3 Groovy Web 2.0 Tools

An exciting aspect of social media marketing is the constant inflow of new Web 2.0 tools and technologies.

How can they enhance the success of our client programs?  Is their functionality relevant in a business-to-business environment?  Do they deliver efficiency by allowing us to streamline a function related to content creation, promotion or sales integration?

With these questions in mind I reviewed more than 20 applications during the holiday weekend.  Here are three that I found to be of particular value:

LoopDesk: although its membership and level of engagement is modest, this online community is BtoB focused with content, groups and discussions of interest to mid-sized and small businesses.

Cinch:  add audio to Web and social media content with this easy-to-use application.

Reachable:  is one of your social contacts connected with a high value prospect you’d like to target?  With close integration to LinkedIn and Facebook, this application allows you to quickly answer that question.   

Perspective, Please

The headlines sure are depressing today.  A stroll through the New York Times Web site reveals the following gems:

-Israeli/Palestinian turmoil
-Threats of a federal government shutdown due to a contentious Congress
-Continued anxiety about the European debt crisis
-A slowing Chinese economy which may (or may not) indicate that a new global recession is in play
-Growing concerns about new terrorist cells forming in Yemen

Of course, many in the marketing, digital and social circles are preoccupied with the calamity that is Facebook's change in functionality and user interface.

I realize we (me included) tend to not overly fret about events outside our control or influence.  However, I wonder if all of this energy and ire directed at Facebook could be channeled towards more productive endeavors.

 

Why is Google+ a Winner? (Hint: it has nothing to do with features, functionality or users.)

Thanks to an invite from long-standing client (and friend) Leif Ulstrup at Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) my profile on Google+ is now live.  I’ll poke around the community later this week to assess its viability and potential applications for Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) clients.

My time this morning in Google+ land got me thinking about the company’s multiple forays into social networking.  A lot has been bantered about by journalists, analysts and bloggers about how Google has struggled to define its social play.

The company’s chairman acknowledged earlier this year that the responsibility for Google’s social failure resides with him.  Plus, CEO Larry Page clearly articulated social’s importance to the company’s health by tying employee bonuses to defining and executing a successful strategy.

Yet, even though social-oriented services like Google Wave failed to attract much in the way of interest or adoption, I believe the time and resources the company has put behind these ill-fated efforts was well invested.

Why?

Because these initiatives serve as a distraction for swiftly moving competitors like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

As my colleague and partner Chris Parente recently pointed out to me, Google is entrenched against well heeled competitors in a multi-front war in social, mobile, browser, enterprise, local and, of course, search.

Regardless of the technical smarts and dollars Google can put forth to fund its growth, it is simply unrealistic to believe the company can achieve a leadership position in all of these areas.  In many instances, Google should be thrilled with any offering that delays and distracts its competitors from effectively executing their plan.

Google+ is bound to be a winner regardless of how many users sign up.

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UPDATE:  Just came across this article in Computerworld that validates my view:


Google+ May be Making Facebook Nervous

A Holiday Reminder About Social Connections

Friends...fans...followers...tweets...updates...check-ins...hashtags...it's all meaningless without the personal bond forged in a true relationship.

I was reminded of that today at my neighborhood's holiday parade and cook-out. 

Sure, I'm connected with many of my neighbors in online communities.  Yet, that doesn't replace catching up live and in-person for even 15 minutes.

Happy 4th of July!

Each block in our neighborhood creates a float to drive in a parade.

Neighbors working together to add signs and streamers.  That's social, right?

Many floats had a theme...like pirates or Harry Potter.  A reminder that content must be entertaining.

NY Times Takes a Bold Step Towards Paid Digital Content

Two years ago I argued that it was imperative for Web 2.0 and content companies to create multiple channels of revenue to build and maintain a sustainable, growth-oriented business.

My perspective was directed at fast-growth players like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter that have relied primarily on advertising revenue to fuel the top-line.  However, it is the New York Times -- a company with a 150 year history -- that has moved aggressively to carve out a myriad of revenue sources in the digital age.

