Winning the Internet

Educating your boss about social media

After a great run, the Winning the Internet blog has been retired. However, you can still keep in touch with New Media Mentors here.






Do you ever find yourself clenching your teeth and supressing the urge to stomp about like a child because your boss doesn’t understand social media? If so, you’re not alone! In Social Media: What To Do If Your Boss Doesn’t Get It, Nonprofit Tech 2.0 offers some sage advice on breaking through to your boss.

For starters, make your case!  Don’t be afraid to use stats and competitive research.  As Nonprofit Tech 2.0 writes:

Compile stats to share with executive staff

98 percent of adults aged 18 to 24 use social media. The second most visited website in the U.S. and the world is Facebook; 71 percent of Americans watch online video; Foursquare has surpassed 1 billion check-ins; one in three Americans access the Mobile Web every day; 73 percent of Americans send and receive text messages. A quick Google search of “social media stats 2011″ pulls up a wide range of stats to share with unaware executive staff.

Find your competitors the Web

If they have well-executed social media campaigns, send executive staff links to their profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare, Tumblr, etc., with a note that you fear your nonprofit is falling behind. Odds are that if you have to do this, then your nonprofit probably is falling behind.

Also, be proactive! Don’t wait for someone else to make social media a part of your job description.

Be proactive

Add your social and mobile media responsibilities to your job description. Then, at your next annual review, at least seed the idea that you can’t add these new responsibilities to your job description without dropping time spent on other duties. Your boss can say no, but you need to be firm. Perhaps even ask for a raise — it never hurts to ask.

For more great tips, check out the rest of the article on Nonprofit Tech 2.0’s blog.

About Melissa Foley

Melissa is the Director of Training and Mentoring for Netroots Foundation and New Media Mentors. She aims to use her MBA + nonprofit background to teach organizations to use new media tools strategically.






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