A guide to overcoming today’s corporate phobias.

— Hunter S. Thompson

“For every moment of triumph,"for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.”

Crossroads are where "collisions happen

Part I

The only thing more popular than "using social media marketing "is questioning social media marketing.

And that's a good thing.

Companies know they should "use social media. They just don’t know how.

A recent survey of marketers’ "priorities for 2009 included:

o  Social media (68%)

o  E-mail marketing (60%)

o  Blogs (56%)

o  Online video (51%)

o  Microsites (43%)

Source: Junta42 e-mail survey, December 2008

But…

75 percent of marketers have "budgeted less than $100,000 "for social media efforts in ’09.

Source: “Social media outlay still small,” Adweek, March 16, 2009

Social media is forcing companies "to confront the difference between "what they say "and what they believe.

How companies should "see their customers:

Source: KOP on Flickr

How companies actually "see their customers:

How companies should "see their employees:

How companies actually "see their employees:

Social media is the ultimate reality check.

And usually, "reality’s not as bad as we think.

Confronting corporate fears.

Part II

The public will eat us alive.

Corporate Fear No. 1

The blunt answer: "

If so, they're doing it already. You're just not there to hear it. Or defend yourself.

The practical answer:"

Your critics aren't waiting for you to use social media.

Your customers are.

Client case study: "

Bloggers give Little Debbie a warm reception — and get some record traffic in return.

The idea: Send sample boxes to 50 mom bloggers, no strings attached.

Give away 3 identical boxes "to each blogger’s readers.

Source: Petroville.com

In just five weeks, Little Debbie’s "100 Calorie Snack outreach sparked:

o  98 posts on 71 blogs o  More than 5,000 reader comments o  830 new followers on Twitter

More importantly, it created a real and rewarding relationship "between Little Debbie and its audience.

We can’t trust our employees.

Corporate Fear No. 2

The blunt answer: "

Then why are you paying them?

The practical answer:"

If you trust someone to talk to your customers, you can trust them to use social media.

“Provide unique, individual perspectives on what's going on at Intel and in the world.”

“Post meaningful, respectful comments”

“Reply to comments quickly, when a response is appropriate.”

“Respect proprietary information and confidentiality.”

Intel encourages smart use of social media by empowering employees to:

The keys are:"

Training Flexibility Empowerment

We’ll lose control of our brand.

Corporate Fear No. 3

The blunt answer: "

You’re more likely to find out what your brand really is.

The practical answer:"

Social media is the ultimate way to prove your brand promise and make it a reality.

Launched in 2008, BrandTags.net asks users to describe companies with one word, then creates a “cloud” to show which words are used most. "

Client case study: "

How one destination uses social media to prove its brand promise on a global stage.

“We guarantee you a life enriching experience each and every time you visit Asheville. It's personal, personal to you. And it is also personal to us.”

Asheville’s social-powered "Five Day Weekend campaign sparked the nation to question today’s work-life balance.

If we screw up, "it’ll haunt us on the Web forever.

Corporate Fear No. 4

The blunt answer: "

That’s called accountability.

The practical answer:"

True, the Web has a long memory. But it's never too late to improve.

Comcast, Dell and Wal-Mart have each used social media to recover from embarrassing missteps and become role models for other companies.

Our audience doesn’t use "social media.

Corporate Fear No. 5

The blunt answer:

Then your audience must be deceased.

The practical answer:"

Every generation is embracing social media, but not in the same ways.

Nearly a third of Facebook’s users are between 35 and 55.

There are more than "2 million users over the age 55

Source: Facebook, March 2009

We don’t have the time or staffing for social media.

Corporate Fear No. 6

The blunt answer: "

Then start small and let the work prove its own value.

The practical answer:"

It takes less time than "you’d think. Soon, it’s just "part of your daily life.

Social media is just a communication tool.

As with radios, televisions and phones, "you can’t adapt without trying it out.

We can’t predict the ROI.

Corporate Fear No. 7

The blunt answer:

You can’t predict the return on an investment you don’t make.

The practical answer:"

Social media is one of the most measurable marketing tools in existence. You just have to decide what to measure.

HP’s “31 Days of the Dragon”

o  Gave laptops to 31 bloggers o  Laptops then given away to readers o  84% increase in HDX Dragon sales o  10% increase in overall PC sales

Source: The Viral Garden, Sept. 29, 2008

In December 2008, "Dell estimated it had made "$1 million in sales thanks to Twitter.

Blog posts Reader comments Twitter mentions Twitter followers Facebook fans Links RSS subscribers Google trends Alexa rankings Search results Nielsen BuzzMetrics

Inbound traffic Clickthroughs Video views Channel subscribers Video embeds SlideShare views Tags Diggs Stumbles App downloads Podcast subscribers

What else can be measured?

If you can learn what’s important "to your customers, you can learn what’s important "to your business.

Thanks for your time.

david.griner@luckie.com

Twitter.com/griner

TheSocialPath.com

Slideshare.net/Griner