Here is a copy of the letter I received today from their publisher:

An important announcement from the publisher of The New York Times

Dear New York Times Reader, Today marks a significant transition for The New York Times as we introduce digital subscriptions. It’s an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in The Times, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world and on any platform. The change will primarily affect those who are heavy consumers of the content on our Web site and on mobile applications. This change comes in two stages. Today, we are rolling out digital subscriptions to our readers in Canada, which will enable us to fine-tune the customer experience before our global launch. On March 28, we will begin offering digital subscriptions in the U.S. and the rest of the world. If you are a home delivery subscriber of The New York Times, you will continue to have full and free access to our news, information, opinion and the rest of our rich offerings on your computer, smartphone and tablet. International Herald Tribune subscribers will also receive free access to NYTimes.com. If you are not a home delivery subscriber, you will have free access up to a defined reading limit. If you exceed that limit, you will be asked to become a digital subscriber. This is how it will work, and what it means for you: On NYTimes.com, you can view 20 articles each month at no charge (including slide shows, videos and other features). After 20 articles, we will ask you to become a digital subscriber, with full access to our site. On our smartphone and tablet apps, the Top News section will remain free of charge. For access to all other sections within the apps, we will ask you to become a digital subscriber. The Times is offering three digital subscription packages that allow you to choose from a variety of devices (computer, smartphone, tablet). More information about these plans is available at nytimes.com/access. Again, all New York Times home delivery subscribers will receive free access to NYTimes.com and to all content on our apps. If you are a home delivery subscriber, go to homedelivery.nytimes.com to sign up for free access. Readers who come to Times articles through links from search, blogs and social media like Facebook and Twitter will be able to read those articles, even if they have reached their monthly reading limit. For some search engines, users will have a daily limit of free links to Times articles. The home page at NYTimes.com and all section fronts will remain free to browse for all users at all times. For more information, go to nytimes.com/digitalfaq. Thank you for reading The New York Times, in all its forms. Sincerely, Arthur Sulzberger Jr. Publisher, The New York Times Chairman, The New York Times Company

GovWin Delivers for Federally Focused Vendors

Most social networks fall into one of three distinct categories:

1. Horizontal oriented communities that measure their influence based on quantity.  For instance, Facebook sports a jaw-dropping 600 million members, while LinkedIn reports more than 70 million business users.

2. Vertical or niche market networks that offer access to a more targeted collection of members.  Govloop, Police Link and InMobile are examples.

3. Publication, association or industry managed networks.  Participation in these groups offer relationship-building opportunities with other like-minded members, as well as the credibility of networking in an environment that leverages the reputation of the organizing group.  CIO Magazine's online community of readers and Fast Company magazine's network are two examples.

For systems integrators, technology providers and other vendors the work with federal agencies, an online community of great interest is GovWin.  This platform offers access to more than 30,000 business contacts, market intelligence, and the tools to help its members identify government contract opportunities and teaming partners.

A basic membership in GovWin is free and the sign-up process is straight-forward.  However, once a contractor joins the community determining how to best participate and what outcomes to expect can be overwhelming.

GovWin's Jeff White

With this in mind, I called Jeff White of GovWin, to get his thoughts on how an individuals can derive the most measurable value from a GovWin membership.

Here are his four suggestions:

1. Create a profile:  this is how to promote yourself and your company to GovWin's members.  You can overview your company's capabilities and track record, and then add "tags" to the profile to make it searchable.

2. Set up subscription alerts:  based on the types of news, events, topics, contract opportunities, etc. that you find of interest, GovWin will notify you in real time when relevant content is posted to the community.

3. Complete the supplier verification process:  for contractors that elect to provide more detailed information about their business, GovWin's staff will review and validate these credentials and provide a certification similar to a Better Business Bureau stamp of approval.  This third-party validation enhances a company's standing in the community.

4. Join the groups:  they've been created by prime contractors such as Lockheed Martin, CACI, Mantech, Serco and others.  According to White, these primes anticipate awarding $8 billion in annual subcontract business to partners they identify through GovWin.

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Disclosure:  GovWin is a Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) client.

Plea for Social Privacy Falls on Deaf Ears

It would be understandable for the executive team at social network has-been MySpace to wonder what they did to garner such bad karma.

For starters, their strategy to position the community as a "social entertainment" site (rather than squaring off with Facebook) has been greeted by stagnant membership and declining site traffic.  Then earlier this month, the News Corporation property slashed nearly half of its workforce by shedding 500 employees.

