That’s right – don’t forget the peeps.  Not the nasty yellow and blue sugary peeps you can find in March, but the peeps in your organization.  One of the things that is most often overlooked when a business is considering using social media tools for the first time is the significant organizational change that may need to occur before they begin to nail it in using social media.

I think that social media is heralding a new age of business (open, transparent, values-based) – and many people/organizations are just not ready for it.  There is always going to be resistance to new stuff – and this is no different.  People are demanding new things from brands and businesses – and it’s no longer okay to just stick your head in the sand and pretend like the change isn’t happening.  It is.  Your customers are out there talking about you.  You should listen!  This is such an amazing opportunity.  Don’t miss out on it.

So you know you have to participate online.  You see that.  Every fourth article you read in the WSJ is about Twitter, Facebook, or some other social networking phenomenon.  Your customers may even be asking you about what you are doing.  So it’s clearly time to make a change – but do you know that part of this change is going to require you to transform your business?  That you are going to relinquish some control of your message?  That you are going to need to trust your employees and empower them to help you?  Well, in order to do this right, you will have to give up that control.  You will need to begin focusing on being part of the conversation instead of dominating it.  Both externally and internally.  That’s a lot to swallow.  But it also represents an incredible opportunity.

This is what I would do if I were implementing a social media strategy within an organization that has never used the tools:

Recognize that there is going to be resistance.  Acknowledge it.  Address the concerns directly.  Look within your org and get your house in order before you start posting on Facebook, or anywhere else for that matter.  Demonstrate to your employees (or your employer) why you are going to be using these new tools, and what you hope to accomplish.  Ask them to be a part of it.  Create a team with stakeholders that represent the different parts of your business.  Ask them for suggestions.  Implement those suggestions.  Try new things.  Don’t be afraid to try something and then drop it if it’s not working.  Invite feedback – both critical and positive in nature.  Reward the people that are stepping up to the plate and sharing what’s on their mind.

What do you think?  How can you overcome these challenges?