The transformational trend of social business is disrupting and revolutionizing large and small businesses alike as the world becomes increasingly more interconnected, rewired and reoriented by social technology. Businesses are in the midst of fundamental changes that will neither reverse for stragglers nor offer them mulligans. Innovative leaders must rethink their social strategies and move beyond the linear, process-driven approach to dynamic, collaborative, networked organizations. Executing these changes may prove difficult, but it’s imperative for forward-looking organizations to be competitive in the global bazaar of the digitally powered landscape.

What Does Social Business Really Mean?

Social businesses implement social technologies, strategies and processes that span across their entire enterprise, creating and optimizing collaborative ecosystems of employees, customers, partners, suppliers, communities and stakeholders in a safe and consistent way. To transform into a social business, companies need to have more than a mere linear presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and blogs.

To achieve this, successful businesses must align their core goals and objectives in cross-enterprise collaboration and create a socially integrated organizational blueprint that focuses on people and culture.

Reason for Social Business?

Simply put, unless a company communicates well internally, it will not be able to communicate its brands effectively to the public. Social business deepens internal and external business relationships, which builds brand awareness and in turn drives profits. Companies that embrace social business will build stronger relationships and make better decisions with their employees, business partners and customers.

The State of Social Businesses

This dynamic business model is still in its infancy stage, but this tectonic shift in approach will eventually integrate itself across entire enterprises. As the social networking phenomenon continues to grow exponentially, more forward-thinking organizations will embrace social business’s “holistic” approach to communication.

Humanizing Future Businesses & Brands

Before a business can humanize its brand, it is imperative that it humanizes its business first. This process involves more than just meetings, lunches, phone calls, emails, golf outings or office parties. Instead, such an evolution requires the adoption of social behaviors and communication in every facet of the organization. People don’t think of a brand as a series of departments. Rather, they think of a brand as a whole entity. Businesses must live up to this perception and restructure both internally and externally in order to function as a cohesive unit.

What is a Social Brand?

Social brands are the sum total of the entire customer experience. Marketers constantly struggle to humanize their brands and seize upon opportunities to engage customers across a multiplicity of touch-points and social media channels. Scott Goodson in an article for Forbes claims, “It’s not just about ‘going social.’ It’s about becoming a social business. It’s realizing that marketing doesn’t work like it used to. Today, successful brands become social ones.”

Many organizations have evolved into social brands, but few have developed internal social processes. Behind the corporate firewall businesses are scrambling to engage effectively with their consumers. Despite their frantic efforts, however, their lack of internal communication and processes inhibits sustainable growth. Inconsistency in ROI measurement, corporate governance, culture, technology,  executive endorsement and internal conflict have created a great deal of chaos in many companies which lack the necessary social infrastructure.

Tearing Down Silos & Boundaries

This paradigm shift requires organizations to tear down the silos that keep them from creating future brands that are social, engaging, agile and rife with purpose. The same principles of trust that consumers demand from their preferred brands also apply to the way companies must learn to trust their employees.

Businesses must better define their employees’ roles and responsibilities, encourage cross-departmental communication and collaboration, build trust and encourage a culture of recognizing employees’ skills and talents, connecting metrics with objectives, training and educating, developing governance and policies, crowdsourcing creativity and innovation, and using a collaborative process-driven approach for selecting new technology.

It is imperative that the “turf wars” and dysfunctional deep-rooted behavior that exist between many CMOs and CIOs must cease. As I wrote in my article, “Quest for the Marketing Technologist,” the era of digital engagement demands collaboration between CMOs and CIOs in order for companies to remain competitive and relevant. “It isn’t about making the marketing team or the IT team look smarter, it is all about satisfying the customer’s needs better than the competition.” The effective implementation of social business will improve efficiencies and productivity not only in marketing and IT, but also in the supply chain, HR, sales, marketing, financial, research, etc.  Interconnected organizations will reap the rewards.

We’re in an era of collaboration, regardless of the size of our businesses; companies need to leverage collaboration to become more efficient, innovative and creative. I can think of no better example of effective collaboration than this video clip from the movie Apollo 13, where the seemingly impossible task of putting a square peg into a round hole became possible through the Apollo team’s effective, dynamic efforts.

Is Social the Future of Business?

In my article, “2012 Social Media Business Trends  – Is Social the Future of Business”?, I stated that the migration process from social media to social business will vary depending on the nature, size and strategy of your business. Regardless, the change will happen, and it is in your best interests to begin learning about some of these emerging social trends and tools as you consider how to capitalize on opportunities and achieve your business goals.

In the future, big companies will need to start acting more like smaller companies by connecting all their employees in order to achieve the unified vision of a social business. Conversely, small businesses have an advantage over their larger counterparts. Since both culture and people are essential to social business, small businesses can adapt easier because of their flexibility and ability to change quickly. In today’s digital market, small businesses may function with only a few employees, but their audiences may number in the thousands. Small businesses can leverage social business via their network of business alliances, suppliers, vendors, sub-contractors, freelancers, interns and customers.

Businesses Getting Personal.

In a survey conducted by AIIM, over 50% of organizations consider social business to be either imperative or significant to their business goals. Companies like IBM, Nokia and Ford are fast becoming social businesses by restructuring to put social media at the heart of their business, encouraging internal collaboration and communication and insight sharing. IBM’s white paper, “The Social Business,” states that “Social Business can orchestrate and optimize new ways of generating value through innovation, creativity and utilizing the right skills and information at the right time.”

“People don’t do business with companies.

People do business with people.”

Source:  IBM

IBM’s belief is that it takes networks of people to create business value.

IBM’s definition has three tenants that underpin its social business:

A Social Business is engaged—deeply connecting people, including customers, employees and partners, to be involved in productive, efficient ways.

A Social Business is transparent—removing boundaries to information, experts and assets, helping people align every action to drive business results.

A Social Business is nimble—speeding up business with information and insight to anticipate and address evolving opportunities.

Why is Social Business so Relevant to my Company?

The Social Business Forum answers this question by pointing to the extensive studies that show how social business can accelerate organizational efficiency both internally and externally. A few of the internal benefits include: stronger employee engagement and motivation, better business performance, small travel expenses, richer cross-department collaboration, stronger outcomes from knowledge intensive work, facilities for collective social capital and limiting duplication of effort, etc. Benefits outside your organization include: reduced customer care costs, improved client satisfaction and loyalty, increased lead generation, shorter sell cycles, improved cross-channels to customers, etc.

Fundamental Change

Social business is shaking the foundation of both large and small businesses. While change is never easy, companies that implement the best social media business practices and migrate from rigid to social business models will win in the end. The new social landscape is rich with opportunities as companies are challenged to elevate their relevance and become social businesses.

Jeremiah Owyang, Altimeter Group, shared his latest research on the “State of Social Business”:

This post was originally published on AT&T’s Networking Exchange Blog.

By the end of 2012, analysts predict that Google+ will reach 400 million users. In its first 88 days the social platform’s growth rate outpaced Facebook and every other social network. Impressive, but, is it worth a small business owner’s time and energy to learn yet another social network? While Google+ is still just a fraction of the size of Facebook, its uses are already becoming apparent. Because of this, developing an understanding of the unique qualities of Google+ can help give your business a competitive edge on a new and expanding platform.

