[Transcript] One of the biggest things that often hold companies back from embracing new technology, social media and developing apps is that the senior leaders are not very confident on these platforms.
At one level that is understandable, but maybe the senior leaders need to trust the teams that they’re bringing in! You may have to bring in people who are specifically trained and competent in some of these new technologies and social platforms, but once you have the right people in place you might need to step back and trust them all to take you into the 21st century forms of communication.
The biggest danger you face though is allowing those young people to just manage it all themselves. The biggest mistake ever made in social media are largely because large multinational organizations have let twenty three-year-old manage their entire social platforms – including the messaging and the responses, and everything else.
The best teams that we have seen working in our clients are teams that include a ‘wise old head’ – somebody who knows the industry, who’s got a degree of experiencing how to respond in a crisis situation, or how to deal with a particular industry messaging style. And then combine that ‘wise old head’ with a ‘young gun’ – with somebody who understands the platform, who knows the etiquette of different social systems and who understands the technology behind making those systems work.
So putting a good team in place and then trusting that team to take you forward, even if you personally feel a little bit out of control, a little bit out of the technology yourself , well that’s definitely the way to go in the 21st century!