The SQUARED Root

Posts Tagged ‘social commerce’

Brand Awareness

Posted by Mike Chapman on October 3rd, 2008

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I am a big fan of business management expert Tom Peters.

Long before the current emphasis on social media, and the individuality in branding it provides us online, Peters was evangelizing that we should passionately be in pursuit of developing our own brand.  We should engage in disruptive behavior, break out of the cubicle, and enjoy work again.

Peters has been warning for decades that massive changes were coming to large corporations and to the workers that comprise them. Talented professionals no longer should be dependent on the sponsoring companies for an income. Professional service organizations, PSOs, can perform many of the same functions at lower costs and with better results.

The percentage of workers who will spend an entire career with one company is dramatically lower. Career mobility is an accepted lifestyle choice and job security has been exposed as a myth. Loyalty to an employer is a two-way proposition and is not assumed. Tom Peters not only predicted these trends, he passionately advocates for them.

It should seem obvious that smart companies would look for ways to get out ahead of the new trends, including those made possible and preferable by the new world of 2.0 technologies. To do so would empower their employees, make their jobs more interesting, and encourage them to stick around, and thereby making their companies more competitive.

So it was notable, if not surprising, last week when Susan Scrupski, nGenera’s research guru, offered this commentary on where many large enterprises actually are today:

“we find that social, emergent behavior can be viewed as dissent in large enterprises. In the enterprise space, we find the major barrier to adoption of 2.0 ideologies is culture. Even if there is a groundswell of support to embrace social media, corporate cultures can run counter to its actual widespread acceptance. Marketers in large companies are more inclined to recognize the benefits of building relationships via social media sooner, but they run into roadblocks from other, more conservative, areas of the business. It’s a huge challenge for some large brands.”

At least one very large corporation is leaning into the trends and taking steps to allow employee empowerment on a large scale.

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Recently the Social Media Club of Austin met on the IBM Austin campus with Chris Almond, IBM Redbooks Project Leader. He shared some of the innovations in social computing taking place at IBM.

He stressed that IBM has developed specific guidelines for using blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds and social media, and is allowing their integration into the workplace. With IBM stock doing well, they are not making these moves under pressure, but instead to stay current.

Chris didn’t give away any company secrets, but he did give us some real insights into steps being taken within the firewall at IBM to tap into their own employee talent pool. By allowing the creation of innovation networks and collaboration between different areas of the corporation, employees are able to take advantage of the newest tools.

They’re also considering ways to tap into the social capital they have with the many retirees of IBM using social media and other forms of social computing.

Qualified, former IBM employees might find it satisfying to work on a project from time to time. They already have a vested interest in the continued success of IBM, as pension plan participants, and they could enjoy the work knowing they were not going to be permanently back on the payroll.

By establishing clear guidelines and setting expectations from the beginning, and by accepting and embracing the changes occurring outside the firewall, a large company can adjust into the “groundswell.”

Bottom line considerations will always be bottom line. Proprietary information is still proprietary. Employees and, in this case, former employees are empowered. Managed disruption occurs from within and for the benefit of the corporation.

Chris Almond is definitely a brand unto himself. Chris is also a valued employee of IBM. Other large enterprises – and those not so large – would be wise to learn from his example. Chris says he’s very happy at IBM.

Please read the social computing guidelines being used by IBM and comment below on them or anything else I’ve written. You don’t have to agree with me. In fact, critical thinking is encouraged.

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The Communications Revolution

Posted by Mike Chapman on September 26th, 2008

I have sometimes characterized social media as a revolution in communications. While that may be a bit of hyperbole, social media and online social networking are certainly providing a multitude of new opportunities for two-way and multi-directional forms of communications.  

These often disruptive and sometimes less than polished online conversations, form the basis of the Groundswell occurring on and around the internet. Marketing, advertising, and all forms of media, including customer and public relations, have been profoundly impacted.

Despite the feeling of newness, however, the basic characteristics of social media are at least as old as the United States. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense, written in 1776, encapsulated the concepts of the American Revolution in an unorthodox form for its time and was circulated in a purposefully disruptive manner among the American colonists.

The pamphlet served as a call to arms against the King of England’s tyrannical rule and offered an alternative approach for self-governing. The ideas in the pamphlet weren’t completely original, but the simplicity of the language used was out of the ordinary.

Paine’s more casual style of writing was more suitable to the kind of democratic society he and others envisioned. Complex ideas were made intelligible to the average reader in contrast to the more formal style favored by institutions of power. That sounds similar to the authenticity and transparency which are also the hallmarks of modern social media.

Finally, Paine’s willingness to openly confront King George III, on the record for all of his fellow colonists to read, was very uncharacteristic among colonists who feared the wrath of the King. His willingness to voice his opinions in the open, and in understandable language, was instrumental in initiating a public debate about independence.

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Common Sense Communications Today

Compare Paine’s revolutionary pamphlet to what’s going on in communications today. Because of the many options that have been created by new technologies, each of us has the opportunity  to engage in conversations with other people who share our interests and in a language that can be understood by those involved.

Consequently, proactive companies are instituting new strategies that anticipate the sweeping changes in communications and self-organizing occurring around the internet. Not only can a business or not-for-profit organization get out in front of potential negative communications coming from their various constituencies, they can effectively convert them into brand loyalists with sincere attempts at developing genuine relationships with them

By acknowledging them as being important and then communicating openly with them, it’s possible for corporations to foster good will and enhance the organization’s social capital among its customers. It’s not only possible; it’s happening.

There are profound opportunities for large organizations, including corporations, to empower their employees in this new environment by opening new channels of communications to the communities outside of the company. This very natural form of social capital is nothing short of revolutionary. Well, it’s certainly a move in the right direction.

