How to show value and get a buy-in for your social media marketing from your finance department

So, you’ve had ‘that’ meeting with the finance department. The one where you’ve expressed a desire for the company to invest properly in a social media marketing strategy. The one where those in attendance looked at you, expressionless, and said, ‘sorry, we’ve got more important things to spend money on’.

Getting buy-in for social media marketing from those holding the purse strings isn’t easy. For many, it is viewed simply as a fad or wasteful marketing bandwagon everyone else is jumping on. And, let’s face it - marketing and finance rarely mix well.

If you’re struggling to convince the finance boss that a social media marketing strategy is worth it, we’ve got the definitive list of responses for every argument they’re likely to throw your way.

Argument

“We’re a B2B company. Our prospects and customers don’t use social media.”

Response

Point to LinkedIn. The most commercial of social media platforms is rocketing in popularity and is now regarded by many to be the number one social network for B2B industries.

Millions of people and brands use LinkedIn, so take some time to show the finance department a selection of groups relating to your industry and demonstrate how vibrant they are. Show them your competitors’ presences on the site, too, and prove you’re business is missing out.

Argument

“There’s no way we’ll get any leads from social media.”

Response

As long ago as 2013, HubSpot were demonstrating with real, breathing stats that social media does generate leads for businesses. In particular, they discovered that 52% of marketers successfully sourced a lead from Facebook.

That said, your finance team is missing the point. Social media isn’t always considered a lead generation tool; it is a method by which any business can develop a public persona, establish itself as a thought leader and build a loyal following.

Argument

“Social media is just a fad. This will all blow over soon.”

Response

There’s some nice, juicy stats you can point to here. A 2015 report by the Office for National Statistics found that 61% of UK adults use social media with 79% of them doing so every day.

Put simply, social media is here for the long run. It consumes the lives of the majority and is now an intrinsic part of their every day activity. For any business to be noticed and have a chance of building its brand, it needs to have an active presence on social media. Simple.

Argument

“Our competitors don’t use social media.”

Response

This one should be straightforward. Point out that they do use social media and show their accounts. If you find a key competitor lagging behind without a presence on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, explain that beating them to it would be a real feather in your cap.

Argument

“We’ll just waste time and money posting pointless updates all day.”

Response

This is where you’ll need to do your homework before approaching the finance guys. Go in with a plan; show them you mean business when it comes to social media. A clearly defined set of goals and detail on how you’ll reach them will help dissipate their fears of wasting time online.

They’re quite right - posting for the sake of it is a waste of time, but that isn’t what you’ll be doing. The content you post and the schedule you employ will be considered and planned for maximum effect.

Summary

When it comes to arguing the case for a social media marketing strategy, you’re in luck. The Internet is full of impressive statistics, which simply cannot be ignored.

Get your facts straight, work on a plan and go in with your head held high. By doing so, you’ll end up with buy-in from the finance team, leaving you free to finally build your company’s social media marketing strategy.

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