If you have failed at explaining social media strategy opportunities to executives who just do not get it, it is time to quit speaking CMO and social media speak to them.
CMO speak is not going to cut it.
In my social media strategy workshops, I translate social networks from CMO speak to real life situations executives understand. I have had people from multiple brands at multiple social media strategy workshops say these comparisons are very helpful in communicating to executives.
8 Social Media Strategy Comparisons
So, if you’re looking for a better way to explain social networks as part of your social media strategy, try these descriptions on for size:
Your company blog is like a campfire.
Multiple people tell scary, fun, exciting, emotional, and personal stories around a campfire. They don't tell boring stories about quality process improvements that are integral to driving best-in-class global satisfaction.
Facebook is like TV.
People spend extended time in front of the screen consuming content from a variety of sources. You need to program way more content than commercials, and increasingly, if a brand wants to get attention for its "commericals," it has to pay for exposure.
Twitter is like a networking event.
You wouldn't walk into a networking happy hour and just begin shouting a message to no one in particular. You find individuals and groups, start and join conversations, and demonstrate that you are happy to be there, actively listen to others, and respond to what they say.
LinkedIn is like a professional conference and trade show.
There are a lot of business professionals there and a wide variety of learning and networking experiences, including groups with comparable interests, job boards, trade show booths, seminars, learning materials, etc. Additionally, some people there act as if they know you even though you have never met them before.
YouTube is like a home movie.
It's informal and spontaneous. Sometimes there's a lot of talking and sometimes there isn't. It's okay that the movies are of varying quality. What matters is that you care about the people and the experiences shared in the movies.
Instagram is like a photo album from a wedding.
There are posed photos, candid photos, and behind the scenes photos. Some are dramatic; others are goofy, fun, heartfelt, and life changing. There are usually people depicted although some photos include buildings, scenery, and other inanimate objects.
Pinterest is like a teenage girl's bedroom.
It doesn't take too long looking at a teenager’s room to discover what she's interested in, whom she cares about, and the brands that matter to her. If she finds something visually interesting that she likes, it has a good shot at getting her attention and being passed along to her friends.
Google+ is like a rural area that's wired for high speed Internet that has fancy windmills and a highway running through it.
It's a wide-open space with lots of promise. New technology and other advances are going on and changing some things. It is definitely a unique environment, and lots of people are familiar with it because the highway takes them through the area whether they want to be there or not. Yet despite all that, there just aren't that many people to be found.
And one more . . .
Finally, at the Social Media Strategy Summit, a presenter was talking about how a war room environment allows you to “get your content up right away.” That prompted another comparison: a Social Media Command Center is like Social Media Viagra . . . just thinkin’. - Mike Brown
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