So far this week, we’ve taken three hammers to the toughest nut in B2B Social Media: Selling in an environment that hates sales pitches. Today’s cudgel? Organizing an industry-changing movement through a network like Ning.
There’s already a lot out there about creating movements through social media. So let’s hit the one topic that’s overlooked: getting management to sign off on this experimental and pricey technique. How to do it? Try the “Glow, Slow, Grow” formula.
I admit you can create comprehensive communities using Ning’s tools and basic graphics. But B2B-class Nings will require pricey customization — meaning coders — and high-end design elements to attract your discriminating audience. How do you get around it? Skip it for the moment. Just go for a “Glow:” a great looking skin that dresses up Ning’s already impressive usability. The look communicates what the site could be, and you lower expectations proportionately with the next step: “Slow.”
“Slow” refers to community member recruitment. Start really small with a graduated pilot. First with five people, then ten, then 20, and up to a couple hundred. You tell people from the start (people who already know and trust you) that this is an experiment. They’ll find that aspect intriguing, and it lowers expectations about bells and whistles. Run the community for a couple months, or just long enough to gather metrics and have a proof of concept for the bosses. If the proof is there, the funding will follow.
Once sign-off is secured, go to the “Grow” phase. Big time. Build out the customized features, add beautiful layers to the skin and community experience, and then open the doors to the wider world.
Glow, Slow, Grow. You’ll have your community, your thought leadership position, new connections to test drive and a long list of qualified leads to pursue.
