Comments on: Why Executives Don’t “Get” Social Media

By: Linda Mae

Linda Mae — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:04:05 +0000

Okay, I get it. This makes sense. It’s time they are better informed!

By: Embracing Social Media - Opportunities and Challenges for Existing Businesses | Mandala Life Media

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:35:46 +0000

[...] Why Executives Don’t Get Social Media Everyone is not a “connector” and some people are just not that interested in connecting with other people virtually. This article shares some perspective on types of people that get and don’t get social media and how to keep that in mind when integrating it into your organization. [...]

By: What’s your boss think of social media? | seaz me

What’s your boss think of social media? | seaz me — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:05:27 +0000

[...] Borsch of the Minnov8 blog wrote an interesting post titled “Why Executives Don’t "Get" Social Media” in which he shares a valuable personal experience and some useful insights about how to “talk” [...]

By: Jaci Struwe

Jaci Struwe — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:51:26 +0000

Thanks for sharing some very interesting research and insight. That I found this on Twitter is telling.

By: The only 2 questions an SMB will ask about Social Media « Direct Marketing Observations

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:24:54 +0000

[...] Why Executives Don’t “Get” Social Media This is a good article on executive level mindsets as they wrestle with including social media into their companies. [...]

By: émergenceweb : blogue » L’innovation chez Google, IBM et le Power V !

émergenceweb : blogue » L’innovation chez Google, IBM et le Power V ! — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:40:10 +0000

[...] viens tout juste de prendre connaissance d’un billet paru sur Minnov8 et intitulé «Why Executives don’t “get” Social Media». Intéressant car écrit [...]

By: L’Alambic du vendredi, semaine du lundi 2 février — Michael Carpentier.com

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:23:29 +0000

[...] Why Executives Don’t “Get” Social Media: La réponse, en bref: parce qu’ils ne comprenne… [...]

By: Suzi Craig

Suzi Craig — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:59:51 +0000

Steve — you mention how some execs respond to spending time on soc net with “I’m busy actually working”. Sometimes at work when I’m Tweeting, Friending, Poking, Pinging or whateverthehelling, I often feel like I’m taking an unnecessary detour from the time clock of the work day. Then I bounce back when I think about all the successes I’ve made through online connections, discussions and publishing.

There is still a massive stigma on the ‘net as “playtime,” and therefore not respected. I say yes, it IS playtime and that’s just the point. Play is interactive. But, old school one-way messaging is still more respected by the old boys network (and beyond), even though the return is never as high long-term.

How’s this: if it weren’t for Twitter I wouldn’t have stumbled onto this post. Case closed.

By: Social networking web design

Social networking web design — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:55:30 +0000

i agree, stick to what your good at and hire others to do the rest.

By: cwurld

cwurld — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:13:02 +0000

Whose not getting what? The title implies that there is the special group of people who KNOW the right answer and there is this other group that has something wrong with them so they either are slow to understand or never could understand.

Consultants, gurus and pundits have long made a good living off of touting new technologies that are supposed to change everything. There are many famous examples of once powerful organizations that truly failed because they were too slow to embrace new technologies.

But there are also many less famous examples of companies that wasted huge amounts of resources investing in technology that turned out to be a complete waste. In recent history, corporate blogs come to mind. For a while there it seemed like every company felt that they should have a daily role in your life. This lead to blogs for such things as Kitty Litter.

The reality is we live in a broad and diverse world. Some tools that are essential for some people or organizations are irrelevant to others.

By: Melanie Oyler

Melanie Oyler — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:49:35 +0000

Great tweet and comments from everyone, thus far – I particularly can resonate with Eri Hall, and yet also with Elliotte Harold, as I have worked in several different industries: Healthcare, I.T.(software development), finance, hospitality, non profit, and of course, government – and all have their various idiosyncrasies as well.

While all of these industries are different in their own ways, for obvious reasons, some industries can be typically slower to accept new technologies and methodologies, preferring instead to “let someone else take the risks,” and then maybe they’ll take a look at it….Elliotte’s comment is a truism for these “slower to accept change” industries overall, and that is something that I fear will continue, unless social and global change mandates it….great topic!

