Monday, March 01, 2010

Study: Most Effective B2B Social Media Tactics are IT ‘Lite’

Guest post by Ben Hanna, VP of Marketing for Business.com, the Web’s leading portal for business owners.

According to a new study involving more than 1,700 small business leaders, companies marketing to small businesses would be well advised to focus on social media tactics requiring little IT investment, such as webinars, podcasts and establishing a presence on top social networking sites, before pursuing more IT resource intensive initiatives such as creating a company-managed online community. The study, conducted by Business.com, finds that that four of the top five most effective social media tactics for engaging small business decision makers do not require significant IT investment or involvement. The exception – company blogs – should be backed by both a strategic content strategy and the resources necessary to create this content on an ongoing basis before it allocating IT resources to blog creation or management.

The small business social media study examined the social networks and other social media resources small business owners and managers turn to for business-relevant information. In contrast to the common perception of social media as inherently “social” or interactive, study participants using social media for business were much more likely to use resources which don’t require interaction, such as webinars and podcasts (67%) or reading product reviews (63%), than they were to participate in online discussions (29%). The top five social media resources used by small business leaders are:

Webinars / Podcasts – small business leaders consider webinars and podcasts to great resources for professional development, industry research and learning about potentially-relevant products and services, saving them the time and expense of attending in-person training.
Ratings & Reviews – provide useful input into the business buying process, particularly those ratings or reviews provided by other small businesses using the product or service.
Company / Brand Pages on Social Networking Sites – social network participation is now mainstream for U.S. adults, with 46% using sites such as Facebook and 25% participating weekly. Small business leaders are increasingly turning to these sites to find the latest information about important vendors, products and services.
Company Blogs – small business leaders praise company blogs – at least, those that are “well written, current and with good thought leadership articles” – as great sources of information about business-relevant products, services and the underlying character of a company.
Social Media Search – while some of the business-relevant information on social media sites can be found through general search engines, a great deal cannot. Realizing this, over half of small business leaders using social media search for business-relevant information directly on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Business.com Answers, SlideShare and many more.

B2B social media marketing initiatives require Marketing and IT to work closely together to prioritize projects, allocate resources, manage execution and maintain new systems and features. One key implication from this study for companies marketing to small businesses is that Marketing can, and should, actively pursue B2B social media initiatives which require little IT investment before taking on more resource-intensive projects.

For example, rather than placing a company-managed online community the core of the emerging social media strategy – a community where, according to this research, it will be very challenging to build participation by small business leaders – establish a company presence on one or more social networking sites and focus initial community development efforts on those sites. By focusing first on external, IT ‘lite’ social media opportunities, companies marketing to small businesses are more likely to reach a far larger portion of their target audience in the short run, begin developing a following and learn key lessons that inform what social media features and functionality are actually necessary on the company web site.

For more details, the complete research report, “Engaging Small Business Decision Makers Through Social Media,” can be downloaded from the Business.com web site at http://www.business.com/info/engaging-small-business-through-social-media.

Photo credit: p_kirn

Ben Hanna most recently led the Business.com 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study, and is a specialist in B2B online social media and marketing solutions.

Labels: b2b, corporate blogging, guest post, social media, study

Posted by Scott Monty at 4:20 PM

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

When Crisis Attacks

It seems that crisis management has been a hot topic in the news lately. Sports celebrities and major automotive companies are suffering from major hits to their reputation every day in the news. And earlier today, a popular theme park made headlines: SeaWorld experienced a terrible accident when one of its killer whales from the Shamu show attacked and killed one of their most experienced trainers.

Full disclosure: I just visited the park last week and saw the show while I was on vacation, so I felt a personal twinge on hearing the news. In addition, in a when I was with a previous employer, I had an opportunity to go behind the scenes at SeaWorld and to hear about the inner operations of the park. I can understand the devastation that must be rippling across the park staff, as both the trainers and the animals are an integral part of a very unique family there. My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved.

The team at SeaWorld and its associated parks have a solid presence online; a huge portion of their ticket sales are from the web. But outside of a blogger outing through IZEAFest, I hadn't really heard much of their social media efforts. So today, when I saw "SeaWorld" and "Shamu" trending on Twitter, I knew there was probably some unfortunate news behind it.

I'd like to take a look at some of the good things that SeaWorld did in response and some areas that need attention.

