Selling Social Media to the C-Suite

Written by William Smith, Communicator, IABC/Toronto member and volunteer

So you know what social media is. But how do you sell, implement and measure it? That was the burning question for a packed room of communicators at a recent IABC/Toronto PD session. Cyrus Mavalwala, ABC, IABC/Toronto’s VP of Advertising & Sponsorship and president of Advantis Communications, led a discussion on the importance of new media tools and how to use them successfully.

In discussing the debate about which platform has more relevance – Twitter or Facebook – Mavalwala answered bluntly, “Who Cares?” adding that the only social media platform that matters is the one where your audience gathers online.

For communicators, the main challenge to implementing social media programs is overcoming resistance within the executive suite. Canadian business is notorious for its conservative approach to innovation and communicators often face the argument that “if no one else in our industry is doing it, why should we?” Through data-rich case studies showing the ROI other companies have received from embracing social media as a business tool, Mavalwala shared strategies for turning ‘no’ into ‘yes’ and helping to make the argument for being first in class.

Mavalwala walked the audience through the steps involved in selling social media by identifying the objectives, engaging all the departments who will be affected, and, to reassure a sceptical C-suite, anticipate the best and worst scenario and come up with solutions. Current case studies – how Dell used Twitter to address customer service and how an angry customer went online to take out his frustrations with United Airlines – helped bring Mavalwala’s strategies to life.

Another big challenge for communicators looking to implement a social media strategy is developing one that works for everyone in the company including all employees and the importance of training employees in proper social media use with the intention of turning them into ambassadors.

Selling social media to the C-suite does not have to be difficult if you’re prepared and not afraid to be honest about best and worst case scenarios. Mavalwala’s final bit of wisdom is to lock in organization’s domain name on all social media platforms before someone else takes it, even if you’re not ready to ‘go social’.

This event was sponsored by: