK · 1 year ago

Excellent tips and I agree that those involved with social media should be proactive with speaking to co-workers and friends about social media and the tools and how it can benefit their network and lead to a company's success.

Craig
www.budgetpulse.com

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Thanks for the continued commenting, Craig. You're going to get the loyal customer award, I think.

Lisa Hoffmann · 1 year ago

Best tip here in my mind: 'Solve business problems with social media tools." Not only does this provide solid proof of SM's effectiveness, it also forces you to think of new ways to solve problems through social media.

I would add: don't look down on people who don't yet use or understand social media tools. If you're patient and respectful you'll get much further with people. And they will love you for introducing them to these powerful tools. They are intimidating for some.

Thanks for getting us thinking about this, Jason.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Bravo, Lisa. Having the right attitude with others is key to winning their approval and confidence. Great add!

KatFrench · 1 year ago

Jason - I just read an article today on "NASCAR blindness, " and I think there's more than a bit of this at work in companies still being resistant to social media.

Oh, and as to your comment about Executive Assistants? Guess what I was doing 7+ years ago? ;-)

Sometimes, a smart, savvy assistant can parlay those skills into a new career where they get to be more than Q to the CEO's James Bond, trying to teach him how to use those newfangled gadgets without blowing something up...

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Are you implying you're serving that role for me? Come on! Heh.

KatFrench · 1 year ago

LOL. No, Jason. You, I let figure out all this stuff on your own. The potential entertainment value if you were to actually blow something up is too great. ;-)

Erin McMahon · 1 year ago

This would fall under 3 I guess- I think that champions can have ambassadors. If there is a particular member of your leadership who 'gets it' (or is closer to it), spend a little extra time doing the rest of 1-6 with that person and let her/him do some evangelizing for you in the circles where s/he has pull. :)

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Excellent point. Getting top-level buy in from someone, anyone, is a big step in the right direction. Thanks, E.

CortneySellers · 1 year ago

Jason,

Another post on point from you. Another thing I've found when introducing people to SM is to explain that it can be daunting, but the tools can all be used in various configurations and that what works for you may not be effective for them. Introduce them to some basic tools and their benefits and let them slowly get emmersed. It will come in time and they may even find a new use for a few tools you use daily and when they discover it - they'll share!

Cortney

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Great input, Cortney. The tools can certainly be overwhelming. I have to keep reminding myself that baby steps for me are leaps for a lot. Good reminder.

heatherrast · 1 year ago

I'm tickled pink that you chose my suggestion out of what was likely a lot of good ideas from worthy candidates..thanks for that. You took the issue I Tweeted and presented a set of solutions in very practical, actionable, applicable ways. Really wish I'd thought of that :-) Straightforward suggestions to what's likely a pervasive challenge.

I'll suggest that #5 is particularly important. It's my style to plow trails when no posted warnings exist, whether The Man thought the cliffs (dangers) obvious or simply never anticipated the curious and brazen would travel there. That comes with inherent risk and reward that must be weighed.

And as you suggest, Jason, cultures and mindsets *can* change. Whether because you've subtly helped them "see the light" or because clients and/or competitors are stirring the pot. I'm looking at several opportunities to help others traverse the SM universe, and very excited to be a guide.

Last, a sincere and heartfelt thanks for your cap-tip. I'm a southerner and am drawn to your charm, humor, and wit...your insight and style are the icing on top. For you to dig my writing and thoughts is thrilling...for you to recommend my work is a testament to the soul of social media, and yours. Thank you.

PS- hope you don't mind, posted your, well, post on the BusinessWeek Exchange here: http://bx.businessweek.com/social-media-marketing/

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Kind words from a kind woman. Thank you. And I never mind my readers pimpin' my stuff. Thank you.

As for the recommendation at the end - I meant every word of it. Hope you get some new audience members as a result.

