It has since been implemented in most other blogging tools.) Some individuals or companies have abused the TrackBack feature to insert…

One of the easiest ways to advertise your business for free is to write articles for your local newspaper or industry trade magazines….

Great take on social media adaptation. I’m currently in the process of trying to explain and quantify the benefit of social media to our non-profit and I couldn’t agree with you more on (1) Show the reward, not the tools (2)Consider Head Count and (3)Start Simple, Lay it out. A 65-year old Senior Director doesn’t need to know how Twitter works, but he certainly needs to know how it can impact his business. Keep up the good work.

http://www.onehalfamazing.com

Great post. I face this SO OFTEN with existing and potential clients as I try and migrate them to the online space. So important to focus, as you say, on the reward, not the tools. I really don’t care HOW the guy fixes my transmission- just that it gets fixed.

I mostly encounter fear, lack of understanding, the attitude that social media is for my teenage daughter, not my “real” business. But, above all, I get the “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it” attitude. My response, sometimes spoken, sometimes just thought, is, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Great post, Chris. I’m going to link to it and use it as a starting point for my own blog.

Here’s how I think mine would look:

* Attention-getting example of fundamental business benefit/change/results from social media. Make it real world. Make it similar to their biz if possible

* Now that you have their attention, dig into a realm they know and do already, say networking. Contrast how they have to do it now with how they could do it if. Use this discussion to introduce BASIC concepts & define (FEW, BASIC) terms.

* Examples/scenarios/anecdotes (theoretical or real) of what their world (business) could look like after the application of social media. Show benefits of each, measurable if possible.

* Overview of the collection of tools you recommend implementing. (NOT the actual hardware or software, but whether you recommend videoblogging and Twitter, plus a Ning site, but no Facebook, and so on.) [[and enough on the WHY of each, the result to be obtained. leave the how it works for your Q&A]]

* Quick explanation of how someone would execute on the strategy.

* Sample metrics or guidelines to showing potential impact of efforts. [[yes, if by that you mean set objectives for the project and how its success will be measured]]

* A very workable, yes-able set of first steps/action to take to move the idea forward.

Stop here.

Costs? Have something thumbnail you can use for Q&A. But:

* Layout of the cost of hardware, software, training, plus hours-per-week to execute.

In an “introduce the idea’ presento? No. You’re introducing the idea and the actual proposal will be shaped with their responses taken into account Start the bidding too early at risk of crippling the project.

Now, I think I have something new to take back to the discussion. And I realize that just because *I* get it, doesn’t mean it’s obvious to the world.

Two great examples-

Steve Garfield’s Mom’s video blog about “I Can’t Open It”- http://icantopenit.blogspot.com/ – all about products that make it difficult for people to get at their products. And as more and more people get to Millie’s age group, this is something companies need to be aware of- otherwise people will simply stop buying their products.

Another- the Doritos X-13 secret flavor experiment. This is a cool, interactive, and even fun website, but it doesn’t change the fact that cheeseburger flavored doritos are disgusting and not good. All the attractive bells and whistles won’t change the fact your product stinks. Yet I fear that the message Frito Lay might get from this online experience is that “on line didn’t work for us” rather than “We used this for the wrong product, and our product was not good.”

We are all walking consumer reporters, willing to share our opinions of what has worked for us and what has not, what we love and what we hate. And we’d love to have companies listen to what we have to say. And frankly if they don’t engage in the conversation, they will fall behind and never know the real reason why their sales drop. It’s not necessarily the lack of ads, the “effectiveness” of the ads, product placement, etc. but an evaluation of the need and are you the best fit to meet that need.
I know I never have needed cheeseburger doritos and never will.

I think it is important to recognise the real hurdles for most people with social networking are not just fear of technology. I think they are:
1. Fear of not have anything worthwhile to contribute and thinking no one will listen to them
2. Fear of not being `let in’ to the group and feeling left out or excluded (a big one)
3. Fear of exposing their `true’ selves and not being able to hide behind their business persona
4. Feeling that they are going into a world where they have no control over the information others can find out about them or who can contact (or discredit) them (a fear which the media in the UK keeps reinforcing)

If any one has some good examples on how I can help address and alleviate the above fears – either facts and figures or even better, strategies, then I will be able to move onto Chris Brogan’s list with real confidence.

What I have done so far to try and ease my clients and users into the ideas that lie behind social networking are:
Create a link from our business newsletter to a blog to allow an open `discussion’ on the value of social networking;
Created the first in a series of blogs specifically for non-techy’s focusing on the REWARDS rather than the technology (http://www.bloggingforblondes.com);
Am working on an email campaign that has a `tease’ and a link to a blogpage to get `the rest of the story’ where they can leave comments, and participate rather than just treat it as a usual mailshot reminder to use our services.

Looking forward to seeing examples of what others are doing successfully and also not successfully (just as useful!)

Thanks for raising this topic Chris.
Suzy