A high-level overview of digital strategy, social media's role in it, as well as platforms and tools, and the business and management implications, including structures and policies.
52. The Stages of Social Media Acceptance Energy 1. Shock "There's no chance anyone cares what you had for lunch." Time Adaptation of http://www.jobs.ac.uk/career-tools-and-advice/managing-your-career/381/career-crisis-3/ and http://nickisreef.blogspot.com/2010/09/renewal-abs-carnival-blog-post.html
53. The Stages of Social Media Acceptance Energy 2. Denial "Yes, and we all loved acid wash, too." 1. Shock "There's no chance anyone cares what you had for lunch." Time Adaptation of http://www.jobs.ac.uk/career-tools-and-advice/managing-your-career/381/career-crisis-3/ and http://nickisreef.blogspot.com/2010/09/renewal-abs-carnival-blog-post.html
54. The Stages of Social Media Acceptance Energy 2. Denial "Yes, and we all loved acid wash, too." 3. Negotiation "Surely I can tweet from my rotary phone?" 1. Shock "There's no chance anyone cares what you had for lunch." Time Adaptation of http://www.jobs.ac.uk/career-tools-and-advice/managing-your-career/381/career-crisis-3/ and http://nickisreef.blogspot.com/2010/09/renewal-abs-carnival-blog-post.html
55. The Stages of Social Media Acceptance Energy 2. Denial "Yes, and we all loved acid wash, too." 3. Negotiation "Surely I can tweet from my rotary phone?" 1. Shock "There's no chance anyone cares what you had for lunch." 4. Depression Checking in @ "Valley of Tears” Time Adaptation of http://www.jobs.ac.uk/career-tools-and-advice/managing-your-career/381/career-crisis-3/ and http://nickisreef.blogspot.com/2010/09/renewal-abs-carnival-blog-post.html
56. The Stages of Social Media Acceptance Energy 2. Denial "Yes, and we all loved acid wash, too." 3. Negotiation "Surely I can tweet from my rotary phone?" 1. Shock "There's no chance anyone cares what you had for lunch." 5. Acceptance "A door closes... but a Facebook chat window opens.” 4. Depression Checking in @ "Valley of Tears” Time Adaptation of http://www.jobs.ac.uk/career-tools-and-advice/managing-your-career/381/career-crisis-3/ and http://nickisreef.blogspot.com/2010/09/renewal-abs-carnival-blog-post.html
57. The Stages of Social Media Acceptance Energy 2. Denial "Yes, and we all loved acid wash, too." 3. Negotiation "Surely I can tweet from my rotary phone?" 6. Experimentation “You always remember your first…RT.” 1. Shock "There's no chance anyone cares what you had for lunch." 5. Acceptance "A door closes... but a Facebook chat window opens.” 4. Depression Checking in @ "Valley of Tears” Time Adaptation of http://www.jobs.ac.uk/career-tools-and-advice/managing-your-career/381/career-crisis-3/ and http://nickisreef.blogspot.com/2010/09/renewal-abs-carnival-blog-post.html
58. The Stages of Social Media Acceptance 7. Integration "Stop by our Facebook page and tell us what you had for lunch!" Energy 2. Denial "Yes, and we all loved acid wash, too." 3. Negotiation "Surely I can tweet from my rotary phone?" 6. Experimentation “You always remember your first…RT.” 1. Shock "There's no chance anyone cares what you had for lunch." 5. Acceptance "A door closes... but a Facebook chat window opens.” 4. Depression Checking in @ "Valley of Tears” Time Adaptation of http://www.jobs.ac.uk/career-tools-and-advice/managing-your-career/381/career-crisis-3/ and http://nickisreef.blogspot.com/2010/09/renewal-abs-carnival-blog-post.html
Okay! So, with that, let me see what questions I can answer for you… Val?
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Larger than the US!
Desired outcome: familiarize President’s Board with the business implications of social media, its primary applications, opportunities and challenges, and future trends; review plans for webinar series
(Yes, I believe live interactions are part of a digital strategy.)Anyway, across those five components run four other areas of cross-platform activity (some of which are tools in their own right):
A (complete) digital strategy considers them all, and combines those that make the most sense.
Meet them where they areRaise probability, reduce friction – operating where they want, about what they want to talk about.
First, let’s talk about what you, or the people that work with and for you, might be feeling about all of this.
ShockIn this phase, there’s numbness, immobilization, it’s where people marvel that people could actually care what you had for lunch. Most of the questions and statements in this phase ring with disbelief, or simply reflect a lack of knowledge (What are the tools? Why should I care?)Folks in this stage need education most of all. They need patient (not condescending) explanations of what the tools are and how *other* people use them – and, in some cases, they need reassurance that it’s even possible for them get up to speed on what they need to know….After Shock comes Denial.
