There is a constant that always arises when you talk about social networks. People mostly know what they are, but there is a certain phobia in a special segment of the population towards it: entrepreneurs.
When I have talked with entrepreneurs about social networks, they are fascinated by their scope, see their growth, the number of people who use them daily and see something that is beyond their comprehension: how to use them to make money.
Social networks are NOT for making money
Yes, you can make money, of course, but the road is a bit longer than expected with the large volume of people who are interacting in Social Networks. The ROI in social networks is multifactorial, it has to take into account exposure, influence, promotion, conversations and the famous “leads” or people interested in really buying the product. In the long term, they usually replace an important part in marketing efforts as well.
Continuing the conversation with entrepreneurs on networks, they get the twenty * on what is required to operate not a social network, but many social networks that make up the social media that currently exist in the internet ecosystem, and see that each requires of a specific strategy and ad-hoc content to be able to tell your story.
Social networks are NOT a game
When talking about a company, it takes commitment and investment of time, money and effort focused on results. Although social networks are not built from one day to the next, there is a recollection when the CEO gets involved, there is an exchange of ideas, creativity, communication with partners and even with the competition.
In general, the next issue is security, CEOs see imminent risks in social networks, feel exposed and unprotected.
Social networks ARE risky for companies .
That businessmen do not take risks? Of course interacting in social networks carries a risk, but where is the risk when talking about your product, or the news of your company or industry, or sharing the things that the CEO likes?
This is where the fears of the reputation of the company come in, what they will say about it, how network users will respond. I can write many blogs about cases in which social networks have suffered the companies, in many cases have caused millions of dollars in losses, ask United Airlines, or Dell, or a small company that manufactured bicycle locks, or how to Qatay Airlines and the scandal of his “we go the extra mile for you”. Google goes to Rome and failures in networks.
The business reputation in social networks does exist.
The problem with telling horror stories is that afterwards people have nightmares, “it’s better not to let that happen to my company”. As the gringos would say: they still do not get it. Although NOT this will happen to you and it is better to be prepared for it. In social networks they already talk about your company, the question is how they talk about it and if someone is listening and resolving doubts or influencing them to speak positively. With an appropriate technique, social networks can establish an adequate identity before the followers of a company.
Finally, when I explain to the CEOs that they will probably have to interact, that is where they get almost a heart attack, they are phobic to the media exposure and see in social networks a great threat to their phobia.
Nobody is better VOCERO for your company than its own owner.
The leader leads in all aspects of his business project. No one better than the CEO to communicate what he wants, what his products mean and give a complete image to his company. Apple was represented with dignity by Steve Jobs, Microsoft by Bill Gates, Starbucks by Howard Shultz, Televisa by Emilio Azcarraga.
In all these companies the use of social networks and video has effectively helped in the branding of their brands. Now .. do you GET it?
* Explainer: The “old” phones worked with coins, the calls cost 20 cents, when entering the call the coin fell and it was heard as it fell in the internal box of the telephone, for that reason the expression did you fall on the twenty ?.