Even though I left Cleveland/Northeastern Ohio six months ago (exactly to the day), I still say in pretty regular contact with friends/professional contacts that I made in the area. It's one of the beauties of social media, right? Geography is no longer a factor in effectively networking with like-minded professionals. With that ability comes lots of good, and bad news. Over the last few weeks, I've heard a number of accounts from "locals" who still say that the corporate community in Cleveland has yet to really adopt social. Why? If we wrote this post two years ago I could see it, but now? Sure, the area is not typically a trailblazer when it comes to technology, but with so many using social media to bolster communications efforts why is there still hesitation? With that as a backdrop, I offer this open letter to Northeastern Ohio brand managers.

Dear Northeastern Ohio Brand Manager -

I write to you in the hopes that this letter will spark something within you, and your organization to get started in social media. There is a large number of you that have yet to adopt. Why? Is it because of regulatory concerns? Is it because your "corporate culture" is very conservative when it comes to technology? Is it because you do not spend as much money on communications as other companies who are already engaging in social? Are you concerned about scaling up to meet the demands of social media? Is it because you think it isn't measurable, or result in real return? I can tell you that there are companies of similar size who have asked, and then answered these questions -- many 12-24 months ago.

Unfortunately for you, the number of different technologies has exploded exponentially, while the possible uses has gone up. There's even more to consider now. Where do we start? How do we start? What do we say? Now, you've got these questions, plus some of the ones I asked above.

So what do you do? Well, assuming you work with an outside firm I'd recommend you bring them in to talk about using social technologies to augment current efforts. Or even bring them in to have a frank discussion about how social could be used to support your business goals. One word of caution though: If they come in talking about tools, politely ask them to leave. This isn't about tools. It's about using social tools to solve business problems. OK, so if you bring them in who should be there from your side? Well, ideally you'd bring in someone from corporate communications, marketing (other than yourself), internal communications (HR), legal (yes, even legal) and market research. That last one might surprise you, but these are the folks who really help set the direction for your communications efforts. If you aren't ready to engage in social, at least you can be listening to conversations. Ideally, you'd want your listening agenda to align with your offline research agenda. Hence, why market research should be in the room.

Social media allows you to get closer to your customers than what has ever been possible through traditional communications channels. Why wouldn't you want to know your customer better? I'll assure you that if they are already an ambassador of yours, they wouldn't mind knowing you better. Even the folks who have only recently bought your product want to know you better. It's how you turn them from someone who casually buys your product into someone who constantly buys your product, and then tells everyone else about it. You want the latter...trust me.

Are you still looking for case studies? I'd encourage you to check out this list, or even a list created by Chris Brogan. I can assure you that they aren't all Dell, or Comcast, or Southwest Airlines. They are companies big, and small who all had the same questions you have. They are companies that have saved millions in recruiting costs, or sold millions through Twitter, or increased the number of generated leads through social media.

I can attest to there being a lot of smart pros in the area - talk to Lisa Zone. or Dominic Litten, or Melissa Koski. Heck, give me a call if you want. I may not be living in the area anymore, but I still care what happens to people there. After you've talked to them, or someone else, start by listening. The reasons for engaging in social become clearer the more research you conduct.

It's time to wake up and ditch the communications efforts that involve deluging the world with press releases. No, I'm not saying press releases are bad. It is also time to ditch the media relations effort that involves pitching nonstop. Guess what? That doesn't work. How about you use social to determine who has the most influence and then reach out to that group? Sounds much better right? Time to stop advertising for the sake of advertising. Time to stop using old recruiting methods when LinkedIn gives you a better chance to reach the people you want to reach.

Pull some people together. Do some research. Get in the ballgame. We, and your customers are waiting!

Sincerely,

Chuck Hemann