And now comes the lawsuit.  No...not disgruntled former workers or spurned business partners.  This legal action was brought by a convicted sex offender challenging MySpace for their adherence to a warrant signed by the magistrate in Cherokee County, Georgia.

I encourage you to read this article in AdWeek for the specifics of the complaint.  My reaction is to encourage Cory Hubbard, the 34-year-old plaintiff, to focus his time in prison on how to eliminate his desire to prey upon underage girls. 

Image courtesy of Media Bistro

However, Hubbard's contention that MySpace violated federal Internet privacy and wiretapping laws raises an important question -- what expectation of privacy should we have as users when participating in social networks and online communities?

I believe the answer is none.  First off, I agree 100 percent with the Cherokee County District Attorney who compared user content uploaded to a social network to a diary author who willingly hands over their writings to a third-party, who then gives it to law enforcement.  There is no Fourth Amendment violation.

Moreover, it should be well understood by users that social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. are commercial ventures with business models focused on generating advertising revenue. 

As such, they track user activity, behavior and preferences to serve the needs of their customers -- the organizations that view online communities as a targeted promotional vehicle.

I recognize this big brother-ish monitoring may be unacceptable to some.  There's a simple solution.  Sign off Facebook and connect with your friends in an old-fashioned way.

Making Sense of Quora

Has social question and answer site Quora begun a Twitter-esq run to relevance?

Online communities, social networks and Web 2.0 tools face that cliched "chicken or egg" conundrum.  During their start-up phase when time and resources are constrained, they must rapidly build their user base to a critical mass that delivers on the value proposition and leads to a sustainable economic model.

Facebook achieved this feat by opening their network to third-party application developers, thereby enhancing the stickiness of their community without a significant capital outlay.  Twitter did the same by creating buzz at geeky conferences like the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, as well as hyping participation by celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher.

Quora's Charlie Cheever, Adam D'Angelo.  Source: WSJ

Now along comes Quora with a high level of entrepreneurial pedigree from its founders who were early employees at Facebook.  After an initial eight weeks of participation on the site I had six followers.  I've added 60 new ones in the past four days.

Plus, Quora has begun to score some national press attention, such as a recent profile in Fast Company magazine.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we've just initiated the process of evaluating how participation in Quora can support the success of our clients' social media marketing programs.  We have a couple of preliminary concepts we are thinking through:

1.  Quora as a source for industry research and intelligence gathering.  This seems to be a given as it's consistent with the mission of the site.

2.  Quora has a venue to demonstrate an executive's thought leadership and market expertise.

3.  Quora as a channel to appropriately connect with decision-makers and market influencers.  We're believers in participation in social media to achieve measurable sales benchmarks.  Can Quora help?

3 Cheers for Technical Innovation

The root of my love affair with technology is innovation and its positive impact on our personal and professional lives.

That's why it so encouraging that social media companies and online communities continue to invest resources to enhance the value they provide to users.  For instance, Facebook recently unveiled enhanced group functionality for better management of information sharing with friends.

And last month Twitter rolled out a revamped user interface to deliver to users an "easier, faster, and richer experience."

Innovation in the areas of platform development and related functionality is not limited to the broader horizontal social communities.  This week govWin - a 16,000 member social network for government contractors -- introduced an expanded version of its platform with added functionality and a portfolio of original content.

Through its parent company Deltek, govWin employs more than 40 full-time software, technical, editorial and marketing staffers who are charged with assessing, evaluating and enhancing the platform based on user feedback and market trends.

Innovation takes investment and must be a priority for companies in the technology markets.  The outcome benefits customers, investors, shareholders and employees, while ensuring we as a society remain ultra-competitive. 


(Full disclosure:  govWin is a Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) client.  My colleagues Shany Seawright and Matt Langan work closely with their marketing team on external communications activities, including public relations and social media marketing.)

Creative Crowdsourcing with Crowdspring

The dynamic and near real-time requirements of today's socially-engaged world has shortened the shelf-life of the corporate Web site.

This presents quite a challenge for small businesses that are constrained by the reality of limited resources.  It's simply not economically feasible to retain a creative and graphics team on-site or on-call to ensure the corporate Web site remains fresh and relevant in its presentation.

Plus, its inappropriate for a Web 2.0/social media site -- such as an executive blog, Facebook fan page or LinkedIn profile -- to pull double duty as a company's online presentation. 

