There continues to be mass-adoption of social media as a way to build brands (both personal and corporate), communicate, collaborate and coordinate in a social network architecture.  Today we are going to talk about the big guys:  Midsize to Enterprise.  It is undeniable that this has, and will, continue the way we work and share information.  This paradigm has completely altered the way customers relate to brands and the way that corporate brand managers should operate.

Social Media Is Not Your Typical Marketing Channel

So to begin with, let's separate the notion of buying adspace in social networks from using the space in it's intended function.  Yes, you traditional marketers can buy adspace and talk about all the "eyeballs" that your corporate brand was exposed to.  You can use this KPI to show a good ROI.  You may even get kudos for this due to the lack of understanding of the space.  However, this is not "participating" in social media.  The real ROI a corporate marketer can realize comes from developing communities, creating content, listening and talking directly with their customers.  In short, it's not about "eyeballs" or ad buys.  It's about driving direct interaction between your employees and your customers.  It's about creating an open forum for your subject matter expertise to shine with visibility to all.  This is a hard thing for many companies to embrace.  But the ones that do and do so fearlessly are the ones who win.

Institutional Silos Will Work Against You

One of the difficult hurdles companies have to overcome almost before they even get started in social media is the traditional silo'd structure of the institution.  Social media overlaps vertical silos in a horizontal fashion.  For instance, where do you put it?  It's part marketing, part sales.  It's part content creation, PR and communications.  It's part IT, web development and design.  So what this means is, right from the beginning, nobody knows where to "put" it.  To get past this, some companies will have to completely rethink and reinvent (which is coming sooner or later anyways).  For CEOs and business owners, think about this: You didn't start your company without taking 'bold actions' to carve out your niche or competitive advantage.  It's time to put that early entrepreneur hat back on, get involved and reinvent.  Really, it's an opportunity to get back to your passion if you choose to embrace it that way.

No Matter What Your Market, Your Audience Is Global

If you are a regional or even a national company, you now have a global audience.  This again is generally a hurdle that the successful big brands have fearlessly embraced.  However, in a world where there are plenty of "causes for concern," this is another roadblock that many companies have a hard time getting comfortable with.  Also, most marketing, sales and PR department objectives are structured either locally, regionally or nationally.  So again, concerns will arise as to who gets "credit" and how do you keep "Arizona" reps from stealing your "Texas" reps' territory.  Another mindshift to embrace but the upside could be boundless.

Gotta Get Past The Quarterly Goal And Look Long-Term

Social media is not a "marketing campaign" but a long-term endeavor.  When it comes to getting involved, building a network, and getting your audience engaged, expecting big results the first quarter you initiate your effort is just not realistic.  There's also another mindshift that generally needs to occur at the organizational level.  Most PR, communication, sales and marketing departments operate on short timelines and are looking for quick results.  This is just another example of where the management has to get comfortable embracing something new.

Change Is Hard

I have a theory.  The theory goes like this.  We are all indifferent unless we are inspired or desperate.  When you think about how fundamental shifts happen they are generally surrounded by a period of chaos.  In this current shift (the shift to doing business in a flat world), some people and companies will embrace what's next.  We've all said this; "If I knew what I know now back then...."  So now I'll ask the same question that I asked myself:  "Knowing what I know now, what am I doing to day to be prepared for when..."  Hopefully that makes sense to more people than just me

Stay tuned folks.  I'm working very hard to bring all this full-circle so we have a holistic lens to look at these changes and hopefully (you and I) will have a better perspective to deal with the surrounding chaos of this economic evolution.