Selling the idea of social media to senior executives is (hopefully) becoming easier now that it is firmly embedded in all facets of business communications. Having cleared that hurdle, though, communications executives now face another: Training these senior executives to actually use established social media platforms, and then making sure their use/participation is sustained.
Thus, social media training programs are critical to the ongoing effective use of digital channels by executives within the organization. Plus, this effective internal use translates to more engaging online conversations with external stakeholders.
Given the communications function’s “ownership” of social media implementation, these executives are best equipped to lead training initiatives. Likewise, PR agencies are well poised to walk their clients through how to use each platform that has been integrated into communications plans.
Regardless of your position (internal versus agency), the following best practices should act as a guide for training executives/clients to successfully use social media, and to continue that use in all future business endeavors.
â–¶ Connect strategies to tactics. The most basic how-to’s apply to many management teams, whether it’s how to set up a Facebook account, how to create a Twitter profile or how to establish a blog. While these nuts-and-bolts, tactical aspects of social media implementation should certainly be a part of any executive training program, it’s important to set the stage with broader strategic applications.
“The easiest way for a social media training program to fail is to focus solely on the tools of the trade,” says Kawika Holbrook, director of Web strategy for Sterling Communications. “Instead, identify which corporate goals are important to marketing, sales, customer service and other departments working with the public relations team.”
Making every tactical training component relative to a bigger business strategy or objective is also important because of the simple fact that, in most cases, senior executives won’t be the ones tweeting, blogging or maintaining the company’s Facebook page. It is more important for them to understand how these various social media platforms contribute to their overall business/communications goals, and what resources are required to maximize their potential.
â–¶ Set short-, mid- and long-term goals. During the training session, attendees will most likely be engaged, but it is far too easy for them to leave the room and fall back into old, “unsocial” habits. To avoid this, set specific goals with deadlines. For instance:
• Short term: Create a LinkedIn profile and connect with at least 10 of your colleagues. Then, install one of the many available LinkedIn applications, including the Reading List or the Company Buzz application.
• Mid term: Identify at least five influential bloggers to follow, and incorporate them into your daily reading routine.
• Long term: Create an RSS feed/social news aggregator that collects the updates/new posts from the various social media pages, online news sources and bloggers you follow.
â–¶ Begin working toward the development of a social media policy. Depending on the length and depth of the training session, working with the team to create a full social media policy might not be a reasonable goal. However, it is important to introduce executives to the concept of a social media policy. Show them examples of other companies’ policies, and remind them that the guidelines will help protect them against potential risks.
It’s also helpful to bring in executives from other departments during this part of the conversation, as they will bring unique perspectives and skill sets to the table. Their participation will act as an impetus to actually create a policy, and they will inevitably play roles in doing so.
For example, Jeff Hayzlett, vice president and chief marketing officer of Eastman Kodak Company, notes the collaboration of the marketing, information systems, legal and corporate communications departments to draft what would become the official Kodak social media policy.
â–¶ Keep it in perspective. No matter how you approach social media training, it’s critical to put everything into context, and to remind executives that there has always been and will always be a learning curve.
“Remember that tools change,” Holbrook says. “Twenty years ago, barely any PR firms had e-mail addresses, and none had a Web site. Five years from now, the landscape could look very different. But what isn’t changing is the march toward a more transparent, more collaborative and more social workplace.”
CONTACTS:
Kawika Holbrook, [email protected]; Jeff Hayzlett, [email protected]