By Barry Libert at Business Insider:
Pitfall #1: Running your company's social network like a traditional businessIf you want to run a social company, you first need to understand that almost everything you do is a two-way street.
That is to say, you're not going to prosper if your products and services are designed solely by folks on the inside. You need to embrace the perspectives and contributions of your employees, as well as those of customers and partners.
Pitfall #2: Underinvesting in social initiatives and abandoning them too soonUnderstand that a Social Nation is organic—it won't materialize with a proverbial snap of the fingers. Early on, you'll need to invest a good deal of time, thought, and money in attracting fans and followers—and your efforts will need to be sustained.
Only after you've built a firm foundation will your social network begin to sustain itself through participant contribution and recommendation.
In general, successful strategies include posting quality content that people want to consume, letting customers tell their stories and post their grievances, and then responding to their criticisms. Also, make sure that prospects are able to learn about your business through customer and employee testimonials. Lastly, remember that using multiple approaches—for example, a blog, Facebook profile, and interactive website—will reach more people.
Pitfall #3: Neglecting to find ways to encourage and inspire your company's social followers and fansWhen you stop to think about it, you'll realize that your fans and followers are essentially volunteering their time and energy to serve as developers, sounding boards, and advertisements for your company.
So for goodness' sake, respect what they have to say and take their input to heart!
Pitfall #4: Relying on a "build-it-and-they-will-come" mentalityUmmm...you don't really think that launching a new website and firing off posts at various online networking hotspots will bring fans and followers flocking, do you? Of course not!
To some extent—usually a large one—you'll need to purposefully reach out to potential community members and make it worth their while to accept your invitation.
"Rolling out a community and just expecting people to join as friends or followers is a flawed philosophy," confirms Libert. "Marketing 101 principles still apply. That means you need compelling incentives to have people join your community. You also need an aggressive programming strategy, one that includes defining your key audiences and targeting them through all available channels, to ensure that they know that you want to build a relationship with them."
Pitfall #5: Delaying the process of going socialContrary to what you may wish, your company doesn't have the luxury of waiting until it's "convenient" to go social. Why?
Well, you have competitors, right? And if you don't start gathering loyal followers and fans now, there's a good chance that some other company will woo them first.
One of the best strategies for going social as quickly and effectively as possible is to designate employees and subject matter experts to act as community success managers focused on fostering community growth and member satisfaction. Separate from your sales and support teams, these community leaders should have the ability to advise members of the community on how to best participate with the company and with each other. If you do things well, you'll find that they'll generally serve as internal and external advocates for others in your organization—be it employees, partners, or customers.
Pitfall #6: Underestimating the power of a social network
Pitfall #7: Neglecting employees, partners, investors, or customers when building your social networkYes, set up a "focus group" of employees to serve as community leaders who will shepherd your company into the social networking world, but don't put all of the power in their hands.
Social Nations are organic organizations, so the more people who are empowered to influence yours, the better.
"You'll find that leaders will emerge from your community population—whether they are employees, partners, customers, or prospects," promises Libert. "Future leaders will come from places you never expected. Empower every member of your community with the resources they need, then listen and be responsive to their insights, needs, and ideas. Oh, and here's a bonus: by doing this, you'll reduce support costs since community members can help each other!"
Pitfall #8: Relying on traditional approaches when designing your social media networkA decade ago, you probably would have been horrified at the thought of releasing ideas and products into the hands of your customers before they were as complete as you could get them.
With social networking, that monolithic approach is now becoming obsolete.
Pitfall #9: Developing your own social software and analytics solutionsYou wouldn't dream of placing "remodeling the office" or "handling legal issues" in the Do It Yourself category, would you? Not too many would.
Instead, you'd hire someone skilled in those areas. Do yourself a favor and use the same strategy when it comes to building your own Social Nation.
"Do what you do best and outsource the software and community building to the experts," advises Libert. "Various vendors provide ready-made, complete solutions to help you build your fans, followers, and friends. Remember, Facebook and Twitter encourage fans and friends to advance their businesses, not yours. Consequently, although you should leverage the communities they have built, you need to create your own community to ensure your long-term success."
Pitfall #10: Getting caught without partners to help you succeedLibert has alluded to this one before, but it bears specific emphasis: make sure that you truly treat your community members as partners, not just as fans or numbers.
