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Time and resources in social media
Everyone wants results from their involvement in social media. Then why do so few allocate time and resources to this initiative?
While many social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs) are free, I’ve been surprised by how many companies and organizations think their involvement in social media will therefore also be free–and effortless. When social media is done correctly, this is absolutely false.
While it can be as simple as the hiring of a new employee (or employees, in many cases these days), or getting each staff member to dedicate 15-20 minutes a day to responding to or writing blog posts, Twittering, or finding connections and answering questions on LinkedIn, social media takes continuous maintenance and involvement on your end to be successful.
Though organic in its nature, and not the type of company decision that should be strangled by rules, “musts,” or strict editorial process, your company’s social media involvement should, without question, revolve around some sort of loose plan. For instance:
- Put an editorial calendar in place for your blog so that contributors are held accountable and your blog is consistently fresh and relevant.
- Establish site moderators for your LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter presence. Ensuring that you are on these sites often—versus for long, extended periods of time—is the key.
- Be available and open to training your staff. Some employees may understand Facebook and be on it themselves, but not understand what value Facebook is bringing to your organization. Taking a half hour to explain this and ensure that your staff understands the goals for your company when it comes to Social Media will only increase your success.
- Be transparent in your overall purpose for getting involved in social media as well as the goals you hope to meet. Make it common knowledge what sites or social networking channels you have strategically decided to participate in. This can open your staff’s eyes to new ways to leverage the work they do each day.
- Finally, set up an easy way for results to be measured and reported. Be clear on who is responsible for aggregating the results from each different social media tool or site. Share these results and encourage your employees to research new findings.
Chris Brogan, took 60 seconds to validate the importance of allocating your resources to the social media initiative, especially in this economy.
I wonder why there is a lack of focus around the time and resources that are necessary to success for organizations using social media. Is it a misconception? Is it that decision makers underestimate the importance of time spent on these sites? As Chris mentions, if social media is going to become the new “core” why are so many hesitant or unaware of how important it is to allocate resources to it?
Categories Digital Media, Strategy and Management
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