Start with a clear understanding of the features that make Google+ different from other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Open a Google+ account and try it out. I recommend starting with a personal account before you create a business brand page. Chances are, you are already one of the 800 million active Facebook users. But, the choice between Facebook and Google+ is not mutually exclusive—you can do both. Of course, a natural overlap will exist between Facebook and Google+ users, just as the majority of my Twitter followers also use Facebook.

You can be assured that your customers and prospects are debating over similar choices. More and more people will adopt Google+ because of its unique benefits. Also, since your competition may not have established a presence on Google+ yet, doing so now can pay dividends later.

What are the Strengths of Google+ for Small Business?

A few unique advantages to this new social platform are highlighted below:

• Low Production Costs and High Reach Potential: Do some quick best practice research and visit these ten great examples of creative Google+ brand pages. Of particular note is the Burberry’s brand page’s creative use of animation. Google+ allows you to make your brand page visually stunning—helping to drive interest and visits—with relative ease.
• Google+ is More than a Social Network: According to Brian Solis, “Google+ will become a platform that connects all Google products, essentially creating a personal or social operating system for each individual.” Google+ is a strategic addition to the range of products many of us already depend on such as Gmail, Documents, Google Apps, Reader, and Calendar. All of these components are parts of a carefully orchestrated strategy to make Google indispensible to the everyday user. All wrapped in a very clean, easy to use interface.
• Google+ Circles: this just may be the killer feature of G+ that enables you to narrowcast messages for different groups. Such a feature creates strong marketing implications and offers you the ability to segment or micro-target your messages to different audiences. Circles are based on the fact that you may not want to share all messages with everyone. For example, let’s say you are an accountant looking to expand your business among not only firms of various sizes but individuals as well. Your biggest challenge is to identify more cost-effective ways to market your services. Using Circles, you can create and segment based on your definitions. For example: loyalty, high value, new customers, prospects, small businesses, etc. The Circles feature allows you to customize offers, deals, events, and various types of information. And, as a blogger, you can also share content on Google+ based on interests. Your goal is to become a trusted resource in your online community, a person or business known for publishing valuable content. Circles will enable you to share the right information with the right audience at the right time.
• Hangouts: This unique feature enables you to host online video chats with up to 10 people at a time. With only a webcam you are ready to invite anyone in your Circles to join in. The opportunity to show off your product (and yourself) is a big plus. Using short videos is a great way to involve your audience. It is also an engaging way to hold a meeting, brainstorm or conduct market research—and keep the travel costs down. Using Hangouts effectively shows off your personality and humanizes your brand.

Helpful Links to More Information

To read more about the benefits of using Google+ for your small business, read the links below:

• Why your business should have a Google+ brand page
• 13 Cool examples of Google+ brand pages
• How to Create a Google+ Business Page in 5 Simple Steps (Hub Spot)
• How Small Businesses Can Use Google+
• The Official Google+ Blog & Google+ Pages
• Google+ Forum & Support

Dell: One of the Early Google+ Brand Page Pioneers

Take a look at Dell’s Google+ page. Dell was involved in the June, 2011, Google+ beta test, making the company a pioneer in the brand page space. The Official Dell Corporate Blog describes Dell’s Google+ brand page as a “centralized place to get updates from all of Dell across all our businesses.” The page provides something of value whether “you are a home user, an owner of a small or medium business, or someone who is responsible for implementing technology in a global corporation.” Observing how major brands use their brand page is a great way to give you ideas for your own page. In this way, Google+ helps level the playing field for brands of all sizes.

Small Businesses’ Top New Year’s Resolution

According to the latest Intuit Small Business Survey [November, 2011] reported in the Huffington Post, “More than half (57 percent) of small businesses’ top New Year’s resolution is to expand marketing to attract more customers. Intuit created this Infographic with some of the survey results.

My recommendation is to establish your Google+ brand presence now. As this new social network grows, more and more of your customers and prospects will join. Experimentation will give your small business a leg up on your competition and help energize your small business marketing initiatives in 2012.

Start Your Own Circle of Trust [Video]

This post was originally published on AT&T’s Networking Exchange Blog.

Forget predictions from Nostradamus or the Mayan Calendar.  Now, we have companies like Recorded Future analyzing semantics and sentiments to foretell the future.  They do this by sorting through thousands of news publications, blogs, tweets, comments, trade journals, government web sites, financial databases, and more. Recorded Future sees ahead “By applying temporal analytics to what is written about the future, and by algorithmically crowd-sourcing the resulting temporal information, we can draw conclusions and gain insight.”

Now even small businesses can tap into the trove of rich data and forward-looking insights.  Quentin Hardy of The New York Times claims the service, once affordable only for big businesses and wealthy institutions, now has a web-based version subscription for $149/month.  “The Web has come to reflect the world,” Hardy quotes Christopher Ahlberg, the co-founder and chief executive of Recorded Future. “We can use that to predict things”, says Ahlberg. With costs dropping and social data continuing to grow, small businesses can consider adding these analytics to their social media arsenal. For those companies that just want to take a quick peek into the future, check out Recorded Future’s free 14-day subscription.

Even the spy agencies are applying these breakthrough technologies to predict revolutions, natural disasters and economic disruptions. Wired Magazine’s Sharon Weinberger writes (“The Spy Who Tweeted Me: Intelligence Community Wants to Monitor Social Media”) “A research arm of the intelligence community wants to sweep up public data on everything from Twitter to public webcams in the hopes of predicting the future.” The project is apparently the brainchild of Intelligence Advanced Research Project Activity [IARPA], a relatively new initiative of the intelligence community.

Gaining insights on consumer attitudes and behavior has always been critical for big marketers like Procter & Gamble and Ford, but now tech companies like HP are using social media data to predict success of box office hits, new ideas and products.  Michael Stelzner (How HP Uses Social Media Science To Make Predictions) explores this emerging capability with Bernardo Huberman, director at HP Labs and author of The Laws of the Web: Patterns in the Ecology of Information.  According to Huberman, HP can use certain “mechanisms” and “predict with extreme accuracy box office revenues two weeks before a movie opens”.

While social media monitoring of current trends is not a new phenomenon, bitly, the popular URL shortening and real-time analytics service, now claims, “We See into the Future”.  Through their newly released monitoring service, bitly says they provide a picture of “the future by knowing what is popular and exciting on the Internet before anyone else does.” Bitly uses real-time, collaborative filtering and search weight results by cross-platform social engagement to extract the “ebb and flow of trending topics” identified hours or days before they are picked up by the news, Google or Bing.

And just when you think you’ve heard it all, companies like IBM are scanning social media data to predict women’s heel heights, perhaps taking business intelligence to new heights.

Companies and marketers that can understand and exploit rich sentimental trend data and see ahead, bringing their brands and consumers along on the journey, will enjoy a tremendous competitive advantage.

While there are skeptics and critics of these analytics, it is nonetheless intriguing to consider the predictive capabilities of emerging social media tools. And if you think about it, the less-scientific Nostradamus had a few predictions that didn’t happen, but we still tweet them.  Let’s just hope his 2012 doomsday prediction will be wrong.  That’s one tweet (with our “sentiments” of course) that will be worth sharing!

This post was originally published on AT&T’s Networking Exchange Blog.

