How to Convince Your Executives You Need a Social Media Strategy

Devin Kelly | @subbydonut Let's face it. Social media is now the popular way of getting your product or service out there. It also serves as a easy way of interacting with your customers or fan base. This new way of doing business is already popular with the younger executives, but there are those who are still set in their old ways.

Unfortunately, your boss always has the last call on big decisions, so it's up to him/her to make or break a social media campaign. The fact of the matter is that these executives are missing a prime opportunity to reach a new audience. Sometimes they just need that right incentive to put them on them on the right track to social media.

Follow these tips, and soon you'll be able to convince even the most headstrong boss to start making Facebook and Twitter accounts.

1. Display Current Conversations

Even if the company you're a part of is not active in social media, chances are that there are still people talking about the company on the internet. Showing all of these conversations, both positive and negative, will show your boss that customers want to reach out somehow, and that it's your boss's turn to reach back.

2. Don't Leave Out Competitor's Information

Always include your competitor's information. If your competitor is still not taking advantage of social media, that means it's time to make the first strike. And if your competitor already uses social media, then it's best to not get left behind.

3. Show Your Industry Peers' Successes and Failures

Learn from the successes and failures of your competitors. With this knowledge, you can present a fool proof plan.

4. Use Data

Nothing speaks louder than cold hard facts. Study all the research that has been done on which demographics are using which social networking sites.

5. Start Small

Start off with a small budget or no budget at all, and enlist a small dedicated team. A small team is all that is required to make a dent large enough to require more personnel.

6. Do Risk Analysis and Contingency Planning

It's always good to plan ahead and take the worst case scenario into account. Always have a solid plan to address any problem that should arise.

7. Seek Outside Help

Sometimes a company's internal experts can only get so far. At times like this, it is a good idea to call on a social media consultancy to give your boss quality assurance that social media is the right way to go.

8. Create Guidelines and Enable Your Employees

It is a good idea to create guidelines for the employees to let them know what is appropriate and what is not. It let's executives know that these social media accounts won't get out of control.

9. Stay on Course

It sounds simple enough, but a lack of progress can make it encouraging to just quit. Change isn't easy, but the best advice in times like these is to never give up.  It just takes one person to change the mind of a stubborn boss.