3 ways to get upper management on board with social media

From the strategic plan to measuring success

If you are fighting to get a green light on your social media strategy or looking to request more resources for social media, you’ll need upper management on board. To do this, you’ll have to prove that social media is a worthwhile investment for the company. Here are three ways you can sell social media to upper management.

1. Create a strategic plan.

Your approach to social media must be determined by your business and the industry it operates within. Wanting to jump into social media because it’s fun and “everyone’s doing it” isn’t reason enough. Let management know you have a plan that makes sense for your business. The C-suite doesn’t want every finite detail, so keep your presentation simple with a one-pager or a few slides. Be prepared to answer questions based off the research you’ve done and the plan you’ve created.

2. Include research related to your industry.

For obvious reasons, what works in social media for Doritos won’t work in social media for B2B companies. That doesn’t mean that the B2B businesses don’t have a place on social media. Make sure your upper management knows you considered your company’s role in social media and that you’re not trying to force your company to be something it's not. Back up your approach with research that may include an analysis of your competitors, industry research and an analysis of the potential audience within the channels you’re exploring.

3. Demonstrate how you’ll measure success.

Goals should be a central theme of your discussion with upper management. Communicate the goals of your social media plan and how you will measure whether your plan is reaching these goals. If the goal is new leads, how many will you generate? If it’s web traffic, what percentage do you want to see traffic increase, and what action do you want social users to take on the website? What types of interaction and engagement are you hoping to see?

Remember, your goal is to convince upper management that they are missing many opportunities by not investing in social media. Demonstrate how social media will provide ROI, and you’ll make it easy for management to give you the green light. To help you in your social media planning, Axia Public Relations offers a social media management guide. Download it today to learn the best practices for social media in your business.

Julie Miller is a marketing and communications professional, working for more than seven years in the industry. She has primarily worked in the technology and education sectors and specializes in digital marketing and communications. Julie has worked with Axia since November 2015.

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