Here’s where people -- now aware of the tools and at least partially aware of what they’re about -- ignore or minimize the tools and what they mean. They carry on as before, comfortable that they’re ignoring a fad and feeling confident enough in that comfort enough to scoff social media and the need for their or their organization’s invovlement.Their questions and statements tend to be dismissive, even argumentative.What they need from you is to continue to feel confident, and to have their doubt reflected back to them. (“Yeah, it seems crazy, doesn’t it?”)
Negotiation is next. Here reality sets in… as does the mental bargaining as they try to figure out how to follow old rules using new tools or to force-fit old business models into a completely new relationship with the marketplace.This is where there’s some level of acceptance that they need to get involved, but there’s a negotiation about how much time, energy, and money is really necessary. “Can the intern do it?” is a tell-tale sign of someone in this phase, as is the “Oh, content strategy? That’s just messaging. So? We’ll just call it content strategy now. Whatever.” and related sentiments.People in the negotiation phase need to be encouraged in the steps they’re taking, and to be slowly educated not in how things are the same (they’ll see that pretty easily themselves) but in how they really *are* different.Soon, though, you’ll likely see them flagging a bit, sinking down into Social Media Depression.
A.k.a. the “Valley of Tears.” (I should note here that Meg Fowler, my colleague here at Sametz Blackstone Associates, is the one who came up with the illustrative quotes for these phases…Love her.)This is where our dear skeptics finally get that things have changed. And where they start realizing all the opportunities that *could* be put in place – but now they’re feeling overwhelmed and a bit despondent as a result.These folks sound harried and as if they should be accompanied by tremolo violins: “Woe is me!” “How are we ever going to catch up?” “It’s no use, we’ll all be left behind… Let me go snuggle my fax machine.”Mostly people in this Depression phase need to be consoled – but perhaps more importantly, they need to know that it’s possible to get out of the dip, they need to be presented with steps for what to do next – ones that feel small (and thus, feel *doable*)But this is usually the worst it gets – because in the next phase they’ve at least accepted that change is happening, even if they’re not happy about it.
After Depression comes Acceptance.In this phase our now-former skeptics start to let go of old attitudes and behaviors and start talking in terms of possibilities, and plans.They start researching the tools, how others are using them, and how to use the tools in combination. They’re particularly interested in best practices. How do you recognize them? Well, through those behaviors, but also through their questions, which are now quite specific and reflect the research they’ve been doing. They need to have those questions answered, of course, but they also want and need to have new ideas introduced to them as they start pulling it all together into a plan.With research done and plan in hand, you’ll see them start to experiment – which is, conveniently, the next phase.
So here, we’re actually, and finally, dealing with a new reality. These people are now more interested in the hows than the whys, and you can recognize them by that curiosity, and by the energy they’re getting from their new attitudes and new opportunities.They don’t need too much from you beyond practical tips and how-tos, praise for jobs well done, and safe landings for their inevitable missteps (they are still learning after all…)Ultimately, their goal – and yours -- is…
Integration – at last!All those new attitudes are now internalized, and those new behaviors are now incorporated into their business strategy and actions.These folks are easy to spot: They’re proselytizing, spreading the word. They now have their own opinions about how to use the tools, what they mean, and how to get the most out of them.If they need anything, it’s a reminder that not everyone is where they are.A lot of of us would be thrilled to be surrounded by folks in the last few phases…All are “normal” -- you’ll have people at every stage, and you’ll likely find yourself on there somewhere, too.
The problem is, most communication strategies are this… (one-way)
masquerading as this…
When the reality is more like this: people get their understanding of you (and your brand) from multiple, and largely peer-to-peer, sources...and always have.
Social media just microphones, cameras, speakers, and video screens, so now we can see and hear all of those conversations if we choose to.
: who owns it?– and regardless of who owns it, everyone needs to know what it is, what the plan is, and the impact it does / doesn’t have on what they do
Adaptation of Jeremiah Owyang’s “wheel” conceptWhy: Content owners, product experts and market specialists (GB)Why Not: Resources are not used efficiently, data is spread on multiple systems, and the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. (TM)
Why: streamlined branding and messaging, coordination, eventual resources (TM)Why Not: no voice of the content and product experts (GB)
Why: coordinated, yet empowered (GB)Why Not: Not another policy, process and procedure! Slows down flexibility; could cloud targeted needs (TM)
(creating a solid policy makes it easier on everyone to create and moderate content, and eases worries for higher ups. Fences protect the folks on the inside AND keep the folks on the outside at bay – you can’t just hope everything will go well, especially in a regulated industry)
Why: experiment! (GB)Why not: disorganized (TM)
Why: No action, no harm, no foul! (GB)Why Not: missed opportunity; stifling employee morale (TM)
Why: personable and authentic (GB)Why not: potential for not enough brand messaging (TM)
Why: coordinated, blessed and empowered (GB)Why Not: distributed message control, potentially confusing to audiences, inconsistent standards)
Why: total empowerment; authenticityWhy Not: chaos!
Okay! So, with that, let me see what questions I can answer for you… Val?