The power of television in the 1950’s gave advertisers the ability to push messages out to a mass audience. Internet marketer HubSpot believes that shoving unwelcome messages at consumers is like using a sledgehammer. An outbound marketing strategy is based on the hope that mass messages will resonate with prospects. “This traditional, one-way marketing doesn’t work anymore. Consumers are already bombarded with thousands of marketing messages on a daily basis but the majority of them are ignored”, according to Scott Goodson, in his Forbes article, “Become a Social Business”.

Today, marketers engage with customers very differently and are more interested in earning people’s interest instead of buying it. Marketers are learning that it is important to build relationships using inbound marketing instead of broadcasting mass messages. This powerful concept means getting found online through search engines and on places like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube – sites that millions of people use to find answers every day.

“It’s not the strongest of the species that survive,
nor the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to change.”

Charles Darwin

More Media Options Today

Today, the proliferation of media choices has left consumers with more options than time. The rise of social media places consumers in control of the messages they receive.  Consumers are looking for information before buying products. Personal and business networks are excellent information sources to fuel decisions. Social media lets us decide on our level of engagement with messages and brands.  This is good news for small businesses that use social media to compete with larger firms.

Trust is Social Media’s Sweet Spot

According to Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics , 78% of people trust peer recommendations vs. only about 14% who trust ads.” In addition, “the number of consumers who don’t trust advertising is disturbingly close to 100%”, per econsultancy, based on a report sponsored by Alterian. The report says that respondents who are “actively engaged in the use of social media…[tend] to be more positive about companies in general. While only 16% of respondents overall thought companies were ‘genuinely interested in them’, a much greater percentage (33%) of those who use social media thought that.”

Digital intelligence experts, eMarketer, reports that personal recommendations are the most trusted by US consumers by a significant margin. In a social media world, trust is the new currency.

Social Media’s Small Business Advantages

• Cost effective means to reach customers and prospects
• Build and maintain communities
• Deeper relationships possible with customers
• Reach and impact new customers (win new business)
• Monitor conversations about your brand
• Increase website and blog traffic
• Improve SEO rankings
• Build trust between marketers and their audiences
• Track and measure the ROI of social media

HubSpot offers advice on how to leverage different inbound channels to generate “awesome leads” from business blogs, email marketing and landing pages to social media.

No Pain.  No Gain.

Initially, marketers said: hey, social media is free, so the ROI is guaranteed. Companies soon came to realize that although there are no paid media costs, resources are needed to build and maintain initiatives on Facebook, Twitter, blogs or Google+. We all know companies that launched websites and let them die on the vine. Social media is no different. But, your social media efforts can also generate cost-effective leads and sales.

Can Twitter Help a Small Deli Sell More Sandwiches?

Here’s an idea.  Your deli is located near a number of office buildings. Lunch time provides opportunities for increased sales if you can satisfy a long line of hungry, impatient customers.  Enter Twitter. The deli owner uses Twitter to offer promotional discounts and to take advance orders. Customers now tweet their orders via Twitter apps. Result? The deli’s lunch time crunch greatly improves as much happier customers pick up orders, without the wait.

How to Leverage Social Media

Start with a strategy. For example, instead of saying “let’s start blogging or let’s create a Facebook page”, begin with a good understanding of your goals and objectives. Then, invest some time to create a social media strategy to leverage channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and now, Google+ for business. You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint.  Why would you jump into social media marketing without creating a strategy? My upcoming series of blogs will focus on how to build a blueprint for your business.

So, forget the sledgehammer approach. Use inbound marketing to attract prospects to your sales funnel – like a magnet. As you head into 2012, focus on ways to put social media to work for your small business.

This post was originally published on AT&T’s Networking Exchange Blog.

As the end of the year draws near, it’s time to start looking at social media trends for 2012. Businesses should get ready for seismic shifts on the digital landscape.

Competition will intensify as the rules of marketing are further altered by social media, mobile web and all in real-time.  For businesses that don’t start embracing social media, 2012 may mark the beginning of their declining growth and profit.

According to Nielsen’s “The Social Media Report,” social media use is commonplace, with over 4 to 5 Internet users engaging in social activity across a wide variety of platforms.  Social networks and blogs are the top online destinations, accounting for 23% of time Americans spend online. Pew Internet and American Life Project’s August 2011 report states that nearly two-thirds (65%) of all adult Internet users now use social networks. The skyrocketing growth of social media has broad implications–beyond consumer behavior.

While some businesses are evolving or even transforming how they buy and sell products, many are fast becoming social businesses.  In a Fast Company article by Drew Neisser, “Move Over Social Media; Here Comes Social Business” he explains the reasons why every company should be thinking about becoming a social business.  According to Neisser, IBM is moving themselves and their clients “well beyond social media into a new era of collaboration, insight sharing and lead generation it calls social business”.

One of the hottest business social trends in 2011, leveraged by both large and small size businesses, has been social commerce.  Social Commerce is essentially word-of-mouth applied to e-commerce.  According to Brian Solis, “Social Commerce is rising quickly, but this isn’t a story about technology, it’s a story about how and why people make decisions.” Take a look at this amazing Infographic Social Commerce Timeline created by Useful Social Media that depicts the evolution of this new process. Social Commerce is redefining the way brands and consumers interact.

One of the best examples of Social Commerce is the mobile YP.com app which lets you share deals with family and friends via Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS.  According to David Williams, vice-president of product management at AT&T Interactive, “Gas is just one of many everyday essentials where a few simple factors: location, price and brand, brought together in a thoughtful design can help direct users toward smarter choices and quicker decisions.”

The process for migrating from social media to social business will vary depending on the nature, size and strategy of your business.  But you should be aware of some of these emerging social trends and tools as you consider how to capitalize on opportunities and achieve your business goals.

So what are the social media trends for business in 2012 for….[building communities, brands, mobile, etc.]?

I posed this question to several industry experts (crowdsourced the community) and here is what they had to say:

….for building communities?

Jason Falls (@JasonFalls), author of No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing and CEO of Social Media Explorer.

“Businesses are more and more looking at social media marketing as a strategic business driver now, so you’ll see a lot more insistence on accountability, measurement and quantification of what social media means for companies. From a community building standpoint, that means community managers are going to be challenged to delineate the value of those community members versus non-community members, make logical arguments for why and how a community’s growth is positive for the business and illustrate how they affect the bottom line revenue of a company. It’s going to challenge many to think beyond the comment, like and fan. But it will make us all better.”

…for brands?

Simon Mainwaring (@simonmainwaring), Founder of We First and Author We First

“2012 will be characterized by a far greater number of brands embracing purpose as a strategy to be meaningful to their media savvy and connected customer communities. The most sophisticated brands will focus their attention on increased transparency and accountability inspiring their community to see themselves as partners in the brand’s success and positive social impact. Those that continue to resist the business implications of social technology will quickly lose market share and disappear as the same dynamics playing out in the political sphere around the world become commonplace in the private sector.”

…for mobile?

Chuck Martin, (@ChuckMartin1) CEO, Mobile Future Institute and Director, Center for Media Research, MediaPost.  Author of the Third Screen: Marketing to Your Customers in a World Gone Mobile

“In 2012, mobile will move to center stage in social, as everyone has a phone, with close to a majority of those being smartphones. Location-based messaging between people, and especially between people and businesses of all sizes, will increasingly be initiated by individuals as they tap into their personal networks and networks of those around them to seek and share information. Besides being highly personal, mobile will become the social conduit.”