The Need for Speed

When a brand is affected by a breaking crisis, the first thing I do is check Twitter. Not just for mentions of the issue, but to see how the company is responding or if it even has an account. And in this case, SeaWorld was covered, as they have an account: @SeaWorld_Parks. As of 11:30 p.m. on February 24, there are 814 followers.

You'll note that one of the most recent updates on their account is a clear statement and link to what they had to say about the crisis:

Within a few hours, the park had updated the blog with an entry "A Message from Jim Atchison, President and Chief Executive Officer, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment" that acknowledged the tragedy and put a human feel to the statement:

February 24, 2010
It is with great sadness that I report that one of our most experienced animal trainers drowned in an incident with one of our killer whales this afternoon, February 24, 2010 at our SeaWorld Orlando park.
We have initiated an investigation to determine, to the extent possible, what occurred. There are no other details to share at this point, but we will make our findings known in due course.
I must emphasize that this is an extraordinarily difficult time for the SeaWorld parks, and our team members.
Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, guests and the animals entrusted to our care. All of our standard operating procedures will come under review as part of the investigation.
We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the trainer and will do everything possible to assist them in this difficult time.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and will share more information as it becomes known and available.

Any time a crisis hits, it's a good idea for a company to have a hub where information can be posted quickly to address misinformation, provide clarity, and exhibit some semblance of control over the situation. In today's world, there's no time for weeks or even days of war gaming and message creation. Companies need to be prepared to act within a matter of hours, if not more quickly.

Fortunately, SeaWorld maintains a blog at SeaWorldParksBlog.com and has been actively blogging since September of 2009. So they've already established themselves in this space, rather than waiting for a crisis to hit to create a blog. By updating that blog with timely & relevant information, they were able to reassure the public, which is especially important at a time rumors and conflicting reports are floating around. And with an associated Twitter account, they can continue to share information.

In addition, SeaWorld has used its Facebook page to post the message from Mr. Atchison as well as to announce the incident:

But there's a little more going on here that deserves some consideration.

Not So Fast

While it's great that SeaWorld has a Twitter account and Facebook page (as well as a YouTube & Flickr account), there are a few things that are worth addressing. The first is that it's probably a good idea to get more interactive with the Twitter account (although I'll admit it may be too early yet, as information and relevant facts are still coming in). But clearly, with SeaWorld being a trending topic, there's a reason to at least acknowledge some of the concerns.

Next is the inevitability of animal rights activists who will come of of the woodwork to criticize SeaWorld for keeping animals in captivity. Based on my experience behind the scenes at the park, I know SeaWorld is very sensitive to such criticism and I can say that they're absolutely committed to caring for these animals and treating them humanely. Nothing could be more important to the staff there. However, when online activists really want to make a firestorm out of something, they certainly can. And the park staff should be prepared for that. As we can see, they already had to take action on Facebook:

Also, it's important to note that there's a second Twitter account associated with SeaWorld - in fact, it's actively promoted by the park on their home page: the @Shamu account. This was formerly the @RealShamu account, but they must have acquired the @Shamu name since the account was created. Here's a shot of their Twitter page:

It's not your typical account, as Shamu seems to have a bit of an attitude. One of his tweets from nearly a year ago reads:

Now, I get that they're trying to take on the persona of the whale, but seeing that you're dealing with an animal that is in close proximity to humans on a regular basis, I would think the team might want to take a little bit of the "killer" out of the killer whale.

Similarly, notice this back and forth between @Shamu and a follower, as recently as 5 days ago:

With over 9,800 followers on the @Shamu account - more than 10 times the amount on @SeaWorld_Parks, one would think that this would be the place for updates to be taking place. However, SeaWorld has kind of painted themselves into a corner here. Because they've used a persona and because the physical manifestation of that persona (the actual whale) was involved in the incident, one of the most popular social media channels of the park is unable to be activated.

At the very least, if I were managing the account, I would consider going back and remove any references to violence in the stream, out of respect for the victim. While that may violate the tenet of keeping conversations whole on the social web, it does show a sensitivity to this very regrettable circumstance.

In short, it's important to have a crisis preparedness plan and a rapid response strategy in place, using the tools that effectively allow a company to get messages in place and respond where the conversations are happening. And as channels are being created, it's important to understand the implications of potential negative stories and how those channels might be affected. In a crisis, a popular channel that needs to be silenced is of no use to anyone.

