Originally published on The New Group blog on 1.6.09
Harness the social capital within your organization & leverage your agency to deepen your insights.
Thinking of moving beyond listening to online conversation around your brand to a mode of engaging with influential bloggers and participants within social communities? There’s a lot of opportunity to join the conversation these days, but prepare yourself and your organization first before jumping in.
Before immediately looking outside your organization for experts to engage in dialogue on behalf of your brand, look internally – you might just be surprised at what you find. Your strongest brand evangelist may be sitting right down the hall, across the country or working remotely from their home office. These people know your brand, can engage as direct representatives and bring an immediate level of authenticity to online dialogue.
However, consider this, while you may find people within your organization with deep expertise in various areas, they may not be comfortable sharing their opinions and thoughts openly on the web. With this in mind, look for people who are both interested in contributing and knowledgeable on topics that matter to your brand. Passion for engaging in the online social mediums will provide the fuel for your program.
Understanding this, while a direct representative of your brand is often the best way to build trust with online audiences who are eager to dialogue with your company, you may want assistance getting started and managing your program as it evolves over time. This is where your agency partner can help you with setting program strategy and objectives, diving deep into conversations to mine for trends and unearth engagement opportunities, amplifying your program with fresh ideas and unique angles to approach your prospects and customers.
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