…for customer service?

Porter Gale, (@portergale), Marketing Consultant

“In 2012, more companies will consider use of social monitoring and analytics to help them understand sentiment, key influencers and the types of people chatting about their brand. In addition, growth of the social space will raise the importance of dialog between customer service groups and social media teams.  This improved collaboration can lead to an integrated plan to better handle inquiries via the various channels.”

…for crowdsourcing?

Peter H. LaMotte, President, GeniusRocket, Inc.

“2012 will be the year that “Crowdsourcing” stops becoming a buzzword and starts becoming one of the most cost effective ways for small to medium sized business to engage their stakeholders.  The term too often associated with contests, is actually a reliable means of message virality and real-time engagement.   Marketing, customer service, sales, and PR can all be given a huge boost through the use of their crowd, especially via their social media platforms.”

…for small businesses?

Jim Joseph (@JimJosephExp), President of Lippe Taylor, Author of The Experience Effect for Small Business

“Biggest trend in social media for small business?  One that has already started but now many are getting the fruits of their labor:  networking. Finding each other to share stories and learning. Finding talent to join the business. Finding prospects to try to convert to customers. For networking, social media is the small business owners’ best friend.”

…for retail?

Doug Stephens ( @RetailProphet) President, Retail Prophet

“With the advent of in-network apps like Spotify, Hulu and Netflix directly within Facebook, users are going to rapidly gain a sense of comfort with the idea of Facebook as a marketplace.  In 2012, the trend will be toward the addition of other non-digital shopping apps on Facebook, allowing consumers to literally buy goods and services directly from their Facebook Timeline.  Things like gym memberships, vacations, cleaning services and more will become available on Facebook.”

…for B2B?

Billy Mitchell (@BillyMitchell1)  Billy Mitchell- MLT Creative, Partner/Senior Creative Director

“2012 will further separate the pretenders from the purposeful. B2B marketers that don’t take ownership of social media as part of a strategic inbound engine will be an endangered species by the end of 2012. Small businesses will realize Social Media is far from free and the trend will be serious budget increases for creating content, automating tools, and the human resources to sufficiently scale engagement with their marketplace.”

…for technology?

Scott Brinker, President and CTO of Ion – Author of Chief Marketing Technologist blog

“In 2012, marketing technology will continue to converge.  We’ll see social media features embedded into more products, from CRMs and marketing automation systems to web content management and landing page optimization platforms. These technologies that reach deeper into the customer experience lifecycle will reveal more nuanced metrics for tying social influence to business value. Likes, follows, and +1′s will be more meaningful in the context of specific customer experiences rather than an abstract performance measurement unto themselves.”

…for marketing?

Michael Brenner (@BrennerMichael) – Sr. Director, SAP Global Integrated Marketing – Co-Founder of Business 2 Community

“’The social media trend for business in 2012 will be less media or marketing and more social. Social media will move beyond marketing, PR and customer service and will become an extension of an entire businesses employee, customer and partner base. Real-time response management, tracking and alerts will be the tools of choice. Response managers will be on the hiring plans of many more companies and social selling will begin to become a reality in many more organizations. In effect, we will start to see businesses truly engaging with the market in a people-to-people model.”

…for SEO?

Tom Pick (@TomPick) Online Marketing Executive - KC Associates.  Award Winning Blogger at Webbiquity

One key trend for social media and SEO in 2012 will be resonance. A resonant piece of content (blog post, video, infographics, etc.) combines quality research and thought with an issue that prospective customers really care about (e.g., using technology to better engage buyers early in their buying process). Resonant content is more likely to be read, shared and commented upon. That sharing across social media sites and networks in turn will drive search traffic to the content, further increasing its reach and impact. Companies will need to do keyword research in addition to experimentation with different messages in order to determine which phrases and concepts truly resonate with their audiences.

…for advertising?

Michael Ancevic (@mancevic) Senior Vice President – Creative Director at Mullen

“Social media is truly now the mainstream media. So one of the big trends next year is that social will continue to become nearly everyone’s primary source of content and interaction. Because of this, we will see early adopters who have learned along the way to make their advertising content relevant and interesting finding that it becomes easier and easier to ride this trend and get their customers to pass content along for them. Of course like any successful marketing campaign if that content accurately reflects the strategic business objective, it’s a huge win with positive long-term implications.”

…for PR?

Wendy Marx, (@WendyMarx) President – Marx Communications

“Social Media for PR is evolving from a listening post and ratings game to a strategic tool that provides insight and analytics into customers, prospects, competitors and thought leaders. Never before have PR practitioners had the opportunity to gain real-time insight into customer, prospect and competitor behavior and be able to shape conversations based on that data. We will see more data crunching and analysis and more strategic and targeted responses. As more and more content moves to mobile, we will also see more creative uses of content, more app development and more use of the comment function for thought leadership. New forms of press releases optimized for mobile readers will evolve.  PR will also embrace new types of content marketing geared to mobile. All in all, it will be a productive time as PR rises to meet the technological opportunities.”

This post was originally published on AT&T’s Networking Exchange Blog.

Our lives are being transformed with the worldwide explosion of rapidly advancing social technologies.   Today, many businesses are rapidly evolving and increasingly becoming social businesses.   What we are discovering, though not surprising, is that social technologies are empowering consumers. Yet, there is a talent gap growing between the skills of new marketing and advertising jobs required and the people able to fill them.

This gap is driven by the “enormous amount of user data that ad tech companies are collecting for agencies and marketers”, according to the Tanzina Vega, author of the New York Times, “Advertising Companies Fret Over a Digital Talent Gap”.   Vega said, “…those who have the skills are in high demand, often fetching salaries that can reach $100,000.”   The demand for talent is far surpassing the supply.  On average it takes two to three months to find the right person with the right skills.

“Colleges and universities are not teaching the skills they need to survive in this environment,” said Dough Weaver, the founder and chief executive of the Upstream Group.”  Many colleges and universities offer traditional marketing and advertising courses, but for companies to be successful in today’s environment, they need to hire graduates with a combination of both traditional and digital skills.

A recent article by Greg Jarboe, (@gregjarboe ) President & co-founder of SEO-PR, author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day, highlights Weaver’s article and states that Rutgers Center for Management Development (CMD) is committed to bridging this gap by offering a Mini-MBA: Digital Marketing Program.

Rutgers is not only addressing this urgent need, but they are doing it first class and with state-of-the-art technology.  Each participant in the Mini-MBA:  Digital Marketing Program (began in 2010) is provided with an Apple iPad, pre-configured with all the required reading materials, cases, articles, chapters and videos.  In a video interview entitled, “New Digital Marketing Course at Rutgers University, “Goodbye Chalkboard and Hello iPad”, Eric Greenberg, Director – Marketing Programs for Rutgers CDM, explained that participants were provided an iPad because if they’re going to be professionals in digital marketing it is important to understand the latest technologies and “how people consume information”.

In February, 2011 Rutgers CMB expanded their Mini-MBA to an Online Mini-MBA: Social Media Marketing Program.