UPDATE: Please be sure to check the comments below. They include a great back-and-forth discussion between readers, as well as a post from someone at SeaWorld's digital marketing staff that includes information on how they're handling things.

Labels: corporate blogging, crisis, enterprise, facebook, strategy, Twitter

Posted by Scott Monty at 11:49 PM

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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Have You Got a Boss or a Leader?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of collaborating with Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company (my employer) on Twitter. He was so excited about the opportunity to connect directly with the public again (you may recall his first exchange on Twitter).

The thing that I was looking forward to the most was just seeing Alan in action. With our CEO, what you see is what you get - he's the real deal. He takes the time to listen to people and he responds thoughtfully and genuinely. He gets social media, whether or not he knows what blogs, Twitter, Facebook or Plurk are - he knows that it takes an investment of time and truly caring about customers to make it work. And to me, that's the critical difference between success and failure as a communicator.

I don't know how many Fortune 500 executives are like that, but I think it's a strategic asset at Ford to have an executive who can not only lead with laser-like focus and strategy, but who can inspire through simply being a decent human being. To me, it's the difference between being a boss and being a leader. And Alan exudes that. See what I mean in this short video of Alan:

Here's the transcript of what was said on the @Ford account for the 30 minutes that Alan was on. We answered 37 questions and we have about 40 more that Alan will respond to shortly. The hashtag we used for the day was #FordCEO and all of the tweets from Alan were signed ^Alan. As he states in one of the responses, Alan loves customers. I don't think anyone can doubt that.

irasocol: #FordCEO when will Sync work with all Blackberries?

ford: @irasocol SYNC works with most bluetooth devices. Scott says to check www.syncmyride.com for more info ^Alan #FordCEO

irasocol: #FordCEO, why not give the Ka to US Mercury dealers, and create buzz. Same car as the FIAT 500 which is supposed to 'save' Chrysler.

ford: @irasocol Re the Ka: we're trying to understand the U.S. market needs for it right now. It's a REALLY neat car! ^Alan #FordCEO

BradConley: @Ford What part will the Lincoln brand play in the resurgence of FMC?

ford: @BradConley Lincoln is a key luxury brand for us, we have a completely new family of Lincolns now. ^Alan #FordCEO

drivingsales: @Ford if GM & Chrysler get big UAW concessions through BK protection, how will that affect Ford's agreements? #FordCEO

ford: @drivingsales We continue to work with all of our stakeholders on our plan and we will not be distadvantaged. ^Alan #FordCEO

j_navarra: @Ford are there plans to replace the NA Focus line with the Euro Focus line, or the Fiesta replacing the NA Focus's place in the lineup?

ford: @j_navarra Yes. Over time, the products will come together around the world on our wonderful platforms. ^Alan #FordCEO

DRients: @Ford Alan, I would like to know what you think the strongest car/truck is in Ford's fleet? And Why? Thanks! #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Stong cars: the Ka, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, Mustang and Taurus. ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Strong utilities: Escape, Edge. Flex, Explorer & Expedition. ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Strongest trucks/vans: Ranger, F-series, E-series and the NEW Transits ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Oh yeah, one more: strongest new way cool van: Transit Connect Family One ^Alan #FordCEO http://bit.ly/IGXd

lombertop: @Ford what made u think so far ahead re. the obtaining of funds in case of an economic downturn?

ford: @lombertop We are so excited about our products, transformation - we wanted to ensure we had sufficient $ to complete it http://bit.ly/IGXd

lombertop: @Ford What do u think of the Fiesta Movement campaign so far?

ford: @lombertop "Moving" along really well. SO exciting & useful to gather customer input/feedback ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @lombertop The Movement is the future for creating vehicles we all really want. ^Alan #FordCEO

radiomantodd: @Ford What role does a grassroots motorsports racer, such as a#SpecFocus team, have in building up a brand such as Ford? #FordCEO

ford: @radiomantodd "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday." Go Ford, go!! ^Alan#FordCEO

AtaruSVTF: @Ford If the Fiesta Movement is a success after it ends, is this the type of marketing you would consider doing again in the future?

ford: @AtaruSVTF RE Fiesta Movement - YES. More than marketing, we're creating our new products we all want together. ^Alan #FordCEO

azulejost: @Ford #FordCEO With the IIHS crash tests released yesterday, how confident are you that the Fiesta will outperform the Fit, Yaris, etc.?

