7 Steps to Sell Your Boss on Social Media Marketing

 With words like "tweet," "blog" and "unfriend" entering our standard lexicon, there's no question that social networking includes a significant place on our contemporary culture. And it's no surprise that numerous companies have already been using social media online to connect and communicate with their customers online.

But the benefits of social networking aren't always immediately apparent to some. And that's particularly true for businesses that are thinking about having plenty of control over their manufacturer and brand image KKVSH. Convincing some that each business has something to gain from online media marketing could be difficult. It can be hard to observe how Web 2.0 marketing can result in an optimistic return on investment (ROI).

As it pertains to convincing your boss or colleagues to purchase social networks, it helps to truly have a plan.

Here the 7 steps you can take in regards to selling social media marketing to your boss or company.

1. Explain how social media is an irresistible research tool. Each time a company is effectively tapped in to the social media landscape, they get to listen to plenty of chatter which they wouldn't hear otherwise. Those engaged in social media marketing campaigns will have the ability to monitor channels for just about any mention of these company, competitors, industry, clients and potential clients. Setting up a cultural media marketing listening campaign lets a business know who's participating and what is happening.

Because of tools and services like Quantcast, Alexa and TweetMeme, it is now easier than ever to track and measure what folks are talking about online. These records is invaluable for developing future marketing strategies, both online and offline.

2. Match the benefits of Web 2.0 marketing along with your company's goals. Whether your company or your client is just a supplier, a small business to business specialist or a small business to consumer retailer, there's a cultural media marketing strategy for them. But to be able to convince others of online media marketing's benefits, you've to be aware of the company's goals. Do they wish to enhance their customer support operations? To they wish to reduce costs? Do they wish to manage their reputation? Social networking can do too much to help achieve dozens of goals. When you know what your boss or company wants, you can show how this will help them achieve it.

3. Start small. Even though they're not bullish on social network marketing, your boss or others at your company are most likely conscious of the range of social applications and services that are out there. They may genuinely believe that launching a cultural marketing campaign will be a huge undertaking, one that may require many work hours just to create everything up.

But that's definitely not true. A Web 2.0 marketing campaign doesn't have to add a location up a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, a web log and a YouTube channel. In fact, it's often easier to begin small. Determine which service will best match the stated goals of your boss or your company. It may be something as simple as registering a Twitter account and starting to interact people via tweets. Starting small requires very little time and less cost. But the results may become apparent quickly. You may even start to measure such results with a tracking service like Quantcast.

4. Create a strategy and follow it. A cultural media campaign can appear strange and different, even to individuals who have plenty of marketing experience. In the event that you don't have an obvious strategy for implementation and execution, reactions to your plan is likely to be understandably skeptical to your social media marketing strategy. Remember to explain each step of the program, describe why it's being done and how it will benefit the company.

5. Look for samples of social media success. Lots of businesses, large and small, well-known and unknown, have already been able to already achieve a great deal with social media marketing. From Charles Schwab to FujiFilm to Goodwill, you will find countless samples of companies who have had the oppertunity to successfully use social networking to attain their corporate goals. See them and broadcast the results.

6. Anticipate Questions. It's natural for visitors to be skeptical of new things and new ideas. While you may well be well conscious of the benefits of social media marketing, bear in mind that resistance may simply be the result of some individuals being overly cautions. That's why it's very important to anticipate any and all questions or objections someone may raise. Find good case studies and other samples of social media marketing successes. Have these readily available to utilize as examples. Here are a few common questions that skeptical bosses may have about social media marketing:

• Our customers aren't online. This line of reasoning is being used less and less, however many companies can still think this really is true. The fact remains, at the cusp of the 2010s, nearly many people are online. Online activity isn't restricted to any gender, income level, education level, or location. You can find countless surveys to prove this. Among the largest survey groups, the Pew Research Center, frequently provides data for online use, broken down by several categories.

• What when someone writes something bad? This can be a common fear among those resistant to social media marketing. But studies show that after companies engage with customer complaints and criticisms, they wind up looking a lot better than before. Mention that people will more than likely complain whether you're engaged in social media or not. It's better for just about any brand to look a part of its customers. Even the angry ones.

• It's too time-consuming. After setting up social media marketing accounts on networks like Facebook and Twitter, the particular maintenance doesn't take very much time at all. You can spread social media marketing efforts on the list of staff, or you can task just one person to deal with it. In either case, social media marketing doesn't require countless work hours. Develop a timeline showing the normal amount of time one will devote to social media each week to simply help prove this point.

7. Make your case. Prepare a brief, punchy presentation that hits on all the above topics. Give your boss or colleagues plenty of time to ask questions. Consider your boss or colleagues' personal preferences and consider tips on how to best sell your Web 2.0 marketing idea. And understand that there could be some things you don't know. Social online marketing is still relatively new, and which means there are still many unanswered questions out there. Be honest about that which you don't know, but make sure to indicate all possible benefits to Web 2.0 marketing.

Social network marketing is a thrilling new medium that companies may use to attain almost any business goal. By convincing your colleagues or your boss of the effectiveness of this kind of online marketing, you'll be on your way to discovering the enthralling, challenging and rewarding new world of online business networking.