Beth Harte · 1 year ago

First, thanks for giving props to Heather Rast, she is more than deserving and a very smart lady indeed! Second, this is a great list and I hope a lot of folks pass it around internally. I've tried my hand at number 6 a few times and feedback to a question on Twitter has often times been shrugged off. I think it's going to take a bit more work,, time and show & tell for non-SM types to take these very valuable tools seriously. But we'll get there eventually. :)

chelpixie · 1 year ago

On violating the company rules, I'm sure you've been following the story of Bob over on Chris Brogan's blog. Sadly there are still people who are very strict practice and avoiding doing anything outside the rules.

I second if you can show your boss just how valuable the tools are, he's more likely to follow you down the social media path. More likely but not always. Sadly for Bob.

jptrenn · 1 year ago

To help pay for my son's future college tuition, a couple nights a week I work at a local restaurant here in Northern Virginia. Called Cafe Deluxe. It's a small chain, with three locations - one in DC, one in suburban Maryland, one it high tech Tysons Corner. With the economy slowing, business has tailed off quite a bit. The upper management has tried low-level tactics to bring in more traffic. (Some restaurants resist active marketing plans because of ego). But then the general manager at my location solicited ideas from the staff for marketing ideas. I was at the ready. : )

I'm submitting a proposal to do a blogger outreach program with a bit of a twist - I'll probably be blogging about that on my own blog. But what I did was conduct searches on Technorati, Google Blog Search, and Twitter to see what people have been saying about us. The results were very helpful...and they're part of my proposal.

Just this past weekend a young women blogged that her co-workers were taking her to Cafe Deluxe for her birthday, and she asked for recommendations on what to eat. The first response of about 10 came from another young lady who made some glowing recommendations. I then hopped over to her blog and found that her latest post had 207 comments. Granted, the post wasn't about Cafe Deluxe, but it shows she's got game as a blogger. Both of them are on my list to send out gift cards to.

My point? Check out what's currently being said online about your organization. Who is saying it, what are they saying, where are they saying it. Tell your superiors how often things are being said, if what is being said is positive or negative, and, if possible, show them how the conversations can spread beyond one post or one review or one tweet.

You'll have hands on info on the scuttlebutt that they had no idea that existed. You can even make recommendations on what to do next. AT this point you may have not only positioned yourself as a doer and as one who is leading the effort...you may have changed the internal dynamics of how the conversation goes from "what do we care about social media?" or even "what the hell is social media" to "we'd better get are act together here and do something NOW".

Wish me luck on my proposal.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

A) You kick ass.
B) Good luck.
C) Report Back.

This is awesome, J.

awhite130 · 1 year ago

Great post, Jason! For companies wanting a "private twitter" app for internal collaboration, Presently is great. I work at New Age Technologies and we've seen wide adoption, better communication, and much success with it. Check it out @ https://presentlyapp.com/

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Good recommendation, Ashley. Thanks for the point. I haven't checked it out yet, but will soon. Appreciate the tip.

Nicoletta · 1 year ago

That's great! Yesterday I posted about the fact that many Italian companies are going to forbid access to facebook and other social media to their employees, as they can't understand the importance of social media. I wondered how to convince managers about benefits of using social media. This is a really great reply to my doubts!
Nicoletta

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Nicoletta, we've had similar push back from companies in the states. The ones that get involved with conversations and see that actually communicating directly with consumers realize there's little to fear and that which is bad can be handled my smart communicators. Good luck making those arguments. And if you want us to discuss and expose some of those hard-line companies, we don't shy away from criticisms here at SME. Heh.

Gdub · 1 year ago

After reading this post I realized that I already do these things. I am a prodigy. ;-)

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Good on you, G-dub!

Axel Schultze · 1 year ago

Well done Jason. Fired up a set of cool feedbacks. I'd like to put this in my new book - let me know what you think.

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

So long as you cite accurately, you can use whatever you like from me. Thanks!

John · 1 year ago

Jason, great article. I speak quite often to clients about this every subject from an HR/Recruiting prespective. Your insight is spot on.