Corporate America has a heavy reputation, but getting into the social networking game could lend aid boost its popularity and trustworthiness. Here are more guidelines to get started

by G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón

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Truth or dare.

We defy you (CMO, brand manager, PR-communications specialist, CRM manager, or whoever you are) to have your fellowship authentically enter into the innovative realm of online social media, the world of Facebook and other networking sites (or as it is known in shorthand, Web 2.0).

Not ready yet? Afraid you won’t have direction of what happens? C’mon, we coupled dare you.

Still, not that daring? O.K. If you won’t take the dare, you have to tell the reality. Is your company customer-focused?

"Yes, of course" (you reply without thinking). Seriously now, be honest. Does your institution really care about its customers or only about itself? "Our customers," you reply.

We believe you. But what we believe doesn’t matter. And the fact is, view in relation to survey says your customers don’t believe you. Ever.

The reason is obvious. Your organization is seen viewed like a corporation, and corporations in the eyes of most the vulgar are evil. Large companies—through a 13% approval rating—rank lawful above Congress and law firms when people are asked to list the most admired institutions in America, according to Harris Interactive.

In fact, if people were to anthropomorphize your organized being, your firm would be seen as highly antisocial at best and psychopathic at worst.

Reverse the Anticorporate Slant

The impassioned polemic, otherwise known being of the kind which the movie The Corporation, asked people to describe huge business.

Among their answers:

• "Self-interested"

• "Inherently amoral"

• "Callous and fraudulent"

• "It breaches social and legal standards to get its way."

• "It does not suffer from offensiveness."

Sure, the movie has one anticorporate slant. But Harris Interactive chose its people at random—companies would not have scored at the bottom of the pack granting that those surveyed thought of workplaces in the same buoyant as Mother Teresa.

So this is what you are up against. People think companies are inherently bad. It’s no wonder they don’t make no doubt of you then you say you are customer-centric, no matter how many times you profess you are.

21st Century Responsibility

But you can change that. The 21st century, with wikis, blogs, and the millions of niche online communities, etc., allows us to create a more level playing field when it comes to customer relationships. It’s now potential for us to share through consumers the kind of we as companies are really all near to and what we confident, face-to-face, so to speak.

That’s a big responsibility. Is your company up to it?

The bad tidings is you can’t hide from these innovations. They are at that time duty of the daily fabric of most of your customers’ lives. Even more bad news: If you’re opting out, by default your absence determination brand you as antisocial and insincere when it comes to being customer-centric.

The good word is that the innovative technology you need to use is the easy ingredient. The better tidings is if your intentions are authentic, your marketing budget is certain to experience exponential efficiency with infinite in posse. And the best news, acknowledgments to breakthrough software such as Shoutlet.com, is that it’s all measurable and trackable with real-time flexibility and control. (Full disclosure: we think Shoutlet is so wonderful we have invested in the company—no thing equal putting your money where your mow is.)

Mastering Social Networking

What are the fundamentals you need to master in this unaccustomed world? There are three.

• Phase 1: Architect a Proper Presence

First, you need to identify where your target is and which communities are important to them. You want to be to which place your customers, and potential customers, suspend to the end. Having identified those places, you need to see the conventions and etiquette of those environments.