Additionally, through effective implementation of an internal communication system, such as an intranet, employees can be empowered to be excellent advocates for their company. With clear internal guidelines in place, an intranet can provide a platform for coordinating teams of goodwill ambassadors who can be available to reach out into the groundswell. I’ll write more about how FG Squared is taking the lead in this direction in a future post.

It’s a little too late for King George III to learn about the benefits of listening. It might be, however, the perfect time for you and your business to start.

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Power Networking

Posted by Mike Chapman on September 19th, 2008

The Presidential campaign of 2008 has forever changed the way politics will be conducted in the United States. The current campaigns being waged for the White House are good predictors of the massive changes also coming for businesses, non-profits and other organizations. The use of online social networks, social media, and social commerce to organize, communicate, raise money, and ultimately affect the electoral process, have been so disruptive and effective they will never be absent from any major campaign again.

Without getting into a critique of any of the candidates or their campaign efforts, it’s safe to say that most political prognosticators would not have predicted the current match-up between U.S. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain going into November. Through effective use of social networks – including the one his campaign created for itself – to rapidly establish a national presence and a serious fundraising operation, Barack Obama came out of nowhere to defeat a field of formidable opponents and win the Democratic nomination. As proof of concept, John McCain, the Republican nominee, is aggressively working to replicate Obama’s online successes in his own effort to leave nothing to chance in this extremely competitive contest.

MyBarackObama.com and McCainSpace.com, the respective online communities for the two candidates, and their extensive interactivity with other social networks, are clear evidence of a developing online reality in politics, business, and every other aspect of our daily lives.

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Social networks themselves are nothing new to politicians. Utilizing social capital for the benefit of a candidacy or a cause is standard operating procedure. The Clinton and the Bush families have extensive supporter lists that have been cultivated over decades and which were key to their political successes. What’s new this cycle has been the ability to very rapidly grow a social network using online technologies and for them to be extremely effective in supplementing traditional campaign strategies and tactics.

How does any of this apply to the rest of us? The Obama campaign has proven the benefits of using online social networking, social commerce and social media tools to enhance traditional marketing and communications effort along with other key functions of an enterprise. McCain is hoping to do the same. Regardless of the outcome of the election, campaigns will never be conducted without a serious effort to utilize from online social networks to supplement traditional on-the-ground efforts.They can’t afford not to. The same principle applies to every enterprise dealing with human beings and who might have any interaction with online social networks.

If your business or organization intends to be competitive going forward, you cannot afford to ignore the lessons of the current election campaign. If you have no competition, then you can continue to do things the way they have always been done. That is, of course, until someone with an online strategy decides to announce against you. Good luck catching up with them after that happens.

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Social Capital and the Value of Relationships

Posted by Mike Chapman on September 5th, 2008

The first time I was “poked” on Facebook, I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or flattered. That was, of course, before I had been super poked. If you’re one of the more than 100 million users of Facebook you realize that I’m just poking fun at the popular social networking site’s method for getting people to interact with each other online. It’s sort of like a conversational icebreaker for people who haven’t become fluent yet in the customs and languages of Facebook and its particular brand of social networking.

 

Facebook is now just one leading example of an ever growing phenomenon of online relationship creation that is forever changing the way we communicate, network, and conduct our personal and professional lives. I personally have profiles on more than a few dozen social networking sites but the average user of social media is very likely to be content with much fewer and to still be considered a very active user of social media and social commerce.

 

In our natural desire to connect with other humans, we are busily creating links to and through our friends, our family and coworkers, which then exponentially expand our own reach and create a new world of opportunities in the process. The six degrees of separation between all humans has been reduced to three according to a recent study by O2, a French company. We are all closer to actually knowing Kevin Bacon in person than ever before.

 

Digital natives, people who grew up using interactive internet tools, already combine the online social networking sites and social media with their everyday activities including their professional lives. Those of us who are digital immigrants are also incorporating interactive tools into our daily activities at varying rates and with varying degrees of comfort. It is apparent, however, that this groundswell of activity on the internet, as it is identified in the book by same name, is an irreversible reality.

 

Naturally, this blending of personal and professional relationship building and networking is connecting us in ways we will struggle to understand. Many businesses are anxious to dive in and be active participants in social media and social commerce but need to find quantifiable and meaningful ways to measure the impact on their business models. The FG Squared team is working on ways to show the real benefits and value of social networks in and around the enterprise.

 

One approach a business could take in dealing with social networking is to consider it a distraction or problem and attempt to make it difficult for its employees to maintain contacts with their friends and followers during the work day. By banning Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other popular sites from business owned computers, some businesses have attempted to curb perceived losses in productivity. It should be obvious by now that employees can still use their iPhones and Blackberrys to stay connected to their networks, maybe even secretly doing so. Even if that’s not obvious I contend it’s still a bad idea. Businesses should instead consider the value of the social capital created by their employees through their online social networks. Remember, Kevin Bacon is only a few degrees of separation away from being a potential client.

 

Humans are relational beings. We naturally desire to connect with each other. We seek communities that share our values, beliefs and interests. The online networking that occurs through Facebook and other social networking sites can provide opportunites for communications and, yes, commerce that shouldn’t be ignored or avoided out of fear of the unknown.

 

Steve Golab of FG Squared will be presenting some thoughts next week to the Houston Interactive Marketing Association on exactly how we can measure the social capital in the enterprise created by the groundswell of connections on the internet. I hope to extend that conversation to the Squared Root so that that we can generate an ongoing discussion around the topic.

 

You can find more information on the HiMA conference scheduled for September 18th at http://www.houstonima.org/

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