Cutting Through the Social Media Hype

As we’ve rolled out our corporate social media program over the past two months – the first process-driven, enterprise-wide service available – we’ve heard two things from marketers, executives, industry analysts and the press:

1. DBE is, indeed, the first to approach social media across all business units with a smart, clear and proven adoption process
   
   
2. We’re the gazillionth company this week to talk about social media and all the super-awesome things it can do for brands

Here at DBE, we, too, are bombarded with news and info about social media every day, and we’re constantly talkingwith companies, many of them start-ups, pitching the newest social media tools. So we understand the challenge that businesses face in wading through the hype around social media to get to the information and resources that will actually help their bottom line.

So, here are some tips to help marketers and executives get information they can use:

Take a step back
You can pretty much ignore all the pitches, tools and articles that tell you what you can do until you’ve built a framework that informs what types of social media activities you should do.

Stay in the adoption “safe zone”
Let the early adopters handle the trial and error when it comes to new social networks and tools. Check back 3months or so after you first hear about the “next big thing” and work the learnings gleaned from early adopters into your own strategy. Get started when it makes sense for your business while avoiding being a late arrival or missing the boat

Partner with a social media firm
Unless you have a full-time social media expert on-staff, it makes sense to partner with a firm that specializes in this area. Social media experts like Digital Brand Expressions that take a test and learn approach are continually examining, researching and vetting the value of social media tools and services. Your social media partner should have a thorough understanding of your business and be able to pass along insights and ideas specific to your brand and your company objectives.

Visit http://www.digitalbrandexpressions.com/services/index.asp for more information on Digital Brand Expressions’ social media services.