Making a Connection

Getting buy-in from fellow staff members over online strategy can be a hard job, and one that shouldn't be underestimated. You may think that you have seen the light and know the future direction for the company's social media endeavours, but if the rest of the company don't understand why you're doing this work then it's a lonely furrow to plough, and one that's more likely to fail.

And that means talking on a level that they understand. That doesn't mean talking down to people; it means talking in everyday language about where they'll see the results of your work and what they can do to find out more (whether it's subscribing to a Facebook, YouTube or Flickr channel, going to the company's website, or even encouraging their children or grandchildren to sign up).

I recently did a 15 minute presentation to a group of the museum's staff, ranging from the second-in-command of the whole shebang down to the cleaners and security guards. Despite its brevity it was a tough gig with a huge variance in knowledge, but I feel they came away with an understanding on why social media isn't just about what I do, but also how what they do can impact on the company (think the Comcast guy). Sites like Tripadvisor means I had to get them on-board.

I publicly apologised during one of the presentations though, as I used the term "SEO". I stopped, said sorry and explained it in everyday terms. It was absent-minded of me to say the term, but if we as marketers are to succeed then we can't use those terms - the layman isn't going to understand.

So remember to pitch the presentation at the right level, and don't be afraid to explain terms, go back over something, and apologise if you say something that they simply won't know. It's better to embarrass yourself in front of 50 people than the company embarrass itself in front of thousands or millions further down the line.

Labels: ethos, media, social, tripadvisor