Social media has presented boundless opportunities for companies and agencies to engage customers, partners, prospects and new audiences through a variety of online initiatives. But the excitement of all social media has to offer can sometimes be elusive. While ‘experts’ at companies, schools and agencies are driving innovative communications platforms and projects, there are still those professionals that need convincing. They squawk: will this really lead to sales? Isn’t social media just for consumer brands? Won’t I lose control of my value proposition? The best way to approach the uncertainty of social media can be broken down into four basic steps – learn how to educate and manage executive expectations to reduce the level of apprehension or risk, and successfully get the green light to implement social media at your organization. *Note - I purposely kept each slide brief so I can talk about each topic and have more of a discussion around each point. If you have any questions about the slides, let me know

1. Socializing Social Media: Getting to 'Yes' in Four Steps By Andrew Worob (@Worob) September 16, 2011

2. Who Am I?

5. How much is this going to cost me?

6. Who manages this effort?

7. What if people talk negatively about us? But really, the main concerns brands have…

8. The Concern w/ Customer Service “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.” - Jeff Bezos, CEO at Amazon.com

12. They are the ones who aren’t afraid to THINK BIG

13. They will speak to your audience like a real person

16. Drive sales?

17. Support customer service?

18. Crisis Communications?

19. Thought leadership?

24. Reach out to all business units to ensure partnership and dedication at all levels

25. Conduct an audit of competitor social media efforts