OTTAWA, Canada—Social media expert and strategist Charlene Li told the World Credit Union Conference here that there are seven steps needed to make social media a success in any organization, and that one mistake made is that last one in importance is often the first (and only) step to get attention.
Social media, Li told the more than 2,500 people from around the world at the meeting, requires a transition from a “very rigid organization to one that is very dynamic. People have to be empowered to be dynamic while at the same time having some semblance of direction and strategic vision.”
Those seven steps:
1. Define business goals (three to five goals that can be supported with social media).
2. Have a long term vision. She said Ford Motor’s vision is to “humanize Ford and connect constituents with each other.” Short term questions to be asked, she said, are about the type of relationship desired: transactional, occasional, impersonal, or short-term. The longer term issue is keeping the conversation two-way and authentic, she said.
3. Earn key executive support/Show support as a key exec. Many top execs are viewed as “clueless” about social media by others in the organization, Li said.
4. Create a prioritized initiative roadmap for next three years
5. Establish governance and process. (No one in the audience raised their hands when Li asked who had mapped out their social media process.)
6. Staff and resource appropriately. “Do you have the people to carry this out? It’s not about hiring a team of 50 people. It’s about across the organization, do people have the skills to exercise judgment on a daily basis to enter into these relationships? Know what you should do, what you shouldn’t do, and how to exercise judgment.
7. Choose tools and technology last. “Unfortunately, most organizations begin in social media with tools and technology.”
