Comments on: How do you know it's time to invest in social media? http://www.socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in.html Social media strategy, training for associations, non-profits Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:48:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Caron Mason, CAE http://www.socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in.html#comment-580 Caron Mason, CAE Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:12:00 +0000 http://socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in-social-media.html#comment-580 My opinion of the matter is that you just don't know until you try. Yes, an organization should plan ahead and try to figure out the benefits and costs (including time) before jumping into social media. But I also see a lot of social media as being low-cost and easy to experiment with. If you succeed, the benefits are high. And if you fail, there usually isn't much harm done. <br/><br/>For example, my last association was very reluctant to try a blog . It took years of convincing (maybe begging is a better word) until senior volunteer leadership and senior staff finally gave me the go ahead to try although they warned me it would most likely fail. <br/><br/>The first blog we launched wasn't very successful--but it had a very small audience. We took the lessons learned and tried again with a larger blog that reached out to all in the association's represented profession (members or not). After only two months, it's the first thing that pops up on several Google searches and, traffic-wise, is one of our most popular webpages. My opinion of the matter is that you just don’t know until you try. Yes, an organization should plan ahead and try to figure out the benefits and costs (including time) before jumping into social media. But I also see a lot of social media as being low-cost and easy to experiment with. If you succeed, the benefits are high. And if you fail, there usually isn’t much harm done.

For example, my last association was very reluctant to try a blog . It took years of convincing (maybe begging is a better word) until senior volunteer leadership and senior staff finally gave me the go ahead to try although they warned me it would most likely fail.

The first blog we launched wasn’t very successful–but it had a very small audience. We took the lessons learned and tried again with a larger blog that reached out to all in the association’s represented profession (members or not). After only two months, it’s the first thing that pops up on several Google searches and, traffic-wise, is one of our most popular webpages.

]]> By: Henri http://www.socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in.html#comment-579 Henri Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:49:00 +0000 http://socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in-social-media.html#comment-579 Lindy, <br/><br/>I'm flattered that I inspired a post. But I still disagree a bit with what you're saying. I posted a response on my blog. <br/><br/>http://www.makembe.com/index.php/2008/10/09/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in-social-media-my-response/ Lindy,

I’m flattered that I inspired a post. But I still disagree a bit with what you’re saying. I posted a response on my blog.

http://www.makembe.com/index.php/2008/10/09/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in-social-media-my-response/

]]> By: Maggie http://www.socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in.html#comment-578 Maggie Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000 http://socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in-social-media.html#comment-578 I totally agree, Lindy--I think that spending time learning and monitoring is a necessary first step for any association even considering investing in social media. Not only do you "learn by doing"--thereby reducing potential training costs once a social media plan is in place--but you get a sense of what might be worth investing time and money in and what might not be very useful to your members. And, most importantly, you'll be armed with concrete answers to the inevitable "What do we stand to gain from this?" There's a big difference between explaining to decision-makers what Twitter is (after which they will ALWAYS ask "What's the point?”) and being able to say we have 100 followers, including x number of members, reporters, bloggers, etc. Any concrete number or example you can pull from your experimenting will prove invaluable in terms of getting buy in to proceed with developing and implementing a social media strategy. I totally agree, Lindy–I think that spending time learning and monitoring is a necessary first step for any association even considering investing in social media. Not only do you “learn by doing”–thereby reducing potential training costs once a social media plan is in place–but you get a sense of what might be worth investing time and money in and what might not be very useful to your members. And, most importantly, you’ll be armed with concrete answers to the inevitable “What do we stand to gain from this?” There’s a big difference between explaining to decision-makers what Twitter is (after which they will ALWAYS ask “What’s the point?”) and being able to say we have 100 followers, including x number of members, reporters, bloggers, etc. Any concrete number or example you can pull from your experimenting will prove invaluable in terms of getting buy in to proceed with developing and implementing a social media strategy.

]]> By: jeremy http://www.socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in.html#comment-577 jeremy Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:26:00 +0000 http://socialfish.org/2008/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-invest-in-social-media.html#comment-577 this may be extreme, but it won't be too long before you have NO choice but to invest in social media. this is primarily due to the way that communication is evolving (i.e., if I don't like what you are saying on FB, I can de-friend you...and then you just can't reach me...at all. You don't exist.<br/><br/>So, if associations want to maintain a conversation with their members, tey will have no alternative this may be extreme, but it won’t be too long before you have NO choice but to invest in social media. this is primarily due to the way that communication is evolving (i.e., if I don’t like what you are saying on FB, I can de-friend you…and then you just can’t reach me…at all. You don’t exist.

So, if associations want to maintain a conversation with their members, tey will have no alternative

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