To get leadership buy-in for a social media initiative, frame it as a short, time-bound experiment like a single quarter. This is much easier for stakeholders to approve than a vague, indefinite commitment to 'do social media'.

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When pitching new marketing initiatives, supplement ROI projections with research demonstrating a clear audience need for the content. Framing the project as a valuable service to the customer, rather than just another marketing tactic, is a more powerful way to gain internal support.

For executives hesitant to post, a great starting strategy is to commit to only commenting on five posts per day for a few months. This builds comfort with the platform and grows their network before they have to create original content.

Don't pitch big ideas by going straight to the CEO for a mandate; this alienates the teams who must execute. Instead, introduce ideas casually to find a small group of collaborative "yes, and" thinkers. Build momentum with this core coalition before presenting the developed concept more broadly.

With the consolidation of traditional media, business conversations have moved to platforms like LinkedIn. Positioning it as the modern way to do PR helps justify investment beyond simple lead generation metrics.

Demystify LinkedIn by treating it as a physical conference. Your profile is your professional attire, your content is your keynote speech, and commenting on others' posts is networking during the coffee break. This makes platform functions intuitive and purpose-driven.

Use comments on others' LinkedIn posts as a low-risk testing ground for new content formats or edgier ideas. If a comment flops, the impact is minimal. If it succeeds, it validates the idea for a future post on your company's page, bypassing initial brand guardrails.

While LinkedIn is a long-term play, demonstrate immediate value to maintain support. Repurpose brand content (like a CTO's post) for short-term goals, such as in targeted recruiting messages, to justify continued investment.

To get leadership buy-in for a new media project, use a two-step pitch. First, show a best-in-class example from another company to paint a clear vision of the desired outcome. Second, explicitly anchor your project to a core strategic narrative or go-to-market message for that quarter.

The most strategic use of LinkedIn is to treat it as your primary blog for business and marketing insights. This reframe from "social channel" to "media channel" builds an invaluable asset that generates credibility, relationships, and revenue.

Successful social selling on LinkedIn is a long-term strategy, not a quick sales tactic. Analysis shows it takes approximately 320 days from initiating a value-driven content campaign to closing new business. Attempting to generate leads in under six months is the wrong approach and will likely fail.