Yes, integrating into the social web (Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks) is key to your company's future success, but being connected to the social web is only a part of what you need to do. Shifting your business strategically, culturally, and operationally are key components to the equation.
Essentially, that means creating a community for the people who matter most in making your business thrive—a place that is all theirs and that is connected to your brand. Remember, your constituents want to connect with like-minded peers, and they want to feel as though they are contributing to a purpose that's bigger than themselves. Given that they are buying products and services from you, investing in your company, and working for your organization, providing them with a community they can call their own is the least you can do for them.
Pitfall #1: Running your company's social network like a traditional businessThat is to say, you're not going to prosper if your products and services are designed solely by folks on the inside. You need to embrace the perspectives and contributions of your employees, as well as those of customers and partners.
Pitfall #2: Underinvesting in social initiatives and abandoning them too soonOnly after you've built a firm foundation will your social network begin to sustain itself through participant contribution and recommendation.
In general, successful strategies include posting quality content that people want to consume, letting customers tell their stories and post their grievances, and then responding to their criticisms. Also, make sure that prospects are able to learn about your business through customer and employee testimonials. Lastly, remember that using multiple approaches—for example, a blog, Facebook profile, and interactive website—will reach more people.
Pitfall #3: Neglecting to find ways to encourage and inspire your company's social followers and fansSo for goodness' sake, respect what they have to say and take their input to heart!
Pitfall #4: Relying on a "build-it-and-they-will-come" mentalityTo some extent—usually a large one—you'll need to purposefully reach out to potential community members and make it worth their while to accept your invitation.
"Rolling out a community and just expecting people to join as friends or followers is a flawed philosophy," confirms Libert. "Marketing 101 principles still apply. That means you need compelling incentives to have people join your community. You also need an aggressive programming strategy, one that includes defining your key audiences and targeting them through all available channels, to ensure that they know that you want to build a relationship with them."
Pitfall #5: Delaying the process of going socialWell, you have competitors, right? And if you don't start gathering loyal followers and fans now, there's a good chance that some other company will woo them first.
One of the best strategies for going social as quickly and effectively as possible is to designate employees and subject matter experts to act as community success managers focused on fostering community growth and member satisfaction. Separate from your sales and support teams, these community leaders should have the ability to advise members of the community on how to best participate with the company and with each other. If you do things well, you'll find that they'll generally serve as internal and external advocates for others in your organization—be it employees, partners, or customers.
Pitfall #6: Underestimating the power of a social networkIf you believe that social networking is just a window dressing that your company "needs" (but not really), then think again.
Social media and community collaboration bring many benefits, including brand-building, customer loyalty and retention, cost reductions, improved productivity, and revenue growth.
Pitfall #7: Neglecting employees, partners, investors, or customers when building your social networkSocial Nations are organic organizations, so the more people who are empowered to influence yours, the better.
"You'll find that leaders will emerge from your community population—whether they are employees, partners, customers, or prospects," promises Libert. "Future leaders will come from places you never expected. Empower every member of your community with the resources they need, then listen and be responsive to their insights, needs, and ideas. Oh, and here's a bonus: by doing this, you'll reduce support costs since community members can help each other!"
Pitfall #8: Relying on traditional approaches when designing your social media networkWith social networking, that monolithic approach is now becoming obsolete.
Pitfall #9: Developing your own social software and analytics solutionsInstead, you'd hire someone skilled in those areas. Do yourself a favor and use the same strategy when it comes to building your own Social Nation.
"Do what you do best and outsource the software and community building to the experts," advises Libert. "Various vendors provide ready-made, complete solutions to help you build your fans, followers, and friends. Remember, Facebook and Twitter encourage fans and friends to advance their businesses, not yours. Consequently, although you should leverage the communities they have built, you need to create your own community to ensure your long-term success."
Pitfall #10: Getting caught without partners to help you succeedYes, integrating into the social web (Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks) is key to your company's future success, but being connected to the social web is only a part of what you need to do. Shifting your business strategically, culturally, and operationally are key components to the equation.
Essentially, that means creating a community for the people who matter most in making your business thrive—a place that is all theirs and that is connected to your brand. Remember, your constituents want to connect with like-minded peers, and they want to feel as though they are contributing to a purpose that's bigger than themselves. Given that they are buying products and services from you, investing in your company, and working for your organization, providing them with a community they can call their own is the least you can do for them.
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