That's due to audience expectations.  For instance, when a visitor arrives at this blog or connects with me on Twitter there is an understanding that its content will have a thought leadership orientation -- best practices, lessons learned, trend evaluation, etc.

In comparison, visitors to Strategic Communications Group's (Strategic) corporate site recognize that its dedicated to our competencies, track record and executive staff.  The site's mission is to support the sales cycle by validating our credentials and leadership.

This past week I stepped into the world of crowdsourcing.  After evaluating a couple of options, I selected Crowdspring out of Chicago as the creative community to tackle a redesign of Strategic's corporate site.

Crowdspring offers an easy-to-follow process to engage its stable of freelance creative designers, as well as a guarantee of quality in the final delivered product.  In fact, I've already received notice from nearly two dozen designers who are taking on the assignment.

Yes...the price for creative design and layout is dramatically less than what a traditional design shop charges.  However, equally intriguing is the possibilities that come with tapping a collection of qualified and experienced minds for counsel and ideas.

You can view the public portion of our Crowdspring creative brief here.  I'll keep you posted on how this project comes together. 

Social Strategy…In a Sentence

The marketing and public relations communities have long yearned and pushed for a seat at the corporate board room citing the ability to think “strategically” about the direction of the business.

Yet, in many instances communications programs revert to what I commonly refer to as a “bag of tactics” with little consideration or regard for an overarching strategy and related measurable benchmarks.

I’ve found this tactical regression to be particularly true when it comes to the adoption of social media.

-How should we be using Twitter?
-What about our Facebook fan page?
-What are the new Web 2.0 tools?

Social media is merely another channel to engage stakeholders. It doesn’t replace traditional forms of communication (i.e. advertising, public relations, direct marketing, etc.), yet in a social environment your audience has already self-identified and organized into groups based on interest.

This makes the outcome of social media engagement significantly more measurable.

It also demands a strategy; one that is aligned with the key drivers of success in business – sales, profitability and valuation.

Here are three examples of new social media campaigns recently launched by Strategic:

1. Merchant Link’s Security Cents helps the company solidify a more credible position in the information security market, leveraging its participation at the HITEC industry conference.

2. Appian’s BetterGov is integrated with a sales and marketing initiative designed to more rapidly increase the company’s business in the federal government market.

3. The new version of British Telecom’s (BT) CSR Perspective promotes the company’s leadership in environmental sustainability, while creating a more intimate connection with executive level decision-makers.

There’s a cliché in the entertainment field that for a movie production to get funded a summary of the idea has to fit on the back of a business card.

It’s true for social media as well. Before hacking away at the tactics, develop a strategy that can be articulated in a single sentence.

The Unproductive Fallacy

The case for unfettered employee access to social networks in the workplace is compelling.

Team collaboration...creativity and idea creation…office morale…all typically receive a spark from empowering staff to engage in online communities such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIin and Govloop.

Yet, a myriad of executives at commercial and government organizations hold tight to the mistaken notion that social media in the office is cancerous. For instance, a survey conducted last year by Robert Half Technology found that 55 percent of employers banned all access to social networking sites.

While legitimate security concerns related to data leaks, viruses and malware are often cited, right up there on the list of “why we block” is the rationale that social media breeds a lack of productivity.

This is simply not true. I have personally found that an organization that treats its employees like mature and experienced professionals is rewarded with a workforce committed to performance and success.

Several years ago Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) adopted a core principle to promote and support a healthy work/life balance for all employees. More than a work from home policy, we view the job as something you do, rather than a place you go. Our employees work where they want, when they want and how they want.

My role as CEO is to be clear and consistent on expectations, and then hold my colleagues accountable for performance.

We had some staffers flame out in this environment. One account executive chose to spend time on his own consulting endeavors. A sales rep simply stopped working all together. Both are no longer employed at Strategic.

Yet, by and large, this flexible work environment has been one of our wisest decisions as a company.

This same philosophy of treating adults like…well…adults applies equally to social media access in the workplace. Yes, there may be some who abuse the system by passing their time on trivial pursuits. The performance review process should weed them out.

Executives should demand the doors to social media be thrown open. Give them Facebook. Allow them to tweet. Embrace LinkedIn. Network on Govloop.

You’ll be rewarded with more than a thanks. You will also realize a measurable return in productivity, creativity and, ultimately, revenue and profit.

