We all know better than our bosses. We always have and we always will. In fact, that should be up there with death and taxes as one of the great constants. This is especially true when it comes to the world of social media marketing. Many decision makers still do not understand the importance of social media in a marketing strategy. Even more annoyingly, they are not learning quickly enough.
So how do you make the decision makers understand the importance of social media?
Short answer: You don't!
Your boss doesn't need to understand the importance, they just need to know how it affects their already busy schedule. They need to see tangible figures which show a return on the time spent on your social media strategy. They need to see how your strategy impacts the bottom line. The rest is a distraction.
How do you go about this?
Don't say, "It will work," or ,"Other companies are doing it."
Do use cold hard figures to prove your point.
Before you start, decide which metrics you are going to be reporting on. You will use these figures to demonstrate that your strategy has been successful. Decision makers aren't interested in numbers of followers, retweets or likes. They are more interested in the number of sales converted from social media leads. If you can gather these figures before you start, brilliant. If you can't, then make sure the systems are in place so that you can report on conversions once you implement your social strategy.
Every modern strategy needs content. This is often a sticking point for businesses as at first glance it appears like it takes a lot of work. However, it doesn't need to be a big drain on resources.
How do you get a stream of new content?
Don't say you need new content every few days.
Do ask each person to write one article a month.
New content every few days sounds quite daunting. However, asking people to write one 500-word article a month sounds more achievable.
If you can utilize 10 people, then each one writing one article a month means you have new content every 3 days. That's a great rate of content for a business. If you only have 5 people to draw on, you will have a new piece every week. That's still a lot more than most businesses.
When you adopt this approach, you will find some people thrive with the writing once they start. They will probably produce more than one piece a month. Others will struggle and in that case there's no point pushing them. You'll only build resentment for your strategy which could undermine it later.
If people are struggling with ideas, visit sites such as Buzzsumo to find popular subjects for your industry or Quora to see the sorts of questions people ask. Create an outline for someone using this research. Three simple headings should be enough to get people started.
You will probably have to prove that your plan works before you can dedicate any resources to it.
So how do you action your master plan?
Don't block out chunks of time in your diary.
Do fit it in around your schedule.
The worst thing that could happen when you are starting off is for people to perceive that you are spending too much time "messing around on the internet" rather than doing your job. If the quality of your work in general declines due to the amount of time you are spending on your strategy, then you won't find much support when you want to continue.
To achieve this you need to fit the social media work around your existing schedule. I know this sounds unfair but it will be worth it in the long run. Use any free time in your day for your social work. If you want to place tasks in your diary, create a separate calendar which isn't shared with your colleagues.
Finally...
If you can prove a return on investment, any decision maker will back you. However, to expect them to take the leap of faith at the beginning is unfair. By following the advice above, you should be able to prove that your social media strategy is successful and more importantly, has potential for growth.
You will find it easier to be allocated resources for your strategy once you have proven its success. You can then move on to the next stage and integrate it into the overall marketing strategy which is your ultimate goal.