Way to go Germany! (Maybe)
According to a recent Fink & Fuchs study, more than half of all German organizations use social media, although there are deficiencies seen in their use and execution.
It also reports that about half have used social only for a year or less, which means there are a LOT of folks out there who are probably learning as they go. Everytime I read a stat that references fear of ‘loss of control’ I immediately translate it in my head into lack of confidence. Simply because the self-generated nature of the Social Web we live with now ensures that control as it was once known has been lost forever. So a loss of control really means that ‘we have no confidence that we will be able to act when/if someone complains or attacks us’. And you can see this lack of confidence as well in how lowly they rate their competence in social media.
While confidence is a journey to develop, a lack of competence in social can be addressed by putting solid planning, governance and guidelines in place. And written guidelines are essential. It’s not just about documentation - it’s about putting down in black and white:
- What you believe
- What your purpose is for social
- What you expect, and
- How you’ll behave
In working with our clients to set up strategies, objectives and operations for social media, we find that the time spent gaining this strategic alignment on the front end of our planning process makes implementation much easier. And the team becomes more confident and ready to enter the space with purpose.
Can anyone share a story from one of these recent German forays into social? How did or can you inspire confidence in the organization?