Small Biz Find Social Media to be the Great Equalizer

As business and trade media transition their reports from “what social media is” to here is how companies are effectively using it, an inaccurate picture of the state of adoption has emerged.

The casual reader might conclude it is primarily global organizations with its deep pockets and gang of marketers that derive measurable ROI from social media. Consider Adweek’s recent article, “Does Social Sell?” that dives into campaigns from industry titans Pepsi, Dell and H&R Block.

Even Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) is guilty of big brand-itis when it comes to promotion of its social media marketing competencies and track record. Our case studies tout work for Microsoft, Monster, British Telecom (BT) and Sun Microsystems with nary a whisper about our equally successful efforts for more growth-oriented clients like BroadSoft, Epok and Senforce Technologies.

It’s understandable as more broadly recognized brands turn heads, command attention from influencers and, ultimately, confer tremendous credibility on the practice of social media as a proven marketing discipline.

Yet, our fetish and fascination with big company adoption of social media might be scaring off more modest-sized organizations. A recent survey presents a cloudy view.

The optimist perceives the doubling of social media use by small businesses from 12 to 24 percent as a sign of frothy growth. The pessimist argues that it’s only 1 in 4 companies that are tapping into this channel. What about the other 75 percent?

Anecdotally, I have spoken with a number of C-level executives at companies well qualified to engage strategically in social media who have put it off due to their “limited resources.” To this, I’ve attempted to point out that mega-business is no more sophisticated or destined for success in social networks.

Here’s why:

1. Social media is a great equalizer. Years ago I visited with an ad sales representative from the Wall Street Journal who explained their clients advertise in the newspaper because they can. Of course, what this implied was that they can afford to, which communicated leadership and financial strength.

Participation in social networks and online communities such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Govloop and Twitter is open to all. Success is a function of strategy, thought leadership and time investment, rather than a hearty financial outlay.

2. The financial burden of experimentation and failure is modest. I broached this idea last September in a blog post that explored how Strategic has transitioned through multiple lead generation tactics in a single social media campaign.

3. Business outcome is predicated on a one-to-one relationship. Set aside issues related to branding, perception, credibility and confidence, and, inherently, a transaction comes down to two people reaching mutual accord.

The cultivation of personal relationships in an online environment is at the core of social media marketing. And, in many instances, a small and still emerging venture is just as likely to establish a relationship with the buyer as a global organization.

Be Strategic When It Comes to Social Media Tactics

I was recently referred to a corporate communications executive who was interested in how to best integrate social media into his company’s mix of marketing and public relations activities.

It took me about 20 minutes to overview our sales-focused and lead generation oriented approach. I hit all of the hot issues: how we integrate our social media marketing programs with a client’s sales organization; ways to leverage existing thought leadership content; and the importance of aligning tactical activities with a search engine optimization (SEO) effort.

There was a moment of silence on the phone and then he said, “You know, we have just talked about setting up a Facebook fan page.”

OK…fair enough. A company has to start somewhere when it comes to the adoption of social media. In fact, we typically employ a pilot program methodology when engaging with a new client because it allows a company to ease into social media in a more measured and defined way.

However, even if easing into social media means a straight tactical approach (i.e. Facebook fan page, corporate Twitter account, etc.), it is imperative that a strategy and measurable benchmarks be put in place.

Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) recently revamped its Facebook fan page as part of a Web site refresh. We’ve defined two primary objectives for our presence on Facebook:

1. Use it as a platform for the ongoing promotion of our social media marketing successes on behalf of clients like Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, British Telecom (BT), Monster, TANDBERG, BroadSoft, GovDelivery, among others. We’re laser-focused on existing clients and prospects with this objective.

2. Provide a more personal glimpse into Strategic’s culture and the professionals who work for the firm. This content is geared more towards prospective employees and 1099 partners.

Take a look at our Facebook presence and, if interested, sign on as a fan. You’ll receive updates on our client-related social media work.

And never shy from engaging in social media. Even if it is a tactical approach to start, just make sure you have outlined some type of strategy.

The Many Lenses of Social Media

Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. It’s all things I love -- family, friends, food, football and…yes…social media.

That’s right – you know a topic has gotten big when it successfully competes with Brangelina and the woes of the Washington Redskins for discussion time at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

How many friends do you have on Facebook? Who are they – co-workers, high school classmates, neighbors? What is the fascination with this Twitter thing?

