When it comes to marketing on the web, size really doesn’t matter. You can be a corner shop or multinational titan of commerce – on the internet it’s a level playing field for everyone.

The best news of all is you can get ahead of the competition for free!

All you need is some smart thinking and two simple tools:

• Blogging
• Podcasting

That’s the bytestart stuff out the way for now. You can read the rest by clicking on the link above.

I want to take you on a slightly different journey from here since you’re already muchly acquainted with the potency of Conversaction. I want to take you deeper.

Since I wrote this article I’ve heard from slightly larger clients that they have on occasions hit stumbling blocks with their social media strategies courtesy of the boys and girls at the top of the corporate tree. As you know I firmly believe that Conversaction should play a fundamental role in the social media functions of any SME.

But there’s indubitably resistance from the naysayer brigade to integrating any form of electronica into the customer service channel. I think it’s lack of knowledge that strikes fear into their quaking corpses.

Help is at hand, however. Here:

1. If you come across over-burdening sensitivity to the opportunities that Conversaction will bring to your company, find a way of making it their idea. Leading questions will help you achieve this. “How can we reach out to the customer better; cheaper?” “There must be a way we can gather more intelligent insight into our customers’ needs…” “We really need to connect to our customers in a new and exciting way. A cost-effective way. [Pause for dramatic effect; gasps] Imagine if we could really do this!”
2. Selling tangible benefits is key to any convincing business ‘argument’. The facts are there for everyone to see – social media is both inexpensive and hugely successful when a strategy is in place that is tailored to your company’s exacting requirements.
3. If your competition is using a social media, Conversaction-style strategy, focus on it. Pick out the salient points, reveal them with great drama to your superiors. There’s a millisecond of cerebral computation between the revelation and realisation in this process. Covet it and deliver the killer line as the penny drops: “… but we can do better!”
4. Quantify the values of both having a social media strategy, and NOT having one. How much more business comes in through Facebook, Twitter, referral etc. vs. how far does the stock drop when someone with a broken guitar makes a video on YouTube? You also need to propose strategy for control, so the sensitive leaders won’t feel like the interns are posting as the face of the company. These days, a consumer company without a social media presence doesn’t really exist in the public’s eyes. But one also needs to have some control over what is the official voice of the company, and what isn’t.
5. Get the C-levellers to do some Twitter searches on the product category. The results will amaze. You can set up automated alerts using the search URL from search.twitter.com and inserting it into Google Alerts. You can also find out from this how many people are searching for those keywords. Awesomeness. It’s a deadly way to win approval for social media strateginess to kick off in your organisation.

Of course there are many, many more ways to inspire your bosses to take the next step. You need to create excitement, because that’s in a nutshell what social media is all about. It’s instantaneous – anything real time is guaranteed to stir the minds of even the staunchest of critics. Check out:

• 5 ways social media will transform your business – Dr Rachna Jain tells customergency.com why you need to be working on a social media strategy right away.
• How to sell social media to cynics – incredibly powerful resources to help you close the deal – and show why you deserve a promotion in the process!
• Chris Brogan’s webinar entitled How to Demonstrate the Value of Social Media to Your Boss.

I’m really excited. This wouldn’t normally affect you, but today it does.

Today marks the launch by Word And Mouth of Conversaction.

Conversaction turns conversation into action and sales.

Conversaction is a three-step process that…

1. Engages the customer with passionate, dynamic business blogging
2. Impels meaningful, consistent two-way conversation through podcasting that adds value to the customer relationship
3. Instigates sales by projecting both actions in unison.

While the elements of Conversaction have always been at the heart of everything we do at Word And Mouth, it’s great to have solidified our aims and objectives into a simple, measurable concept. One that will work wonders for your business, now and into the future.

Start the Conversaction today – drop us a line for more information.