US Tablet Growth – eMarketer

According to eMarketer, the number of “US tablet users will reach 89.5 million in 2014, up from 33.7 million in 2011.  Tablet users will make up 35.6% of Internet users in 2014, up from 14.5% this year.”

The paradigm shift in marketing and advertising has recalibrated businesses. There are positive results for educational institutions that embrace these challenges and deliver superior education for students ready to embark in a highly competitive, complex world.

Awards for Business Schools –Twitter Excellence

To encourage excellence in business education B2B Twitterer of the Year (@B2BTOTY) Award, now in its third year, recognizes business schools, individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions in practicing, promoting, and/or enhancing business using Twitter.

With this commitment in excellence for superior performance in Twitter the B2BTOTY awards has a special category for “Business Schools”.

The Oscar of B2BTOTY Awards – Needs your vote today.  The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 16, 2011 at midnight ET.

The winners will be selected by a committee of judges with professional experience.

How Facebook Can Make Your Small Business Soar

A recent Capital One TV ad features comedian Jimmy Fallon politely asking a somewhat indifferent baby boy in a high chair: “Would you like 50% more cash?  Everybody likes more cash!” Convinced no one could possibly refuse such an offer, much to Jimmy’s surprise, the kid responds by tossing a handful of Cheerios in Jimmy’s face.   So when it comes to your small business, ask yourself:   Do you want more leads?  Do you want more sales?  Do you want more customers? If the answer is “yes”, you need a dynamic business Facebook page.

The Future of Business is Social

Marketing guru, Seth Godin, says: “If you wait until there is another case study in your industry, you’ll be too late.” Today, it is all about real-time marketing.  According to Hub Spot, a leading Internet marketing company, among SMBs who actively use social media marketing to promote their business, 70% rank Facebook No. 1. Although, half of US SMBs say social media sites play an important role in active sales, a significant number are still unwilling to play in the social media space.   Whether you’re new to Facebook, somewhat engaged or an advanced user, this blog provides tips on how to get more from Facebook.

New to Facebook for business?

Facebook is the oldest and largest online social networking site that connects people and organizations.  With about 800 million users, Facebook is bigger than the whole Internet was in 2004, the year Facebook was founded.

Start by downloading this amazing free e-book from HubSpot:  How to use Facebook for Business:  An Introductory Guide for 2011.

Be careful not to launch a Facebook page just for the sake of having a “Facebook page”.  The social landscape is littered with as many failed Facebook pages as there are forgotten websites.

Questions small business owners should answer before creating a Facebook page

• What is your target audience?
• What are your goals, e.g., engagement, leads, drive sales, brand awareness?
• Evaluate your marketing options.  Is maintaining a business Facebook page a good use of your time and energy?
• Do you have sufficient resources to maintain the page?
• What messages would you share through Facebook pages that are not available to prospects through other marketing efforts?

Ready to kick it up a notch?  10 ways to get more from Facebook

1. Create a Compelling Fan Page. For great examples of engaging fan pages, go to Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Small Business Facebook pages.  Look closely at the strategies these brands use to build an exciting presence.   For inspiration, check out creative fan pages by Red Bull, Chick-fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, and 5 Gum.
2. Boost your SEO. When you include descriptive text in the “About” box and “Info” tab of your Facebook page, they become searchable. You can also build links to your Facebook page and focus on off-site link building which includes linking to your Facebook page from your website, blog and other social sites like Twitter. All great ways for a small business to get found.
3. Make the most of Facebook Groups. Use this valuable feature for discussions, events and to share information. Groups can encourage community engagement and action. Join Facebook groups in all of your categories of interest. 
4. Earn your fans attention. Customers and prospects are drawn to Facebook pages to retrieve coupons, discounts and offers, driving repeat traffic (and business) to your page.  Digital intelligence expert, eMarketer, reports that the No. 1 motivation for “Liking” a company, brand or association on Facebook is to receive discounts and promotions.
5. Leverage the power of Facebook page apps. Your goal is to get people to interact with your page. Do some research to identify apps that can work for your business, e.g., contests, email sign-ups, videos, promotions, discussions, free downloads, wallpaper plus more. Make sure to download the Facebook app for your smart phone. The iPhone Facebook app, for example, is one of the most popular from the App Store. You can update your status on the go, communicate with friends and brands, get messages, check events, etc.
6. Extend your marketing reach with QR codes.   It is easy to create a QR (quick response) code that points to your Facebook page. Print the QR code on the back of your business card, brochures, flyers, postcards and any other printed marketing materials to encourage page visits. Download a free AT&T Code Scanner for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phones to start realizing the benefits of this amazing marketing tool. Use AT&T Create-a-Code, a free service, to create custom barcodes.
7. Feed your Facebook page with your blog. When you write a blog, post it to your Facebook page. This will engage your audience and help boost your SEO.
8. Write engaging content. Seventy-six percent of Facebook fans have interacted (either often or occasionally) with a brand’s Facebook page by clicking on the “Like” button, according to eMarketer. When you create content that powerfully communicates your product or service, you provide reasons for people to return.
9. Experiment with Facebook display ads. Facebook offers excellent targeting and an easy to use interface to create ads, upload images and manage your campaign.  You don’t need an ad agency to do this for you. Set a daily ad budget to control spending. You’ll gain insights into the right combination of messages, images and offers that get traction.
10. Fans love video. Leverage the power of video to pitch your brand, demo products, provide testimonials, etc. Visit the Whole Foods Facebook page to view some great video that informs and educates.  Whole Foods visitors come away a little smarter about healthy eating choices.

Earn attention with a rewarding customer experience

Keep in mind, your small business is competing for your audience’s attention. Consumers are exposed to hundreds of ads every day and it is getting harder for a small business to stand-out.  You can’t buy attention, but you can earn it if you provide your community with a rewarding customer experience. Social media guru, Chris Brogan, talks about the importance of getting your community interested in what you want to talk about.  According to Chris, once your community believes that “you’re out for their own good, you can make offers that might be of use to them.” Building trust in your community can lead to incremental sales.

A magnetic fan page earns “Likes”

Creating a great fan page helps rack up “Likes” and connects customers. Email your Facebook page link to customers and prospects with incentives to “Like” your page. Promote your Facebook page on your website, blog, LinkedIn, Google+, and offline.

The killer app for Facebook is indeed “apps”

Many free and custom apps are available to fit your business.  You will find that Facebook is an excellent information source.  While you’re there, check out a short video that puts it all into perspective.  For more ideas, check out Jeff Bullas’ 5 Top Facebook Apps to Market your Business and Brand.

Tracking  –  the final frontier

Facebook offers some powerful tools to measure your success. With Facebook Insights, get information on page views, wall posts, users, feedback, Likes, comments and much more.  Facebook Insights can help determine the most popular content sections on your page.

The battle of the high tech all stars begins

One thing is certain.  Facebook will continue to evolve as it strives to repel strong competition from Google+, the new social networking site launched in June.  In the very near future, Google is expected to announce Google+ brand pages to compete with Facebook. Stay tuned for more and (when available) be prepared to move quickly to capture the Google+ vanity URL for your small business!

If Jimmy Fallon were to ask you: “Do you want more cash?”  Your answer, no doubt is “yes”.  So, when it comes to your small business, if you want more leads, more sales or customers, put Facebook to work.   Drive your business forward in ways you never thought possible.

