Enterprise Social Media

You don’t need to be an ‘expert’ to succeed at corporate social media

Posted on 05. Dec, 2008 by mrubin in Corporate Blogs, Social Media, Social Media Tools

It’s sometimes hard to remember this, but corporate social media is still in its relative infancy.  I talk with many smart and well-meaning people at large companies who often say something like, “But we are only just get started.”  What I gently try to explain is that most companies are in the same boat.

And that’s ok.

Remember this post? Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang shared 10 social media strategies for the Fortune 1000 corporations:

1. Social Media is about people.
2. Communities are the goal, conversations are the verb.
3. Let go to gain more.
4. Measurement will be important.
5. Organize internally.
6. Risk of the unknown.
7. Social Media goes deep in the organization.
8. Social Media goes wide in the organization.
9. Social Media spans time.
10. Social Media is not magic nor voodoo.

Jeremiah shared this list in December 2006.  It could have been written in December 2008, because it’s just as valid today.

There are two lessons here:

1. For executives at big companies: don’t get stressed over whether or not you’re an expert.  There is a lot of good advice out there on how to get started, but the important thing is to start.  Even if it’s just monitoring conversations using Google Alerts, that’s a start.

2. For social media experts: let’s all take a deep breath and remember that we’re not the norm.  Share your expertise generously so others can learn from you.  And be patient.  It’s helpful to remember that social media is a tougher sell inside a larger organization, so things are going to move a tad bit slower.  But we’re all on the same side, and reaching to accomplish the same goals — to make things better for our customers, partners, colleagues, and families.

Tags: calm, corporate social media, no stress, peace

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