After taking this Web 2.0 banter in for about 15 minutes, it dawned on me how different each person’s experience is with social media.

For the over 50 set, participation in social networks is an unobtrusive daily connection to loved ones. I guess checking out photos of a recent vacation on Facebook or Flickr is a better than phoning your daughter one too many times.

Then there is the still single crowd who taps into online communities as a source of relationship intelligence.

“There is no such thing as a blind date,” one cousin explained.

Of course, there are also a host of unwritten rules that guide interaction on Facebook among prospective romantic interests.

“Friending someone you have just started dating is a major decision,” my cousin said. “You are sending a signal to her. It’s OK for you to be part of my online life and to know my friends.”

And to think my world of social media is primarily viewed through a business lens with a focus on lead generation, sales cultivation, search engine optimization and awareness building.

This year Thanksgiving served is a reminder that social media – like most things in life – is all about objectives and expectations.

Add Another Industry to Facebook’s Hit List

My 20-year high school reunion was a real dud and I blame Facebook.

It certainly wasn’t the fault of the organizing committee. They hired an experienced management company, meticulously compiled a list of the 400 or so graduates and promoted the event religiously.

So why was the turn out a mere 10 percent of the class of 1989?


It’s because thanks to that 300 million member social community there is little value in attending a reunion. I am already clued in to what most fellow classmates are up to. I’ve read their updates. I have seen their photos. Heck…I probably know more about them now then when we sat in the same junior English class.

Admittedly, I did hesitate a bit before scratching out a $150 check for my wife and me to attend this past Saturday’s event. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with reservations. Most of my former classmates elected to save their money and simply spy the post-event photos on Facebook.

Will there even be reunions by the time my 30-year rolls around? It’s a legitimate question.

This Web 2.0 era of the past 36 months has forever disrupted a myriad of tried and true business models. Just ask any publisher.

In fact, the Washington Post published a fascinating article a few weeks back which predicts the demise of the traditional higher education campus setting. Before you discount this, consider that by the time my six-year-old is college aged a year’s tuition at a state school in Maryland will run about $80,000. Something has got to change.

Business evolution is unrelenting and casts aside industries that lack adaptability.

For me, I was sadly reflective as my wife and I walked to the car after the reunion. Perhaps I’ll share this with a few of my close friends from high school. I’ll send them a message on Facebook.

Jerks Abound at Facebook PR

What would you call someone who has a laugh after causing the embarrassment and humiliation of another?

An insensitive jerk? How about mean spirited snake? Or, you could just compare them to the public relations department at Facebook.

Let me explain. Apparently, the spinsters at America’s favorite social network got tired of TechCrunch taking shots at them, not to mention their failure to follow the accepted editorial best practices of peer review and fact checking.

To teach Michael Arrington and his band of blogging cronies a lesson, they duped them into writing a story about a new fictitious feature on the site that was blatantly ridiculous.

When TechCrunch writer Jason Kincaid finally got in touch with someone from Facebook the PR representative “couldn’t stop laughing for five minutes.”

Oh wow…that’s real funny.

While Michael Arrington certainly doesn’t have the most pristine reputation, it’s not a productive use of time to make him look foolish.

Don’t the folks in Facebook’s PR department have other things to work on? How about helping the company get to profitability?

Social Media's Criminal Element

There is a somewhat unexpected (yet frequently) voiced concern from the executive suite when it comes to the evaluation of incorporating social media as part of the marketing mix. It is not related to messaging. It has little to do with budget. And it isn’t a determination of performance benchmarks.

Rather, many in senior management express a more personal fear: “If I put myself out there in social networks will the increased visibility result in more targeting by spammers, con-artists and identity thieves?”


This is certainly a valid concern. The fringes of the Internet are populated with these nefarious characters who are quite adept at trolling social networks for prey.

Plus, popular online communities like Facebook and Twitter are now constantly on the defensive against newly emerged phishing scams and viruses. (Image courtesy of SecureDeveloper.com.)

Our counsel to clients is the business ROI of social media participation and digital communications outweighs the personal risk. However, like most things in life, it is wise to exercise an appropriate level of caution.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Do not post anything you wouldn’t want published on page one of the USA Today. That means no personal information, including social security number, home address, birthdays, etc. It even took me a long time before I became comfortable referencing the name of my kids.