This post was originally published on AT&T’s Networking Exchange Blog.

Everyone seems to have a Twitter handle these days:  News reporters, celebrities, restaurants, friends, and your business contacts.  Twitter usage has skyrocketed to over 100 million active accounts.  Moreover, this dynamic social medium can be the X factor for your business. A game-changer, Twitter offers you the ability to strategically build and leverage your business brand.

Yet, while Twitter’s audience continues to grow in popularity, many businesses have not harnessed its power. One possible reason many companies are not adopting or mastering the tool: Twitter is not intuitive.  Few of us are immune from inertia and resisting new ways; but oftentimes once we have concrete steps to follow, we feel we can do almost anything.  So before you add Twitter to your things to do “whenever” list, ask yourself this question, “Can I afford not to give it a try?”

Here’s your first step – download HubSpot’s free eBook: “How to Use Twitter for Business – An Introductory Guide” for 2011.  This guide is a great resource for getting started, Twitter etiquette and lead generation ideas.

Engaging Your Customers

Depending on the nature of the business and goals, companies use Twitter effectively in different ways.  Although, fundamentally, the common denominator is that they are actively “engaging” with customers and building communities.  By not engaging, businesses risk squandering great opportunities to build desired brand awareness and perceptions, and shape their marketing messages. Yet, one of the biggest mistakes many enterprises make is that they start using Twitter without first assessing their situation and identifying aims.  Before you start tweeting, you should carefully think through and determine the specific goals that work best for your business.  See list below:

15 Key goals and objectives for businesses using Twitter:

1. Generating awareness and leads
2. Servicing customers
3. Expanding reach and creating buzz
4. Sharing thought-leadership & participating in industry conversation
5. Gaining competitive intelligence
6. Monitoring your brand’s reputation in real time
7. Building relationships with community
8. Distributing rich, SEO content
9. Offering special discounts, white papers, eBooks
10. Crowdsourcing ideas, products, etc.
11. Finding, cultivating influencers and brand advocates
12. Obtaining customer feedback on potential or new offerings
13. Developing relationships with bloggers and journalists for PR
14. Recruiting for freelancers or permanent hires
15. Establishing brand leadership position by communicating, reinforcing vision, purpose, differentiation, relevance, etc.

Requiring no more than 140 characters (in a tweet) for interaction, Twitter can be used on PCs and mobile devices. It has become one of the largest platforms in the world for sharing real-time data.  According to a recent report by Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than half (54%) of Twitter users access their service on a cell phone.  Small business owners can use a Twitter app to communicate, engage, network, share and drive their business forward.

Leveraging Smart Phones and Smart Apps

A new survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) tells us that more than half of smart phone owners say they will use their device to “research products, redeem coupons and use apps to purchase holiday gifts”. Consumers have learned to rely on their phones to help them do more. By researching products and comparing prices via their smart phone, busy consumers realize another benefit:  saving time.

Money certainly talks and there isn’t a better way to reach cell phone users than by helping them find cheaper gas prices.  Now users can simply turn on their cell phone to find the nearest and lowest gas prices by using the AT&T YP^SM app. It doesn’t end there.  You can also find nearby businesses and deals including discounts, coupons, and specials.  This isn’t just easy, it’s fun! What’s even more exciting is that the YP^SM app lets you share with family and friends via Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS.

Building communities is important for any business relationship.  Once you understand the magic of a powerful social media community you become addicted, and ideally, more enlightened and productive.  Here’s an example.  I posed a question on the topic of “engagement” via a Twitter DM (Direct Message) by tapping into the community (using #7 and #10 Key Goals & Objectives) and here’s what these thought-leaders emailed to me:

“How do you use Twitter for business to engage your audience?”

Tom Pick (@TomPick) – Online Marketing Executive at KC Associates.

“Just as many of your customers are probably on Twitter, so are your prospects. They care far less about your advertising than about what your customers are saying about you, and how you respond. An active Twitter presence enables you to demonstrate strong customer service, rather than just claiming you offer it (after all, who advertises poor customer service?).”

Ted Rubin (@TedRubin) Chief Social Marketing Officer -Collective Bias and Social Marketing Strategist – MARS Advertising

“Tweet to keep your brand on your followers’ radar, to answer questions, to provide value… to build relationships! Remember… trust is built upon interaction, when you’re true to your word, authentic, and genuine. To build relationships, you (as a brand or individual) have to engage, interact and be responsive.”

Marjorie Clayman (@MargieClayman) -Director of Client Development – Clayman Advertising

“It has to be about helping others, not promoting yourself. Self-promotion is okay, don’t get me wrong. But if you are here to grow your business, ultimately you need to establish yourself as someone representing a company that is all about the customers and prospects.”

Jamie Crager (@JamieCrager) – Founder of CROWDSHIFTER Media

“It can be as simple as retweeting someone, asking questions and mentioning them in a positive way. You can gain valuable insights that will lead you to ‘knowing’ your audience so you can provide the best content that adds value to their business and lives. Not only will this create wonderful friendships and a loyal fan base, but opens opportunities in a wide variety of ways for you to grow your business & income.”

Gini Dietrich (@ginidietrich) – Chief Executive Officer – Arment Dietrich, Inc.

“We use Twitter to network, build relationships, and stay top-of-mind, both with prospects and current clients. It has allowed us to become further integrated into our client’s businesses instead of being seen just as that firm that helps us execute some things that aren’t always tangible. It has contributed to more than half of our new business this year. As well, it’s our number three driver of traffic to Spin Sucks. We’re big Twitter advocates!”

Kevin Randall (@kevinbrandall) –  Director, Brand Strategy & Research – Moveo Integrated Branding “Some brands support their brand positioning by using the MEDIUM in an on-brand way while others tweet CONTENT that articulates their brand purpose and personality.  Of course the ideal for any brand is to coherently marry how you say it (channel & actions) with what you say (content and words). We all know brands that do this well, that have built high social currency:  Zappos, JetBlue, Whole Foods, to name a few. Not long ago these were small businesses. ”

Michael Brenner (@BrennerMichael) – Sr. Director, SAP Global Integrated Marketing

“I believe we owe it to our companies to be brand ambassadors and that we also owe it to ourselves as marketers and business professionals to have a voice in the market. The objective of personal branding is to showcase your unique skills, experience and perspective on the world. The ultimate goal is to achieve professional success.”

Brian Rice (@BrianSRice)  – Sr. Marketing Manager, SAP Global Social Media Marketing

“The value of Twitter for businesses is the ability to listen to and engage in real-time conversations with prospects and customers.  In order to be successful, you must focus on adding value to the conversations and humanizing the brand through one-to-one interactions that help to establish thought leadership.”

Steve Farnsworth (@Steveology) – Chief Digital Strategist at Jolt Social Media

“Where companies and senior executives usually go off the rails in developing a strategy for social media is seeing the shiny objects and getting distracted. Instead they need to stop and look at the process they want to influence, and decide where they want to take that conversation.”

Wendy Marx (@WendyMarx) -  President, – Marx Communications, Inc.

“Most of my tweets are used to build credibility and relationships. I do this by providing industry-related news/tips as well as engaging with biz experts and prospects. Then, when I finally ask people to view something off Twitter, like a new blog post, they respond.”

