Facebook in the public sector Getting senior management buy-in Darren Caveney I 14 March 2012

Getting senior management buy-in How often are you having to make the case for using social media?

Getting senior management buy-in Really, there are barriers?

Getting senior management buy-in So, how do we turn that around and get buy-in?

Getting senior management buy-in what we need is a plan Heres one…

Getting senior management buy-in Seven-point business case… 1. Talk in senior management language… -Dont prattle on about social media -Talk about delivering digital engagement -Talk about innovation -Talk about customer experience -Talk about channel shift -Talk about VFM and ROI

Getting senior management buy-in Seven-point business case 2. Be strategic, not tactical -Position social media as a strategic solution, not just a tactical tool -Its not about social media – its about engaging customers -Its a marketing-led approach to business: Its what many customers want, expect, demand

Getting senior management buy-in Seven-point business case 3. Its about the metrics - The numbers are compelling and undeniable -If Facebook were a country… yeah, yeah, yeah -Need to make it local and relevant -50% people now follow brands on social media* -36% users post brand related content* *Source: thesocialskinny.com

Getting senior management buy-in Seven-point business case 4. Whats the story… -Talk up the opportunity to tell your organisations story -Paint a picture, create a narrative -Be human, be open -And anyway, why rely on a newspaper to tell your story?

Getting senior management buy-in Seven-point business case 5. Reputational benefits -Positioning -Access -Conversation -Learning -Perception is that public sector is poor – actually, there are some exemplars in social media

Getting senior management buy-in Seven-point business case 6. The world has changed -Do we really want to get left behind? -Press releases to newspapers which are going out of business… -Where will your organisation be in 5-years time if you dont embrace and engage?

Getting senior management buy-in Seven-point business case 7. Dont be afraid to remind them…

Getting senior management buy-in Facebook and social media isnt just for geeks…

Getting senior management buy-in Five donts (to sell to your management team…)

Getting senior management buy-in Five donts 1.Dont spend months organising a social media group and trying to get everyone into a room on the 12 th of never…

Getting senior management buy-in Five donts 2. Dont spend months writing a complicated social media strategy

Getting senior management buy-in Five donts 3. Dont forget your helicopter view – strategic, not tactical

Getting senior management buy-in Five donts 4. Dont forget your staff…

Getting senior management buy-in Five donts 5. Dont do what youve always done before – innovate, evolve…

Getting senior management buy-in Five dos (to sell to your management team…)

Getting senior management buy-in Five dos 1. Do share your objectives & outcomes

Getting senior management buy-in Five dos 2. Do understand and manage expectations…

Getting senior management buy-in Five dos 3. Do keep selling the opportunity to engage with your residents, your customers and your staff…

Getting senior management buy-in Five dos 4. Do point out that it is no longer possible to control the message

Getting senior management buy-in Five dos 5. Do create a campaign that can galvanise and provide a kick- start…

Getting senior management buy-in The best plans are the simple ones… Agree what you want to be famous for… keep it simple, stick to it, work together, make it happen

Getting senior management buy-in So, itll be easy now, yes? Not necessarily. What else can we do to convince the powers that be…

Getting senior management buy-in Five tactics that work (and are simple… ) 1.The Bear Trap 2.Try something small, keep it to yourself… 3.Get yourself a friend, a supporter, an advocate, a sponsor 4.If you have to pitch your proposal – pitch it to someone who can say yes 5.BUT – you may only get one chance to pitch, so get it right

Getting senior management buy-in They still wont listen… So, get some help - invite someone external to talk to your senior management team

Getting senior management buy-in And dont forget one of the greatest selling points of all… Its flipping FREE… You are not asking for money

Getting senior management buy-in And ask them straight: - Do we trust our staff? - Do we want to empower them? - Arent they our greatest asset? So lets provide the tools to deliver.

Getting senior management buy-in When things go wrong:

Getting senior management buy-in When things go wrong… Do make it absolutely clear that if things do go wrong, they must not close it all down. That would be a huge mistake, A risk.

Getting senior management buy-in So, what next… Senior managers like strategies… Heres an effective social media strategy: JFDI How many big strategies do you already have and how effective have they all been?

Getting senior management buy-in So, what next… If you win that battle, theyll make you write a detailed protocol… Is that necessary?

Getting senior management buy-in No – social media guidelines in 140 characters

Getting senior management buy-in Lets recap - You may need a business case - You need a plan, a vision - Simple is often best… - You have some tactics to make it fly -You have help/support out there -Be brave – dont be afraid to challenge

Getting senior management buy-in thanks for being social

Questions? Panel session Photo credits – US National Archive