Gav – I think many companies are terrified of social media (maybe as they used to be of a “PR back-lash” back in the day, it’s simply that unhappy customers + the Internet is a lot worse!?) and I think some have very good reason to be worried, too. Others are worried as to what it means and how to leverage it for the “media” potential when they see other channels not working so well anymore. After all, social media sounds big, different and potentially another marketing expense or fad. We know the principals aren’t new, yet the jargon (social media) itself creates barriers. If a business does not have its customer right at the heart then they’re going to find it hard to do what’s necessary and be authentic and remarkable. Why do think brands get their fingers burnt? You are very right I think in that it’s about getting ‘the lay of the land’ initially when entering into the space and having enough confidence to take the bigger steps – how you’d approach any new opportunity(?) – maybe observation and then low level participation in the early days, ref my comment that I don’t think social media is so easily scalable though. Early and meaningful monitoring and measurement can only help colleagues start to see the value and importance – and more importantly appreciate it’s not an “if” but a “when” and “how” a business gets involved with its customers online.

Rory – you’re point on ROI is probably the key part of forcing the issue internally, since in cold business terms how can being close to your customers and fans online not be a great thing commercially, it’s common sense? My initial reaction is what is the “R” you seek in the ROI? Social media is, for me, firstly the natural way to improve natural search results through link-building, it also creates a powerful feedback loop (fast, real-time market research), social media generates direct income through sales driven from social media only (or integrated) campaigns, it’s powerful for lead generation as fans mature in the commercial sense from simply being a fan to a prospect with buying intention, with a great campaign idea social media allows you to mobilize a fan base (a tribe) to spread your message for you – so many benefits and I could go on! Maybe the problem is not it’s value, but how to measure the right, primary value for your business? My feeling is that the confusion is caused by the term, it makes us see it as “a channel” when it isn’t, it’s a business mind-set and a way of being that crosses all channels. I feel another blog post coming on, hope the above helps and not confuses. Do let me know what you think!

Many senior stakeholders view social media like recycling – you sort of know you should do it, but you don’t really expect to see an ROI. So it’s not easy for me to ‘sell’ social media when budgets are slim.

If I had a whitepaper that showed social media drives sales…