When most organizations step into social media the work usually begins with developing a plan. That plan will traditionally follow the structure of most typical strategies: define goals/objectives; determine what will constitute success and how will you measure it; and of course identify the tactical execution.
However, few companies begin their internal social media foundation with HOW social media will impact the organization, the brand and the people. The first question to ask might be not which tactics to use but -
- Are the people within your organization aligned with your social media strategy and do they understand how social media will impact the enterprise?
By people I mean those who actively participate in social media whether through interfacing directly in blogs or social networks AND those whose job now includes analyzing how to (or how not to) integrate the information from consumer generate conversations into product development, customer service, PR, etc. etc. etc.
I also mean your customers and stake holders. Is there a disconnect between your Twitter response time and your telephone customer support hold time? Social media adds dimensions to our business relationships that go beyond negative comments. Opening the enterprise door to social media impacts the entire organization from the way communication is handled to customer service to hiring decisions
7 Tips For Preparing An Organization for Social Media
1. Create cross functional teams
2. Identify impact on specific areas
3. Determine if the right communication processes are in place
4. Determine if employees have the right skills and experience
5. Consider if new job descriptions which include new evaluation criteria are needed.
6. Identify here does social media will reside. Don't discount that there maybe multiple “homes.”
7. Determine which department “owns” the customer relationship. This maybe the most critical and the answer might hold some surprises.
Social media will disrupt the way you do business .. but if you're prepared it can be a very good thing that helps not hinders the growth of your organization
