Social media? Isn't that just kids texting what they ate for lunch?

Today we’re at PodCamp Pittsburgh 4, Anthony and I, along with hundreds of social media friends and colleagues. I spoke this morning on what seemed to be a popular topic: “How to Sell Social Media to Your Boss.”

You know social media is a great tool for marketing, customer feedback, and developing valuable communities, but your boss thinks it’s a waste of resources — or even a danger to the organization. How can you make your case? Cynthia Closkey of Big Big Design will discuss what managers need to know about social media and online networking, resources for finding examples and statistics that have weight, and a simple plan for helping your organization move ahead.

The room was full — sorry to those who found themselves having to sit on the floor — and many people shared their questions and conundrums about how to bring social media tools into their organizations.

Earlier this week, Chris Brogan had a post on the same topic. My ideas overlap his; it’s lovely to be in such good company on a topic. I particularly liked his idea for keeping your proposal for a pilot project to just one page, so I adopted that into my presentation. If you use that and it works, please thank Chris. Continue reading →