To recap Event #2 led by Mack Collier we were beginning to look at the organization and the cultural changes needed to embrace and engage in Social Media in general. We began to identify the barriers. Some of the barriers mentioned included:
- Legal / compliance
- Perceived lack of measurement leading to ROI – this translates into reluctance to fund initiatives until proven.
- Lack of trained resources – employees, in general, are not well versed in communicating socially including how they represent themselves, the company, how they relate to consumers and interested buyers.
- Requires a culture that enables innovation, experimentation, says “failure is an option”
- Multiple levels throughout the company need to be empowered to take initiative.
And there was a resounding agreement around Fear in general then more focused in fear of the unknown. What if people say bad things, what if our actions spark a backlash, etc.
Regardless of the barriers, there was mutual agreement in the need for better education and social media specific training. This was beginning to lead into broader discussions of an overall roadmap to help companies adapt their cultures to better fit the always on, always connected markets where people expect more ways to interact than simply a call center. We did not have time to get into specifics so will attempt to carry this over to next week.
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