training for social media success

August 23, 2012#AGAcademy

Training for Social Media Success:How Internal Education Can Make or Break a Social Business

Charlene Li, Founder and Partner@charleneli

© 2012 Altimeter Group #AGAcademy

Why Social Media Training is Important

Case Studies

How to Get Started

Altimeter Academy Offerings

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Agenda


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Why train on social media?

Risk mitigation Scaling engagement


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Companies don’t want this to happen

March 6, 2012: “Dinner w/Board tonite. Used to be fun. Now one must

be on guard every second.”

March 7, 2012: “Board meeting. Good

numbers=Happy Board.”

March 10, 2012: “I am logging off Twitter now because co-workers are

looking at me as I'm laughing.”


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Honda Crosstour under Facebook fire

Fans take to the page’s wall with gripes on Crosstour’s design


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Honda employee posing as fan


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Half of your employees use social media regularly – what can they say or not say?

Joe works for Acme.

Sally, a Facebook friend posts on Joe’s wall:

“You know those widgets Acme makes? You work there -- would you recommend that I get some?”

What does Joe do?


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Social touches all aspects of the organization

Social Media

Sales

Finance

Research

Brands

HR

Legal

Digital

IT

Marketing

PR/Comms

Training must address more than just marketing

and communications


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There’s always a new network to learn


It’s about relationships.

© 2012 Altimeter Group


Social media training is about developing judgment

What you should do



What you should do

What you shouldn’t do



What you should do

What you shouldn’t do

Judgment is needed in between



Case Studies Dell

Cisco

Best Practices

How to Get Started


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Agenda



Dell’s engagement in social media was literally “sparked”

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Osaka, JapanJune 2006


Value of “Direct2Dell” guided their response17


“Embedding Social Media Across the Fabric of Dell”

Need to Scale drove Dell’s social media vision18

2006 2012

4,000

25,000

Number of posts a day about Dell


Start with social media principles and strategy to make sure everyone is aligned on goals

• What do you *have* to know in order to get engaged?

Focus is on how Dell uses social media to engage

• Not what is Twitter and what it does

• But the reason and logic for the way Dell uses Twitter

Dell’s approach to social media training19


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Social Media and Community University (aka SMaC U)

Course levels:101: Principles201: Dell’s Strategy301: Brand Guidelines401: Platform Specific

To date, 6,000 employees trained and certified to engage on behalf of Dell

Photos provided by Dell. Dell Social Media and Community University.


Engagement, not “training”

• Takes 8 hours to be certified

Delivered in-person

• 2 full-time trainers

• 15 superusers train in EMEA and APJ, and translate materials

Use Chatter to continue learning “on the job”

Components of Dell Training21



SMaC Training Completion Certificate



Grounded in a strategy and vision for the role of social media at Dell.

Committed to ongoing learning, not one-time training.

Customized and specific to Dell’s circumstances.

Focused on maximizing opportunities as well as mitigating risks.

Best Practices from Dell’s Social Media Training Program

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Multi-track approach to meet specific needs• Social strategists, primary job is social

• Subject matter experts, communication specialists, where social is only part of their job or not part of it at all

• Executives

• All employees

Multi-tiered to offer advanced social strategists deeper training

To date, 40 courses developed • With employees and contractors from all over the company and regions

participating

• Full-time trainer delivers several courses throughout the month and also develops the coursework

• Producer takes on the burden of producing the course for trainer can focus on the content and instruction full-time

Cisco’s approach to Social Media Training24


Courses last only 30-45 minutes, with Q&A

• Delivered via Webex

• Recorded for future playback

Recognition, reporting and posting of course accomplishments internally, includes “badging”

Example: Writing for Social Media Core Course

1. Learn the strategy behind the communication style

2. Elective course for more practical applications

3. Virtual groups further develop best practices

4. Supplement with hands-on labs

5. Community forum discussions, resources, and networking that’s available 24/7

At the end of the course, instructions on what to do next

Focus on best practices25


How they can support social media efforts

• Understand the opportunities created by social media

• Protect reputation of the company

• Build their own reputations, social interactions, and networks

How to participate themselves

• Directly if they are comfortable with social media

- Writing for social media, how to build a following

• Or working with the external communications team that supports that executive

• Participate in the social media reverse mentoring program to get one-on-one training

Executive Training also is a key component26


Focus: Provide a better understanding of social media principles, best practices, and application internally

• Courses are focused in areas Cisco believes are important to developing and implementing social media efforts that support the company’s integrity and reputation.

• Participants achieve a higher comfort level and understanding of ways to leverage social media, empowering them and supporting the company’s philosophy of supporting use of this channel.

• Gaming incentives and growth opportunities are included through badges and certifications to motivate participants

Any Cisco employee or contractor engaging in social media must read and accept (e-signature) the company’s social media policy before participating

• With this e-signature, Cisco can chart who has accepted it

Training for all Cisco employees27



Case Studies

How to Get Started


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Agenda



Determine business goals being supported by social media strategy and efforts.