Watch Laura Fitton (@Pistachio) Laura Fitton Inbound Marketing Evangelist, @HubSpot – Founder @oneforty [video]. Laura recommends great Twitter tools for businesses in her video and suggest you check out oneforty.com for a listing of Twitter tools for business, including reviews and ratings.

Laura Fitton Interview from Michael A. Stelzner on Vimeo.

This post was originally published on AT&T’s Networking Exchange Blog.

 Brands are on a Transformational Journey

The future. Coming soon!

Imagine for a moment that brands are on a magical conveyor belt; propelled by the fusion of technology and humanization, moving toward a place called brand relevancy. The brand’s momentum could slow, increase or stop depending on each brand’s ability to remain relevant to customers.  In the future, a brand’s success may depend on whether it is perceived as having a social purpose.  The reason to choose one brand versus another will be fueled by its purpose.  Brands that are not perceived as being socially responsible will slow or stop on our magical conveyor belt or will be passed by other brands that simply “get it.”

Today, like never before, brands are in the throes of change.  Customers are no longer satisfied with just lodging complaints or casting opinions. Instead, they are voting with their social capital and turning away from companies that fail to listen and respond.

In this rapidly changing landscape, marketers are challenged to humanize their brands and seize opportunities to engage customers across a multiplicity of touch-points and social media channels. With the rise of social media, the consumer is able to drive the conversation with or without the brand’s input.  Only brands that are authentic and transparent will succeed.

So continue to imagine these magical conveyors propelling brands.   Here are some of the accelerants that will transform brands into the future.

1.  Engaging

Brands that create rich, engaging stories will build relationships.  Authentic brand stories are retold by fans and become viral. If you address your customer’s needs, it will foster brand building.  Meaningful and advantageous engagement will shape your brand’s message.  Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn will give your brand an authoritative voice and build communities.  Consistent engagement will increase your visibility, influence and make your brand profitable.

“For Brands, Being Human Is the New Black”

Article by E. B. Boyd, Fast Company

2. Relevant

A strong brand must be relevant. Brands that are viewed as “relevant” can go a long way toward making their competitors irrelevant. Instead of focusing on achieving brand preference, it is possible to reduce or make other brands irrelevant (Dr. David Aaker, author, Brand Relevance). A brand that offers something so different and special will create its own unique category and customers will perceive those as the only option, with no alternatives.

3. Accountable

In the future, brands will be held accountable for the good things they do (or do not).  For example, Nike is highly engaged in efforts to demonstrate corporate accountability.  Employing over 800,000 people worldwide, Nike was once criticized for employment practices of some of its suppliers in developing countries.  Now, Nike posts results of external audits and interviews with factory workers at www.nikebiz.com.  According the Simon Mainwaring, “What makes Nike a We First company is not its consistently successful branding but its commitment to world-changing ideas and causes”.

4. Collaborative

Technology now shapes the entire customer experience and has transformed marketing.  There is a need for more collaboration between marketing and IT.  Your customer is a moving target.  It is critical for CMO’s and CIO’s to take leadership roles to align and form a partnership with a definitive plan for marketing transformation.  There are riches to be won for brands through this partnership.

Scott Brinker Chief Technologist Blog summed up Forresters’ Inaugural CIO-CMO Forum 2011 event on Sept. 22, 2011 saying “Marketing is now effectively a technology-powered discipline, but for many marketing leaders and their departments, it still feels like they’re strangers in a strange land”.  Scott reported that, “Only organizations that are customer-obsessed will lead in this next era, with a blend of marketing and technology that must be seamless to the outside world”.

Source: Flickr.com – Fussel

5. Voice

Quality content fuels your brand voice. Meaningful engagement with consumers is driven by the creation of clearly written, meaningful content that inspires and supports the brand’s mission. Writing content that includes searchable keywords is essential – but, importantly, does not sound confusing or forced.  If content is properly written, keywords should blend into the story.

6. Creative and innovative

Brands must aspire to be creative and innovative to win customer loyalty. Even successful brands can become complacent over time and have tunnel vision.  CMOs  need to take a disciplined and decisive approach and tap into the company’s core strengths. Here’s one company that has made innovation and creativity their goal:   General Mills recently was awarded the 2011 CPG Award for Innovation and Creativity. The award is given to companies that have demonstrated creativity and innovation, and have made a significant impact on the industry.

7.  Purpose driven

“The future of profit is purpose: Consumers want a better world, not just better widgets”, according to Simon Mainwaring, (@simonmainwaring) author of We First. Brands that recognize the importance of doing good deeds will be rewarded with increased sales and market share.  So, marketers must ask themselves: What is my brand’s purpose?  If the answer is, “I don’t know,” keep working to find the answer. New communities like Brandkarma.com are forming that care about the world we live in and the world we leave our kids.  Brandkarma.com is a platform that allows consumers to make mindful choices.

“The future of profit is purpose”

By Simon Mainwaring, Founder of We First

8.  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Customer Social Responsibility (CSR) is a win-win for companies, employees, shareholders, partners, customers and community.  Businesses are increasingly becoming part of the solution rather than the cause of the problem. Social responsibility is a differentiator for products and brands that create economic value through corporate social responsibility. According to a survey conducted by consultants Penn Schoe, Landor Associates and Burson-Marsteller, CSR Branding Survey 2010, “55% [of consumers] are more likely to choose a product that supports a certain cause when choosing between otherwise similar products.”

In Simon Mainwaring’s new book, “We First”,  he shares a compelling vision how brands and consumers, through the use of social technologies, can build a better world. 

9. Simplicity

Keep it simple. Businesses that simplify products and provide clear, transparent, user-friendly communications enable customers to make informed decisions.  These are the businesses that will succeed.

Today, the mere mention of the word ‘simple’ is a hook for purchasers and for that reason advertisers and marketers stock their copy with the words: ‘easy’, ‘convenient’, ‘quick’ and ‘simplified’. However, slapping the label ‘simple’ on something that looks like the instruction manual for the space shuttle will surely backfire when purchasers feel betrayed. Practicing ‘faux simplicity’ is even worse than being just plain complicated, according to Alan Siegel, founder and chairman of global branding firm, Siegel+Gale.

“Simple is Smart”

By Alan Siegal, Founder & Chairman of Siegel+Gale

10. Reflective

Brands build equity by pursuing a customer-centric brand strategy. Companies that reflect their target market’s beliefs, mirror them and link their brands to people’s feelings will succeed.

11.  Your Culture is Your Brand

A company’s culture is your brand. For example, at Zappos.com, Customer Service isn’t just another department — it is a core value that employees live by every day.  Zappos’ commitment to customer service is legendary and has defined its brand.

“Your Culture Is Your Brand”

by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com

Zappos formally defined culture in terms of 10 core values:

1.       Deliver WOW through Service
2.       Embrace and Drive Change
3.       Create Fun and a Little Weirdness
4.       Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5.       Pursue Growth and Learning
6.       Build Open and Honest relationships with Communication
7.       Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8.       Do More with Less
9.       Be Passionate and Determined
10.     Be Humble

12.     Listen

Brands must listen to customers and build strategies that respond to their needs in real-time. Listening enables the ability to infuse data-driven insights into every customer interaction, thus personalizing communications.