ford: @azulejost That IS the plan. ^Alan #FordCEO

paul_db_weber: @Ford Is Econetic coming to US?

ford: @paul_dB_weber We're going to deliver the best fuel mileage forever. That's the plan. ^Alan #FordCEO

leeanthro: @Ford We are Ford family looking to replace Taurus wagon. We buy 1-2yo vehicles to save. What wld we gain buying NEW this summer? #FordCEO

ford: @Leeanthro Great design, better fuel efficiency and safety improvements...and great value ^Alan #FordCEO

povertyjetset: @Ford happy about Fiesta's fuel efficiency. More small cars from Ford in the works? #fiestamovement

ford: @povertyjetset Yes. Ford will provide a complete family of small, medium & large cars, utilities & trucks going forward. ^Alan #FordCEO

DaveBenjamin: @ford: #fordceo- Do you anticipate suppliers will survive much longer without substantial government financing? How does this effect Ford?

ford: @DaveBenjamin Yes. They'll continue to consolidate & align with successful companies. Like Ford. :-) ^Alan #FordCEO

byronpope: @ford Would a GM/Chrysler bankruptcy negatively impact Ford?

ford: @byronpope We are so pleased that customers are preferring Ford.(Hi, Bryon!) ^Alan #FordCEO

DonStugots: @Ford when can we expect a hybrid "edge" model? if not, then why? #FordCEO

ford: @DonStugots We're reviewing it now. ^Alan #FordCEO

azulejost: @Ford #FordCEO Mr. Mulally, congratulations on attaining 10% of Europe's market share last month! You're doing a great job.

ford: @azulejost Thank you! The customer decides, and we're SO pleased. ^Alan#FordCEO

Turbochacha: @Ford #FordCEO Is there any thought to bringing back iconic namplates like Thurderbird or Bronco since Taurus has been well received?

ford: @Turbochacha We continue to consider this, but our focus is consistency of purpose/continuous improvement with what we have. ^Alan #FordCEO

@Mooncricket: @Ford Alan where do you see Ford full size trucks in the next 5 years. Gas, hybrid, electric, power, same size or smaller?

ford: @Mooncricket Yes. ^Alan #FordCEO

DRients: @Ford..Alan, what are some of your talent acquisition and retention strategies in these tough times?

ford: @DRients Compelling vision for Ford, wonderful creative work, talented people working TOGETHER, making fabulous products ^Alan #FordCEO

ursch1311: @Ford Alan, you are doing an amazing job...can u give me hope for an ecoboost Fusion, and maybe how long I'll have to wait?

ford: @ursch1311 Yes. Soon. Such a neat drive with the additional torque at lower rpms. Yahoo!! ^Alan #FordCEO

joelandmandy: @Ford #FordCEO -- looking at the new Transit for our business. Could a 6' person stand up in the back?

ford: @joelandmandy Not quite. Scott showed me your video, btw - you rock! ^Alan #FordCEO

WirelessLife: @ford MS SYNC project is great. When does Ford plan on taking the next step in making the vehicle a connectivity hub? Media via mobile INET?

ford: @WirelessLife More capability in connectivity each year. Seamless connection, information will be ubiquitous as we drive Ford ^Alan #FordCEO

phenom1984: @Ford What are you driving these days?

ford: @phenom1984 I drive a different vehicle each day, including the competition. Last night = Ford Fusion hybrid 41 mpg ^Alan #FordCEO

mpgomatic: @Ford Any chance I could borrow a Fiesta ECOnetic to set a new 48-state fuel economy record for Guinness? #FordCEO

ford: @mpgomatic Need your help changing the regulations to make the dynamite new diesel to be more affordable ^Alan #FordCEO

mpgomatic: @Ford Sure thing, Alan! I can start by setting high MPG numbers on roundtrips to DC. :) 4/30 too early to start? #FordCEO

ford: @mpgomatic Go for it! Call me along the way. ^Alan #FordCEO

JamieGeek: @Ford any plans for a Hybrid truck (F150/F250/F350)?

ford: @JamieGeek EcoBoost is the next dramatic step in capability & fuel efficiency in our trucks. ^Alan #FordCEO

brittanitaylor: @Ford My family are Ford drivers, but to others who are not familiar with your brand,what would you like them to know about your company?

