Selling Social in the Organization

For social media to gain a foothold at a company, it needs a dedicated hub. That means a budget and individuals (whether internal or through vendors) who are accountable to social-specific goals.

Sometimes mandates are needed to make change happen. It's up to marketing leaders to declare that it can and will be done. Put a stake in the ground by announcing that all marketing proposals are required to have a social media component.

Measure, measure, measure. Your success in convincing others of the efficacy of social--and the size of your budget--will often be determined by your ability to show ROI. It's a myth that you can't measure the ROI of social media programs. You can--and not just social media metrics ROI. You can and should have real business ROI.

-- from The CMO's Social Media Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Leading Marketing Teams in the Social Media World, by Peter Friedman, the CEO and Chairman of LiveWorld. @PeterFriedman