2. Be careful about who you connect with or friend in an online environment. If you’re not sure who the person is or how they know you, then simply pass on accepting a friend request.

3. Google yourself…weekly. In fact, use all of the major search engines (i.e. Bing, Yahoo, etc.) to monitor your digital footprint.

4. Have a plan if you become the target (or worse, victim) of a cyber crime. Talk to your company’s legal counsel before engaging in social media as part of a corporate initiative. Don’t be shy to protect your interests and rights.

Three Musts for Social Media Success

There is a comprehensive list of things that rarely influence the return on investment and ultimate success of a social media campaign. This list of irrelevance includes: Twitter, Reddit, Digg, Mixx, Flickr, Wordpress, Typepad, Blogger, Posterous, YouTube, LinkedIn, and…yes…even Facebook.

It’s not that these Web 2.0 offerings fail to deliver impact. In fact, they are critical when it comes to the execution of a digital program. However, they are merely tools which create a channel to connect with and engage key audiences. Success in social media is defined by strategy, believability and integration.

Let’s start with strategy. Like all other communications initiatives, corporate social media activities must begin with a discussion of and agreement on a set of measurable outcomes. These benchmarks should be aligned with the organization’s overall goals, especially when it comes to sales, profitability and valuation.

Makes sense, right? Social media is meaningful when you can point to how it drives the business forward in a measurable way.

Equally important is believability. A long-standing tenet of effective public relations is that perception is reality. However, image creation has to be based on the tangible beliefs and attributes of an organization and its employees.

Take Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) work for British Telecom (BT) and its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. BT leverages its commitment to sustainable business practices to solidify relationships with key stakeholders.

Yes…this is part of their customer engagement efforts. However, the company’s passion for CSR is genuine, resulting in a social media-driven dialogue that truly connects with audiences.

And finally, there is the issue of integration. Ideally, a commitment to social networking and digital communications should take hold among multiple groups within an organization allowing for the seamless sharing of resources. This seldom happens though.

Our experience teaches that pockets of innovation rise up with defined champions eager to put social media to work to the benefit of their specific objectives. We cherish these champions, yet make it a point to work with them to build internal awareness and support prior to the launch of a campaign.

In particular, solidifying a connection with the sales team is essential as they provide an avenue to reach customers and prospects, as well as channeling back ongoing feedback on the relevance and impact of our efforts.

So, the next time a colleague (or your boss) asks about the company’s use of Twitter or your activities in the blogosphere, challenge them to think about social media from the perspective of the three musts – strategy, believability and integration.

Facebook, Twitter and the Legion of Freeloaders

Just for a moment, let’s put aside the management philosophies, growth strategies, corporate positioning, and equity and debt structures. When it comes down to it, success and longevity in business is kindergarten simple: your revenue must consistently exceed your expenses.

If it doesn’t, the day will eventually come when you run out of money. In corporate speak this is referred to as a liquidity crisis.

Auto makers like GM and Chrysler are current examples, as are retailers such as Circuit City and Linens n’ Things. However, at least these companies generate revenue. It may not be enough, but they have customers who write checks or slap down credit cards.

We can’t say the same thing for Web 2.0 darlings Facebook and Twitter. Each has become an integral part of my life and provide me (and millions others) with measurable professional and personal value.

Yet, every time either of these companies whisper about establishing a revenue-generating business model their respective users threaten revolt. (Notice that I referred to us as users, rather than customers.)

For instance, earlier this month Twitter co-founder Biz Stone hinted that the company is evaluating whether to charge corporate users of the service. Stone cited Dell as a prime candidate, referencing the $1M in sales the computer maker reportedly generated from Twitter during the holiday season.

The resulting cry of shock and outrage by inhabitants of Twitterville forced the company to quickly backpedal.

Big…big…mistake. I want to know when management at Facebook and Twitter are going to stand up to the legion of freeloaders that use their service. Advertising revenue alone is simply not going to be enough. These companies need to develop multiple sources of revenue and that means converting users into customers by making them pay.

If some don’t like it and turn their back on the company, then so be it. There will be enough of us who are willing to fork over some dollars because Facebook and Twitter make our lives better.

Right now, it’s the private equity investors who are covering the tab for all of us. One of these days the VC gravy train is going to end.