How best can I persuade my boss to use social media?

My employer is relatively old with a low opinion of social media. I recently advised him that we publicise our furniture business on social media but he outrightly rejected the idea, saying we have always sold our items without online presence. I feel he is obstructing the business from growing. How can I convince him to see sense in what I am saying? Richard

The best way of beginning the process of convincing your employer is to look at the issue using “lenses” from their perspective. You will understand why he perceives and interprets social media the way he does or why he resists it.

Brands are used to being in control and using familiar marketing styles. Adopting new ways of marketing where the customers are in control is a scary thing to them. Most people lack full knowledge on the inner workings of social media. One way of convincing your employer is researching ongoing conversations about your company and providing a summary in a very visual way. There are more than 25 free analytical tools for marketers such as Google Analytics.

These can help you sync up data from all major sites, pull various reports, obtain screenshots of tweets, comments, brand or competitor engagement among others. You need to include information not only about what your competitors are doing in this space but what is being said about them. Also single out clear examples where they have failed to listen to social media or address customers concerns and the outcomes.

Another way is using external consultants to help you build a case. The reality is that these seem to have more convincing power and credibility than internal experts. If that is the case, then enlist their services to help your employer understand that conversations are happening with or without them and that they do not have a choice but to join in.

Solomon Muhiirwa
Human Resource Manager
NTV Uganda
[email protected]