ford: @brittanitaylor Ford cares and has *great* choices. Please drive one, and feel the difference. ^Alan #FordCEO

raywert: @ford Alan, Ford Fiesta. Which comes stateside first, sedan or hatch?also, will mustang get ecoboost?

ford: @raywert We'll be announcing that soon (Fiesta). Can't get enough models around the world. ^Alan #FordCEO

BrentSnavely: @Ford Is Ford Advantage working? #FordCEO

ford: @BrentSnavely Yes! ^Alan #FordCEO

mlaspina: @ford #fordceo Thx for the oppty Alan. Do you expect to merge any current brands?

ford: @mlaspina No. We are laser-focused on our complete Ford family of vehicles. ^Alan #FordCEO

DaveMora: @Ford still has the "Fix Or Repair Daily" reputation. i 4 1 dont believe it but is Ford conscius about it and working on it on the PR front?

ford: @DaveMora Yes we are - the data says every new Ford vehicle is best in class worldwide. We have a great story to tell. ^Alan #FordCEO

mcritz : Why is @Ford producing the 2010 Fusion+Hybrid in Mexico?

ford: @mcritz We produce our vehicles all around the world. The vast majority of U.S. vehicles are made in the U.S. ^Alan #FordCEO

poptent: @Ford love that you guys are using Twitter for marketing + community - have you fallen in love with social media yet? #FordCEO

ford: @poptent We love customers, and can't get enough of 'em. ^Alan #FordCEO

Jeb_Hoge: @Ford Can enthusiasts expect SHO or RS versions of Focus, Fiesta, or Fusion?

ford: @Jeb_Hoge Yes. Over time. ^Alan #FordCEO

BRGT350: @ford Alan, I wanted to thank you for everything you have done for Ford. You are one of my hero's of American buisness.

ford: @BRGT350 Thank you. It is an *honor* to serve an American and global icon. ^Alan #FordCEO

Expect to see more of this kind of interaction from Alan and other executives at Ford. We believe that social media is an ongoing way of doing business rather than a marketing effort or ploy - it's not about one-way messaging or advertising. To us, social media is not a campaign, it's a commitment. And we're committed to listening.

Labels: corporate blogging, Ford, social media, Twitter

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:55 PM

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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Using New Media to Respond to Customer Feedback

Here's a video that captures the essence of why companies should be thinking about social media with regard to customer issues. And it's from no less an old media bastion than the Wall Street Journal.

Interestingly, they advocate for blogging to come from all levels of the organization, citing the oft-quoted fact that people like to hear "from people like them." So, it's not just for the CEO to blog anymore. And it doesn't just end with customer relations, it's also can help with employee relations.

For the full scoop, click on the video:

Via Shel Holtz.

Labels: corporate blogging, customer relations, New Media, social media, trends, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 10:14 PM

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Corporate Blogging - How the Pros Do It

Has this ever happened to you? When you're at a conference that offers many tracks, all of the really interesting sessions are at the same time. It happened a number of times to me during SXSW. Only I typically missed all of them, due to making personal connections and discussing topics of mutual interest with colleagues in the hallway.

The good news is that on my final day, I didn't have to make that decision. The first session of the morning was one that I was really looking forward to. Called "The Future of Corporate Blogging," it was a panel discussion between Lionel Menchaca, Mario Sundar and Kami Huyse, moderated by Mack Collier.

There's no question that this was a worthwhile session - with two living case studies of corporate blogs that really work, rich examples of how to do things well, and some of the very individuals who made it happen. Add in a consultant's view of measurement and tools, and an insightful moderator who operates in this field, and you've got a great mix. So, on with the summary!

An introduction from the experts
Lionel is the Chief Blogger at Dell's blog Direct2Dell and Mario is the Community Evangelist at LinkedIn - and these are two great examples of corporate blogs. Both were founded in response to a particular problem that needed to be solved; the prevailing thinking was not "we need a blog." Note that. The blogs were part of an overall communications strategy; blogging itself is not a strategy.

Kami is the principal at My PR Pro and is widely respected in the field of communications measurement. She rightly observed that if you want to figure out where to connect with your customers, you need to know something about them: namely how they communicate. How and where are they most likely engage with you? Do they use Facebook? