6 Questions To Ask The CEO When He Says Social Media Won’t Work For His Company
I recently wrote an article “9 Ways To Convince The CEO To Use Social Media and Enter The 21st Century” which received a lot of comments and in fact is the second most popular article on my blog with over 4,200 hits and 22 comments…they make interesting reading. So it appears that it is a a topic on a lot of peoples minds.
In thinking about it…. convincing is not just about “telling” .. though you do need to provide facts and figures and case studies.
The art of the sale is often more about asking the right questions and getting them to provide their own answers that lets them come to their own conclusion. … then “they” own the answer.
So when I came upon an online video of a presentation by David Meerman-Scott it provided a few more pieces to the puzzle.
These are the questions .. I have also placed next to each question what current research is showing is the response rate to different types of marketing.
In the last few months have you either professionally or personally.
1.Responded or answered to a direct mail letter or brochure? (Current research shows only 3% have responded)
2. Did you follow up on a mainstream media advertisment such as TV, Radio, Magazine or Newspaper? (22%)
3. Did you go to the Yellow Pages to look up a company to buy a product? (3%)
4. Did you Google and search online when looking to purchase a product or service? (97%)
5. Used Your Peer to Peer Network via Facebook, Instant Messenger, Twitter, LinkedIn or other Social Media to get a URL to a website for a product that you were looking to buy? (80%)
And here is the clincher…..
6. So why are you still using marketing for your company that you yourself have minimal response to?
Note: These are also useful to include in a powerpoint presentation and I have been doing this recently with great results.
What questions are you asking?…
Right on the money here Jeff – and David Meerman Scott’s book is outstanding.
I get a sense that social media/networking is seen by many CEOs as an unwelcome distraction from doing “real work”, and the most misunderstood element of marketing today. Often confused with what folks see their “kids” doing messing about on facebook. Hey I wish I had facebook to “mess around on” when I was a kid – I’m sure I’d have a huge network of friends to work with in business now – RIGHT?
Percentages seem way off from those in recent studies by TMP/comScore and Borrell.
Also curious about the methodology of the cited study.
Good thoughts, Jeff. There is a bridge of logic yet to cross. Likewise, I find it interesting that executives who value relationships at country clubs, and who spend big money to entertain clients in stadium suites don’t make the connection with online social media. Maybe PR people need to do a better job of explaining the “big party” idea. jrb