Comet Branding - Branding | PR | Social Media

No company left behind: 5 ways to seek social media help.

When did everyone get together to decide that it’s the thing to do to talk about social media at a post-graduate level? There appears to be an assumption out there that everyone already knows how Twitter actually works and that everyone is already proficient on Facebook and has populated their LinkedIn profiles to 100% completion.

Are you perpetuating the myth?

Despite all the social media seminars, workshops and bootcamps, there remains a massive contingent of people who continue to suffer in silence. As self-proclaimed gurus and experts wax lyrical about Foursquare and its life-changing possibilities, throngs of highly intelligent and successful business people sit nearby, nodding their heads complicitly while pretending to understand what the hell everyone is talking about.

At some point people assumed everyone was on the same page with this social media stuff. And you know the saying about what happens when you assume…

Not everyone wants to actually use social media for business – themselves

Here’s the thing: people have assumed that everyone actually wants to tweet or Facebook (when did that become a verb?) or play around with a Flip cam and some editing software. I don’t think they actually want to do it themselves at all. Those who are left behind either don’t have the time (haven’t made the time) or don’t plan to. Both options are reasonable.

You don’t have to get left behind

You may, in fact, want someone else to do it for you/your company. Like hiring one of those dog poop pick-up services for your yard. You know you could pick up a week’s worth of poop in one afternoon. You just don’t want to. But you’re hesitant to pay someone else to do it because you sort of feel like it’s your job as Fido’s master.

Okay, maybe not quite like that example.

I’m thinking maybe some people just don’t know what to ask for or whom to ask. Why not save you the hassle of having to go to yet another social media how-to presentation? Why not offer a free pass to skip the seminar altogether?

So here it is. Your free pass to ask someone else to do it for you.

Seek help from people who already know how

Here are five statements that you can use – at your convenience – to seek help with your company’s use of social media. If you must, practice saying them out loud to yourself in front of a mirror to get comfortable with the messaging before picking up the phone or sending the email.

1. I don’t want to have to figure out how to make Twitter work for <company name>. Please do it for me. I’ll pay you.

2. I know <insert name of company/employer> should be using social media. I know it needs to be strategic. Please work with me to figure it out.

3. Social media keeps changing. I don’t have the time to keep up. Please stay on top of the latest trends and tell us what to do to achieve our business goals.

4. I’m annoyed by how <competitor name> is using social media. I believe we can do it better. Please show me how.

5. I’m under a lot of pressure to prove ROI from my marketing/communications/public relations efforts. Please design a strategy that will drive measurable results and make me look like a rock star.

You can also come up with your own statements, if these don’t quite fit your particular situation. And feel free to give us a call here at Comet to practice them. We’d be happy to listen.

Tags: online communications, online strategies, outsourcing social media, social engagement, social media expert, social media seminar, Social Media strategy, strategic communications