So your company wants to dive into Social Media? Here are some principles to help you get started.

1. Social Media Has Arrived
... how will you deal with it?
Alex de Carvalho
Director, Scrapblog.com
twitter.com/alexdc
http://www.coxandforkum.com/
How can we tell that social media has “arrived”? Well, for one thing, you’re here watching me talk about social
media (and I’m honored to have your time) ...

2. http://www.briansolis.com/2008/02/get-rich-quick-with-social-media.html
... but another sign is that the term social media has hit critical mass and people --snake-oil salesmen, really--
are trying to make money off it, distressingly. This is not what social media is about! ...

3. http://www.socialmediatelesummit.com/2008/
... and neither is this (ie., “create the lifestyle of your dreams”???!) ...

4. http://neekam.com/contest.html
... blogging isn’t a gimmick (and does involve some risk and a lot of work!) ...

5. http://neekam.com/
... and the internet “2.0” is not a new frontier, nor is it the wild west. It is a new way of doing business, though,
and Marketers in particular are trying to deal with it.

6. 12:35 PM anon: I am continually running up against the big
consulting firms on getting clients, which is not a place I enjoy
12:35 PM Alex: really?
12:36 PM anon: I have not run across McKinsey
12:37 PM anon: Deloitte, BeringPoint, and Booz Hamilton are all
digging in
12:37 PM anon: Accenture is as well
12:37 PM anon: I am also running up against the big
communications firms like PorterNovelli and WPP
12:38 PM Alex: Interesting ...
12:40 PM anon: all of the companies I am talking to are trying
to work out a budget as they have committed into 7 figures
with the big firms
12:40 PM anon: very little room for 4 to 5 figure help
12:40 PM Alex: 7 figures?
12:41 PM anon: mostly spent on understanding, strategy and
implementation
12:42 PM anon: don't know anybody who has made it to
implementation yet
A renowned social media thinker mentioned to me that large consultancies are helping blue-chips understand
social media ... and are charging hefty sums for this!

7. http://artofthecookie.com/
Here’s an example of an implementation, something that is supposedly social media but in reality is just one big
advertisement, as explained by ...

8. http://overtonecomm.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-finally-had-chance-to-read-few-back.html
...Kami Huyse. Apparently, the budget for this project was $2 to $3 million! The most interactive part of this
“social media” project is and e-mail newsletter sign-up!

9. Determine goals first and break
them out into short-, medium- and
long-term
Don't get into
social media if
you're not
planning to stick
with it over the
long-term
Graph by Russell A. Dewey, PhD
http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch07_cognition/learning_curve.html
Determine goals first and break them out into short-, medium- and long-term. Don't get into social media if you're not planning to stick with it over the long-term. There is a learning curve;
don't expect immediate results for at least three months, whatever your objectives may be.

10. Set objectives at the outset, and
not just quantitative objectives
Figure out what is
measurable
Have systems to track
progress
Keep a journal
Share positive and
negative feedback from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ansik/304526237/ customers with the
organization
Discussing and setting objectives at the outset, and not just quantitative objectives. Figure out what is measurable and be sure to include the systems to track progress. If systems to track
qualitative results are not in place, then keep a journal and also be sure to share positive and negative feedback from customers with the organization.

11. Customer Service is Key
http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/001607.html
You're breaking down the membrane that exists
between your customers and your organization
People will give feedback
Have a system in place to deal with these
problems and requests
Customer (Client) Service is Key: When you reach out to people, you're breaking down the membrane that exists between your customers and your organization. A is your company. B are
your customers. X is the membrane between your customers and your company. Y is the universe of conversations about your company. This means that people will give feedback about
what's working and more importantly, what's not. Be sure to have a system in place to deal with these problems and requests. Customer service is key, and social media changes the
feedback loop by multiplying customers' access to the organization.

12. Learn how to listen and
spend time listening
Advertising, marketing and PR
broadcasts crafted messages to
consumers
Social Media is about
conversations and relationships.
quot;Information is a noun; to inform
is a verbquot;. Information is social. If
you don't listen to people, they will
not trust you.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/banlon1964/46324162/
Learn how to listen and spend a long time listening. So much of advertising, marketing and PR has been about broadcasting crafted messages to consumers (and then managing feedback
though outsourced centers thousands of miles away!). Social Media is about conversations and relationships. Someone said quot;Information is a noun; to inform is a verbquot;. To inform is a social
activity: people pay attention to those they trust. If you don't listen to people, they will not trust you.

13. Hire people who are familiar with
and have been using social media
http://www.flickr.com/photos/celesteh/397931208/
Hire people who are familiar with and have been using social media; they're most likely to understand online culture and behaviors and to be competent in the technologies (for instance,
blogging). Most importantly, they're already up on the learning curve and can train the rest of the organization. And geeks are cool, because theyʼre passionate ;)

14. Hire people who are a part of the
community
Fan, Evangelist,
Respected, Identified
But also...
Change agent
Not Buffer!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dario_471/174440284/
Hire people who are part of the community. They understand the product, the company, the industry and are respected by their community. They're change agents for the company and
evangelists with their peers. Understand that they're in between a rock and a hard place, because they're bridging the gap between the company's priorities and the community's interests.
Trust these people and address their concerns. Set expectations with them, but don't treat them as buffers or they'll burn out because of company inaction.

15. Give your community managers
the tools to measure the micro
stuff, down to the individual level
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jspad/450848498/
Give your community managers the tools to measure the micro stuff, down to the individual level. Top executives love to see macro figures and set new types of equations. Community
managers need day-to-day operational data about the activity of individual customers. Who left a comment where? Who is friending others? Who's activity is going up or down? It's only by
seeing this type of activity at the individual level that community managers can act to get in touch with these individuals, learn what's working and not recognize valuable community
members. Macro figures won't give you that.

16. keep your community managers in
the internal communications loop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakob/94582491/
Keep your community managers in the internal communications loop. It's important they know what's happening and what the organization's plans are, so they can make informed decisions
as they interact with their respective communities.

17. Social Media Has Arrived
... now go do it!
Alex de Carvalho
Director, Scrapblog.com
twitter.com/alexdc
Good luck!