The many barriers towards social media.

 

Here a list of what comes up most often. As social media involves and concerns all departments in a company, the politics of power between departments are obviously the main reason for their resistance . Whether all or a single department, the reasons for resistance are:

  - The management overstates costs and whether it's worthwile  because the means to measure the Return of investment do not seem clear in their views. I wouldencourage them to practice it. A great golf Champion (Gary Player I think) once said, the more I practice, the luckier I get. Social media is a low cost investment 5certainly less than Golf) and you can do it at nos risk. Start a private community with Dialog Solutions and find out.

- "I do not know where to start? " That is more prosaic . It has so much to make  with the fact that what seems unclear seems necessarily not urgent. These people are those who forget the amount of crises that could be avoided if people were planning a little more time for important things, but not urgent. The more one spends time there  rather than on less important but urgent things, the less crises they’ll end up having to cope with.  These people have fallen into addiction of urgency. They act at the foot of the wall. This is not the best place to be visionary.

- The fear of failure. It is probably the most tenacious. We are afraid that someone grabs something questionnable and turns it against us. Fear is probably the biggest barrier to any new initiative in business. Especially here, the fear comes and paralyses action even before one had time to think about what to put in place and what should be the key performance criteria (KPI's).

- "Does it suits us as a company? " This is another face of fear and doubt that paralyzes. This brings us to the culture of the company.

- "We'll have plenty of messages and how to sort out what is relevant? »  The door slams to sucha simple statement ignoring that  there are ways to moderate  social media and a Belgian brand in good health should not expect more than 500 to 2000 people who want to interact with the long term. Few people, one might say. Yes, but with a lot of influence.

- "I do not have the means, I have no staff for that. " Some live with the fantasm that their public has only one dream : flooding their business with messages of all kinds. Only 5% of people do actually take the initiative to speak. Others come to see, share, vote, listen.

- "It does not measure". That means they do not measure but there are very good ways to set objectives and measurement tools exist.

- "Social media do not make enough audience. " No doubt, when Catalina Marketing tells us that an average consumer product  books 80% of its sales with 2.5% of its clients, I tell myself that this small audience of 2.5% is vital that 'the sooner you will connect to them, the faster your business will prosper. You can keep throwing millions to masses of propspects…but you’ll need to start focusing on your existing customers and your heavy users. They drive your business.

- "Their numbers can not compete with traditional media." That is right and that is not necessary. The social media is a supplement which when coupled to a Mass Mailing action can generate up to 38% more reactions.

- "We do not yet have a clear corporate policy on this subject. " This is probably easier said in firms whose fossilization is well underway.

- "This will reduce my budget.  This could hurt because my status in the company is a function of the size of my budget. " This  is less easy to confess but it must  be an inhibiting factor.

- "My children are wasting their time on it, it's not with them that I do business. " Thus there are parents who while  giving up control on their children,  strengthen internal controls with a limited vision of the world. One day they might be surprised by one of their children starting it's own business before graduating. Things are changing fast.

- "You could get everything and anything? "Yes, but this would happen anyway. Greenpeace is watching you. People talk already about you. While staying away you’re confriming implicitly what they say. You better get involved, be prepared and avoid it. I'll come back with the do's and don't of a crisis.

 

Would you have noticed any other barrier, please let me know.
 

 

 

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