“We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” Franklin D. Roosevelt
Nothing can kill a corporate social media campaign quicker than fear. This great cause of many problems is the number one barrier to corporate adoption of social media. Consider these types of fear.
Fear of losing control: The old saw is back! But do not underestimate how strong a hold message control still has on today’s communicator. Unwriting 60 years of communications theory — theory that is still being taught in universities throughout the world — is no easy task. It’s no wonder why corporate types balk when they hear brand management theories won’t work anymore.
Fear of negative feedback: Less of an issue these days, but still prevalent. In a class I taught the other day, students were told to ignore negative blog posts and comments. Uh no. Negative posts are an opportunity to listen and engage.
Fear of legal repercussions: Lawyers, they always get in the way! Companies have great fear about how statements made on the blog can be viewed not only from a liability standpoint, but also from a compliance standpoint (you know, the SEC). They forget the company needs to be marketed, that consumers demand open communications from companies.
Fear of change: This more than any is the 800 lb. gorilla that social media advocates really need to start talking about. All of the other fears can be combated using case studies and examples. But no matter how many examples of collaboration and social media excellence a company is exposed to, it must still face itself.
The Big Change
Let’s not oversimplify this change. It’s simple to understand tactically, but simple is not easy. Especially when it involves shifting cultures and decades of practice. Sea changes are extremely difficult to deal with for many people. Human beings just don’t like sudden changes. They balk when the normal gets turned upside down.
Remember “Who Moved My Cheese?” Well, Spencer Johnson can make a killing off of PR agencies and marketing departments for the next few years. It’s going to be rough for some folks (image credit: photo.net).
Competition will eventually force most companies to adapt social media tools, but it’s going to take time. And we who have already adapted need to be patient.
The role of the social media savvy is not to chastise these folks, but to help them. I’ve called it evangelism, but perhaps the right word is coaching. And who hasn’t had someone coach them through a challenge? Or choose another word, navigator, pathfinder, etc. The point is we need to extend an open hand.
Fabulous post, Geoff! Very flattered to be referenced in it!
Hi Geoff,
Great post! I think you’re right about all of the types of fear, but especially about the fear of losing control.
Social media involves conversation and conversation involves moving away from controlling the message. That’s a big shift for a lot of people.
Concise and to the heart of the matter. Bravo! I like your new home, despite some of the technical challenges you may still be facing, it’s very welcoming. That photo there is spooky ;-)
We’ve forgotten that lawyers exist to serve the business, not the other way around. Time to remember and act that way.
Thanks, Lee. You write great content so it’s easy to link to your blog! Anybody in the comments section should check out leehopkins.net.
Dave: How true. It’s so simple for us, but only because we have made the leap already. It’s very hard to unwrite this kind of ingrained thinking.
Valeria, you helped get me there on the blog template. I appreciate your continued support.
Geoff, I like the coaching analogy and agree with the need to extend a hand and be patient. So much of my work as a social media consultant is educational. Some of our client meetings turn into class time, with me playing the role of teacher more than adviser. That will change as more companies get up to speed on social media, but it’s actually a role I enjoy.
All management involves risk but social media is frightening. Perhaps practitioners need to up their management game to help in the mentoring process. I did some work on risk management (http://tinyurl.com/25s2fa) which may help the thinking – and teaching.
Connie: I definitely agree. Coaching is fun.
David: Outstanding feedback, but is it a risk, or just a new way of communication? Regardless the perception is risk, so your points are spot on.
Geoff,
The image of FDR says it all: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Excellent post.
Great post, Geoff. I’m glad to have found your blog via twitter.
I agree that it is critical for the social media savvy to hone our teaching skills and extend a hand where needed. It’s really the only way for the industry to move forward. I think that’s one of the best things about the social media community. We want everyone to learn all they can, so we can continue to learn from each other moving forward. There is just such a fine line between knowing when to push our ideas and knowledge on others – and when to back off and be patient.
P.S. I think our paths may have crossed previously when I was a fellow on the K-12 education team at Widmeyer (Summer 2004).
Hi Geoff,
Great article! I believe you’re right that patience and education will certainly pay off for all those in social media. I think back 10 years ago to when at Monster we were trying to convince people to recruit on the Internet when many people looked at us with blank stares and distrust as to how this could ever work…it was that evalgelism (and passion also) that helped us succeed then and it will help social media companies succeed today. Keep the faith!
Good one Geoff,
Besides, social media will likely do all that to you anyway, whether you are in or out.
Best,
Rich
Lewis: Yes, the iconic fighter of fear.
Emily: They did indeed. Good to see you are with Todd’s group!
Debra: Thanks for sharing that experience. Certainly Monster demonstrated the power of the Internet.
Rich: Thank you for coming by!
evangelize is the perfect way to describe it.
Here is a quote which may sum this up. It is attributed to the pioneer of computing, Thomas J. Watson (IBM).
Would you like me to give you a formula for… success?
It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure… You’re thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all… You can be discouraged by failure — or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that’s where you’ll find success. On the far side of failure.
I always tell people that you can never run as fast when you’re looking behind you… and you’ll never run faster than when you never look back. Fear is a debilitating factor for any business – beyond Social Networking.
As I set across from “those in the know” receiving a lecture why new technologies do not apply to , I often wonder why social media trends are ignored for status quo. This post is true, timely, and helpful in my efforts to combat the evli do-nothings.
I think the fear of change is more like, “I’m not gonna do that…how you know it works? Better yet what is it and what does it do?” So instead of grabbing hold of it and figuring it out, the easy route is to just keep doing what you been doing and not invest time and energy to figure it out. For me personally, I have been grappling at what is social media, and wrapping my mind around the concept (i.e. blogs, facebook) how does it work, and how you go about doing it?
Thank you for the very good post Geoff. You mention “fear of legal repercussions” as blocking more engagement-marketing efforts by companies, and I can confirm this is a real fear. Can you please give me (or point me in the direction of) information on how companies may be held to the things their employees say on a company blog, at least as far as U.S. law is concerned?
Thanks! – Rene (in a telco marketing department)
Yes, yes and yes. I suspect the fear of lack of control and legal risk is the biggest blocker to honest use of social media.
Legal risk is always a concern in large corporations. They employ PR consultants to filter messages and lawyers to look for problems in those messages. I guess that’s their job :)
Geoff, your post goes the “heart” of the matter. Whether an individual or large corporation, your post highlights what we’ve seen time and time again. Fear is always present in some form and to some degree, it’s a powerful force that can freeze the brain. A demonstration of just how fragile things are below the surface. Thanks for the post.
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