May 19, 2011 By Monica Norton

in Chatter

“Social media is not a strategy. It’s a tactic.” Sounds obvious, right? But this very simple statement from the recent Confab content strategy conference keeps popping into my head. And it got me thinking about the resistance to social media that many companies have. I’m not talking about those executives who complain, “I don’t want my people poking each other on Facebook when they should be working!” (They’re right to worry about that, even if no one really pokes each other anymore.)

No, I mean companies that avoid business use of Facebook, Twitter, and even made-for-the-corporate-world social tools simply because they “think it’s stupid,” as a Confab presenter so eloquently put it.

But maybe the resisters are right—maybe it’s just that no one has presented social media as a legitimate tactic to support their specific business goals. Dabbling in social media just because it’s there isn’t smart. But when social media channels and tools can make a positive impact on your sales or service... or your customers or employees, using them as a tactic isn’t just smart, it’s strategic.

How about your company? Do you dabble in social media just because everyone else is doing it? Or are you using it tactically to support larger goals? Do tell!