If you are responsible for social media at your company then you know this feeling – you find the perfect social media management tool that will save you more minutes and hours than you can count, and reduce the amount of headache painkillers you have to take too.
Only one catch. Tools costs money. Money that your boss has to approve.
Never fear. Here are strategies to help make the purchase of social media tools as much of a no-brainer purchase for the boss as it is for you.
While the tool might be convenient for you, how does it help your boss and your company? Take some time to get some hard facts behind why spending money on this social media tool actually saves the company money too.
For example, if you are managing multiple social media accounts and have to log in and out of each one to monitor mentions and respond to comments all of that time adds up. If you are using a tool like Agorapulse, then you can monitor that all in one place.
You can also gather data about your ideal customers, their use of social media, missed opportunities from a sales perspective, etc. Make sure to not make generalizations or guess – get hard numbers. Some places to look:
Even with a solid proposal showing the clear benefits these social media tools, if your timing is wrong it will be difficult to get your point across. Put some thought into how and when you talk to your boss.
Now that you have the data why spending money on the social media tool of your dreams will save time and money for the company (and make your boss look good), have picked the right time and place, and set the mood, it is time to get down to the nitty gritty.
Put on your salesperson hat. Use some basic communication tactics and you are almost certain to get a resounding – yes!
Yay! Your boss approved your the budget for your social media tools.
Now you are all done, right?
Not quite.
If you want to make sure they continue to approve this expense in the budget, you have to show how it is following through on the promises you made during the pitch. Continue to track the positive results that this tool is having on your business productivity and effectiveness, and give updates to your supervisor from time to time – even if they don’t expressly ask. That will make it all that much easier the next time around when you want to upgrade your account, or add another tool or more functionality. You will have established trust with your boss that you are able to identify opportunities that are good for the whole team.
What tactics have you used to get your boss to pay for your social media tools? Share on in the commments!