Review social media policies and guidelines and their role in the education program.

Understand training needs for each role, especially around opportunities and risks.

Agree on measurement that will be used to assess the success of training.

Prioritize training needs.

Create training program based on those prioritized needs.

Creating a Social Media Training Program29


Business goals and social media strategy give focus to training

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Be clear about business goals being supported.

Understand how social media will support those specific goals.


Ensure that two key social media policies are in place and robust:

1. General use of social media.

2. Use of social media for company purposes.

Key areas to review:

• Does it cover what employees can/should do in personal social media with regards to your company?

• Are there clear examples of what to do in additional to what not to do?

• Is there a shortened version that can be quickly reviewed?

• Is there a process for managers to follow in case there are issues?

• Are guidelines and process in place for people to follow

• Is governance clear on how to make decisions and resolve issues?

Policy and guidelines reviews31


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Roles Require Differentiated Training3

Social Strategists

Executives

EmployeesMarketing/

Comms


Element Executives Communications/Marketing

Employees

Goal Support and lead a social business

Develop new skills to engage successfully in social media

Mitigate risk and prepare for possible engagement

Near-term metrics

Do executives have a better understanding and of how social media supports business objectives?

Are social media initiatives having an impact on the business?

Are there fewer incidences and problems related to social media?

Long-term metrics

Are executives pro-actively leading the company in becoming a social business?

Is the business transforming to be more social in all departments?

Are employees engaging on behalf of the company and having an impact on key business goals?

Example Learning Objectives and Measurement33


Type of Question

Examples of Immediate Post-Training Survey Questions

Examples of 90-Day Follow Up Survey Questions

Job Impact

I will be able to apply the skills and knowledge on the job. If yes, provide examples of how you will apply.

I have been able to apply the skills and knowledge on the job. If not, describe why not.

This training will improve my job performance

This training has improved my job performance (give examples)

Business Results

This training will have a significant impact on: (select all that apply) • increasing customer satisfaction, • increasing quality, • increasing productivity, • increasing revenue, • decreasing cost of sales, • increasing customer satisfaction, • decreasing cycle time, • decreasing risk

This training has had a significant impact on: (select all that apply and give examples) • increasing customer satisfaction, • increasing quality, • increasing productivity, • increasing revenue, • decreasing cost of sales, • increasing customer satisfaction, • decreasing cycle time, • decreasing risk

Measurement: Beyond participant satisfaction34


Center the training on principles, strategies, and frameworks so that it stand the test of time.

Start with simple guidelines and evolve them.

Focus on continuous learning, not training.

Train your executives first. You’ll need their support to roll-out the rest of the training.

Be clear about the goal and impact of training – if you can’t measure it, you won’t get the support needed.

Get help from your partners.

• Tool vendors like Lithium and HootSuite.

• Agencies and consulting firms.

Additional Training Program Best Practices35



Case Studies

How to Get Started


36

Agenda



Customized to the company’s situation

• No company approaches social media in the same way, with the same goals

Consistent with the social media strategy and social media policies/guidelines

Integrated into the learning management system

• Knows who took which courses, helps with internal “certifications”

Regularly updated

Knowledgeable trainers

What companies seek in training37


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Focus on business goals and how social media supports the relationships needed to accomplish those goals

Based on frameworks that will stand the test of time and changing technologies

Modeled on best practices uncovered from research and client engagements

Customized to meet the needs of the client

• By role

• Governance and risk mitigation needs (social media policy)

• Assertiveness in social media

Altimeter’s approach to Social Media Training


• Learn: what we can learn from customers and community

• Dialog: the nature of our interactions with them

• Advocate: how we build advocacy among customers and community

• Support: how we support them via social channels

• Innovate: using customer and community to drive innovation

Common strategic framework underlies the training

LearnDialog

Advocate

Support

Innovate

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Program Outcomes

Training Program Development

Social media training program for the organization that lays out learning objectives, curriculum highlights, and resources/people needed for execution.

Social Media Policies Review

Audit of existing social media policies with recommendations on how to improve.

Executive Training Enable Executives to be proactive leaders of the social business, instead of reactive.

Social Strategist Training Enable Strategists to create social strategies and initiatives that support business goals.

Marketing/Communications Training

Execute high-quality social media initiatives.

All Employee Training Under development. Virtual e-Learning on social media policy compliance customized to the org.

Altimeter Academy Offerings40


Confident, socially-engaged executives and employees are central to your success.

Acquiring those skills requires a robust learning program centered on a coherent social strategy, principles, and policies.

Focus the program on creating judgment to handle new forms of engagement, rather than on platform-specific guidelines.

Summary41


Charlene [email protected]

m

charleneli.com

Twitter: charleneli

THANK YOU

Disclaimer: Although the information and data used in this report have been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the completeness, accuracy, adequacy or use of the information. The authors and contributors of the information and data shall have no liability for errors or omissions contained herein or for interpretations thereof. Reference herein to any specific product or vendor by trade name, trademark or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the authors or contributors and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

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