Editorial Articles

Joe Chernov, VP of Content Marketing at Eloqua, explains how companies need to approach their social media strategies

“One person may be accountable for social media, but everyone in a company is responsible for it.”

This axiom drives my professional life. And so it should: in my company, I am accountable for social media, yet for me to succeed, I need others to assume some responsibility for participation. This is precisely why the chapter I contributed to The Social Media ProBook, an expert’s guide to social business, collaboratively written by 20 well known social media professionals, centered on operationalising social business throughout the organisation. The following is a look at some of the key ideas.

Step one: first, do no harm

Primum non nocere: first, do no harm. Surprisingly few companies realise that seemingly innocuous practices – like giving someone a prize for a product review – can lead to big trouble with government organisations. The US’s Federal Trade Commission has published strict guidelines prohibiting companies from deceiving consumers with paid testimonials spread over social channels. These requirements are echoed by the UK’s Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.

Social media leaders should conduct workshops for staff so everyone in the organisation understands what is expected when they participate in social marketing efforts. Legal departments too should play a role in creating a company’s social media policies – but be sure the policy is developed collaboratively with the marketing department. It’s important that policies are not so stringent that they discourage participation or make it unnecessarily difficult to create and distribute content.

Step two: marshal supporters

Because virtually every department is a beneficiary of the company’s social media efforts, it’s important that multiple departments are reflected in the company’s model. Start by creating a cross-functional team consisting of representatives from marketing, communications, product, support, human resources and sales. Each member of the team should be an advocate for their department’s particular objectives.

It’s essential to secure an executive champion for the initiative. At some companies the presence of an executive sponsor is required to get staff buy-in; at others, the executive sponsor is easier to secure if there’s already a groundswell. Decide what’s the best strategy at your company, but because social media is a horizontal channel, an executive sponsor is vital.

Step three: determine reasonable KPIs

You have to measure something bigger and more strategic than the number of Facebook fans or Twitter followers. Decide what success metrics you are structured (and funded) to measure, and then cross-check those against what is likely to satisfy your executive team. Following are some areas to consider monitoring: number of new leads captured via social media, lift in search rank for key terms, increase in awareness in the media (both traditional and social), improvement in customer satisfaction/retention, addition of new ideas for product development, and, of course, growth in revenue.

Establish departmental 'social media SLAs'

You’ve got staff trained. You’ve secured a senior sponsor. You’ve established a social business model that reflects stakeholder needs. You’ve listened and you’ve given. Now it’s time for the 'ask'.

If every department is a beneficiary of social engagement, then every department needs to play a role in organised participation. Without content and people, social media is a racecar with an empty fuel tank and no driver – not even Jeremy Clarkson could get it moving. Establish Service Level Agreements – or SLAs – with each department, and hold them accountable for their commitments.

Recalibrate in real time

Stop engineering. Get out there and participate. Be human. Be personal. Be engaged. And if something isn’t working, don’t reengineer your model. Recalibrate. Slight changes over time will keep your program moving forward. Inertia is your opponent; momentum is your ally. Being nimble enough to make real-time adjustments is the key to your long-term success.

Joe Chernov, VP Content Marketing, Eloqua