The BYO (Bring Your Own) phenomenon is bombarding organizations from all directions.
It’s interesting to see the solutions: some organizations stick to “tried & true” policies of not allowing any outside interference, most are making headway in being flexible with employees.
The BYO (Bring Your Own) phenomenon is bombarding organizations from all directions. It’s interesting to see the solutions: some organizations stick to “tried & true” policies of not allowing any outside interference, most are making headway in being flexible with employees.
The BYOD (Bring Your own Device) trend is an interesting example. While the IT department contends with new devices coming on their network and the security risk this poses, organizations are learning that it could actually benefit by hiring better employees. As they say, every good action should bring about a good reaction as well.
I also wrote about the BYOB (Bring Your Own Brand) phenomenon as well. The benefit of this to companies is clear. The more an employee focuses on brand, the greater the company can leverage this for growth.
Welcome to BYOC: Bring Your Own Content
As sales professionals become more socially adept and begin to master the craft of social selling, it will be Marketing Departments that are challenged this time. If you’re a marketing professional, you’ll either see this as a danger or opportunity. Imagine a sales rep in your company sharing professional content across her/his social networks.
Does that scare you? If you don’t get involved, this may come to bite you. Depending on the industry you’re in (financial services and insurance come to mind), you could end up paying stiff fines if content being shared isn’t compliant.
Does content sharing excite you? It should! If this is done correctly, with structure and best practices, your business will enjoy the massive fruits of your efforts. If you’ve got a team of 10 sales professionals, or thousands, content can be amplified on their social networks in a big way.
Got a Game Plan?
There is certainly room for experimentation and trying new things, but you’ll want a game plan of sorts. A blue print if you will. You don’t need to follow it to the tee. You’ll need to take into consideration your organizational culture, resource availability, budget, timeline, and all those crazy variables that are special and unique to your organization.
I’m working with many clients right now that are creating this for their sales teams. They’re actively experimenting with:
- Social Media Policies at Work. Yes, they’re worried and taking steps for brand protection. However, they’re also happy to try new things. At the pace they’re going, they’ll likely outdo their competitors from a branding perspective very soon.
- Social Territories & Proximities. This may be different for you and chances are you may not be ready for this, but as you embrace a social culture, you’ll have to contend with sales reps knowing people outside of their geographic territories.
- Social Content Management Tools. There is a lot of help out there in terms of software. These companies are evaluating some world-class solutions. They help protect brand, give marketing some control over BYOC, and enable sales reps to quickly find and share content that’s appealing.
Think about it. Social media has no borders and no boundaries. Rajesh Nambiar is a Sales Leader who loves to remind me that social media is starting to surpass the man-made borders we draw around countries/territories/etc. The BYOC trend will push, challenge and eventually break the traditional forms of territories we’re used to (more on this in another blog).
The Bottom Line
Sales reps are going to share content whether you like it or not. Instead of fighting it, go with the grain and assist them. Provide them the ammunition needed to 1. help grow their pipeline and 2. build your brand.
Now THAT’S the ultimate tag team!
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