By: Today’s Best Social Media Resources | Mandala Life Media

Today’s Best Social Media Resources | Mandala Life Media — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:11:13 +0000

[...] Why Some Leaders don’t get Social Media Your motivation profile effects your interest in social media. Keeping this in mind while you’re pitching social media ideas and the way you gain interest in implementing social media can make a huge difference in your successful engagement. [...]

By: Elliotte Rusty Harold

Elliotte Rusty Harold — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:04:57 +0000

Very interesting, but basically wrong about why executives don’t “get” social media. Executives don’t get social media because it’s about connecting individuals rather than organizations. Letting social media loose means giving up control. It means letting employees talk and decide rather than lawyers and PR hired guns. The Cluetrain explained this 10 years ago.

By: Joe Cascio

Joe Cascio — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:59:06 +0000

I’ve pretty much given up on trying to “sell” social media to anyone. Particularly anyone who scoffs at or is derisive of it. Screw them. They’re the ones who are missing out, not me. And if you’re the kind of person who feels the need to make fun and crap on something you don’t understand, then frankly I don’t want to deal with you anyway. Do us all a favor and stay out of the playground so the rest of us can have fun.

This leads me to my second point. It’s ironic that people who are supposed to get social media, like forward-thinking marketing people are so completely deaf to their own message when it comes to “selling” their boss on it. You can’t push your message to the boss any more than you can push your company’s message to its customers.

What’s social media marketing all about? It’s about listening for people who already buying or contemplating it. It’s NOT about trying to convince, manipulate or force people who are not ready to buy into being buyers.

Your boss is your buyer. If s/he’s not ready to buy or contemplating it already, I’d suggest looking around for one who is.

By: Alysson

Alysson — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:55:44 +0000

It’s important to keep these things in mind when you’re pitching a social media strategy to the individuals that ultimately make the decisions. Put the strategy in terms that appeal to them – don’t use phrases like “build community” or “connect with our audience”. Use terms like “create brand loyalty” and “increase referrals”. Those terms trigger dollar signs in the minds of executives and help them understand that social media strategies will help the company reach bottom line revenue goals faster and more efficiently, with less money having to be invested in traditional advertising.

By: Steven A. Lowe

Steven A. Lowe — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:47:43 +0000

Show them how social media will improve the bottom line, then they’ll be interested. Otherwise it just looks like a way to avoid ‘real’ work!

By: Ann

Ann — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:44:20 +0000

Great post! A very similar post was done on http://www.dogwalkblog.com.
I really enjoyed hearing from another “low-affiliation” scorer on how to get through to companies why social media is important. I run into clients who want be in the social media niche but fail to understand it’s a big breakroom of conversations. You have to converse back to get people to hear your message! And you have to do it over and over again. Content is king but also having opinions on what other’s are saying is just as important.
Clear direction and answering “Why” someone wants to engage in social media is extremely important. Just b/c everyone else is, doesn’t make it the best strategy for a business.

By: Craig D Crook

Craig D Crook — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:19:33 +0000

Thanks for getting people thinking!

Understanding your audience is always key to delivering a more effective pitch, presentation, message… even when talking with people lower in the organizations’s chart. They still have objectives, constraints and hot buttons — hopefully we are listening more then talking, so we can be flexible and adapt to what we are hearing. This doesn’t preclude doing our homework before going in – understand their business (clarify it with them) and then put yourself in their shoes to understand where/how social media adds value —

i.e. it’s a much different application for a manufacturer vs. a government or health care provider…

By: Eri Hall

Eri Hall — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:26:14 +0000

Great insight. Understanding the motivations or better yet the needs of others often changes how I present ideas. When we talk to C class executives about Social media, I avoid words like “friends” “contact” and even “sharing”, etc. Instead, I present a story – what if, in just a couple of hours, and for free, I could drive a few hundred people to a brand new product you are offering on your web site? Now the exec is interested.

Once I have some attention, I begin to explain that this is the power of social media.

By: John Carter

John Carter — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:54:26 +0000

Ha–well done Lonny! Way to add a punctuation mark to this post. A good read, and some interesting analysis on why people react differently to social media. Makes me want to dig a little deeper into motive profiles and see if there’s anyone else I recognize. Have to confess I’ve too often dropped “Because I’m getting sh*t done” as a rationale not to engage.