13. Brand Advocates

Before brands begin to engage consumers, messages must be carefully aligned to the firm’s mission. In a multi-channel media world, skeptical consumers notice inaccuracies that may be construed as lies. Brands must position themselves as a positive force in the world and collaborate with brand advocates to deepen relationships with all customers.

14.  Millennial bonding

The 80 million children of the baby boomers are a huge market with purchasing power of over $730 billion.  Brands are sending a barrage of messages to tap into this attractive market.   Brands need to understand that digital runs very deep with Millennials.  Digital is what Millennials are all about.    According to the new millennial study by McCann Worldwide, “The Truth about Youths”, brands should follow the top five traits young people look for in social friends:  be truthful, genuine, sociable, mature, and humble.

15.  Crowdsourcing 2.0

Innovative marketers and ad agencies are turning to crowdsourcing.  Philip Letts, (@PhilipLetts) CEO of London’s blur Group offers this definition: “Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a retained agency and outsourcing it to a defined, large, expert group of professionals in the form of a managed call.”   Crowdsourcing gives brands (and CMOs) more choice.  For example, instead of working with a creative team of two at your ad agency, a crowdsourced campaign might include hundreds of creatives generating hundreds of ideas.  So more creative ideas may not only be better but far less expensive.  Crowdsourcing 2.0 is rapidly evolving to a new level that focuses less on quantity and more on quality results – managed, expert sourcing.

16. Mobile

Consumers are having a love affair with their smart phones.  But, having the Web in their pocket also increases the desire for even more innovative ways to use their favorite tool.  According to Peter Sheldon, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, “Mobile is so much more than an extension of the web; it is an opportunity for brands to develop next-generation customer experiences that raise the bar of convenience”.

Learn from Simon Mainwaring, author of We First, how consumers can make a difference in building a better world.

“Social Media Communities Empower Small Businesses”

(Part 2 of a 3 part series)
Twitter is an amazing place to meet interesting people and join communities.   But sometimes “amazing” is an understatement when it comes to Twitter relationships.

A year ago, I received an unexpected “Thank You” tweet from Craig Newmark (@craignewmark).  Craig’s understated Twitter bio begins, “Customer service rep”, but ends with the “founder of craigslist.org”.  Not sure if “shocked” adequately expressed my initial reaction.  If you haven’t heard, craigslist.org is where millions of people help each other with everyday needs from housing to jobs.   Not that it would be unlike Craig to say “thank you”, but I was somewhat new to Twitter and just beginning to embrace working and living in this new borderless society.

Most people assume Craig runs craigslist.org, but according to Craig, “It’s run by a small group of very smart people who have stayed loyal to the idea that it should be simple, fast, mostly free.”  What Craig is really passionate about is connecting people and building communities.  On March 8, 2011, Craig launched  craigconnect  to bridge the gap between concerned citizens and great causes.

Since Craig seemed approachable, I asked him how he thought small businesses should use social media to build communities, understanding that he built a small online business into one of the Internet’s 10 most-visited English language sites.  That’s 20 billion page views per month, per Alexa.com.  Here’s what he told me, “What has worked for me is treating people like I want to be treated. That means real customer service, and a commitment to permanent engagement with customers.  Sometimes it’s hard, and there are always people you can’t make happy, but you try.”

Social Media Communities Create Value

“Building your own community on Twitter is about creating value in terms of content and relationships. Even more basic than that, it’s about giving, not taking”, according to Kent Huffman (@KentHuffman), marketer extraordinaire and founder of #MarketerMonday, one of the most successful marketing communities in social media.  Kent’s #MarketerMonday community was the inspiration for #MMChat, (every Monday at 8 p.m. EST) sponsored by @TheSocialCMO and created by Jeff Ashcroft (@JeffAshcroft), another social media visionary.

Small Business Ad Agencies Get Social

Now enter the ad agency world.  One would think agencies know everything about advertising, but they don’t.   Many small to mid-size ad agencies rely on the advice of Michael Gass (@MichaelGass) new business consultant, on the benefits of social media and how to develop a network.  Michael said, “For social media to work as a tool for developing a prospective client network and referrals, small to mid-size ad agencies are forced to create a differentiating position to create appeal to a very specific target audience.  They are also forced to focus social media efforts on client benefits instead of leading with agency credentials and capabilities.”  Michael has over 34,000 followers on Twitter.

Twitter chats are a goldmine to networking

If you’re wondering where to find interesting people, Twitter chats can be invaluable to building communities. Small businesses can either start their own Twitter chats or join other chats.  At first, chats can be overwhelming and intimidating, but it’s best to be patient and listen.  Depending upon your niche, there are dozens of scheduled chats that take place every week.    I highly recommend bookmarking both comprehensive lists of Twitter Chats posted on “3 Reasons Twitter Chats Rock” by  Melissa Nazar (@melnazar) and Meryl’s Notes Blog, “Lists of Twitter Chats“.

Social media is the biggest catalyst

Social media is the biggest catalyst to build a community around your brand.  Your brand must have a purpose.   Relationships won’t happen overnight.  Be a curator and share content that engages people.  Know that the community is more important than the product or service.  Start a conversation around the topics of industry interest by creating a blog, Twitter, FaceBook or Google+ account.

Heart and soul of your business

Depending on the drivers for building your community and the level of engagement you hope to achieve, the most important advice is use your instincts not just an arsenal of analytic tools.   If social media has taught us anything, it is how to be human.  Nominally, we have a lot of relationships in life, but only a few are valuable.  The same can be said about social media relationships.   Social media is changing everything about the way people relate socially, in commerce, politics, and personal relationships.  The tenor of relationships may be different online compared to offline, but the common denominator is that we invest in people.

This cacophonous culture can be worth its weight in gold for your business and personal relationships.  But where do you begin? When do you start?  It wasn’t that long ago that Tom Pick (@TomPick) and I collaborated on building communities when we created #Nifty50 Men and #Nifty50 Women.   The real challenge wasn’t just to find interesting people, but people that our social media friends and business associates would want to meet.  In our case, we weren’t just building a community we were expanding our communities.  There were many real success stories, both personal and business, but one of the most rewarding was being mentioned in a Fast Company article by Wendy Marx (@WendyMarx).

Final thoughts …

Remember that building a community is not a marketing component of a business strategy.  Nor is it an advertising campaign; it is the heart and soul of your business.  Robust communities share an understanding of member’s lives and interests.  Remember, transparency and authenticity are the keys to success.

The very fact that customers are more difficult to reach should create an impetus for small businesses to rethink social media strategies.  To connect with today’s buyer, you need to stop pushing your message out, a.k.a., “outbound marketing” and start pulling your customers in via “inbound marketing.”  The rules of marketing have changed.  The key to winning today is the ability to use this change to your advantage.   And, while the economic picture remains challenging, we need to remember that small business is the engine that will move our country forward.

Part 3 will discuss the shift from traditional outbound marketing to inbound marketing and the impact for small businesses.  If you missed Part 1 check out: “For Small Business, Social Media is Word-of-Mouth Struck by Lightning“.

“Marketing Tools and Technology – How Does A Marketer Decide?” was originally posted on Michael Brenner’s Blog B2B Marketing Insider.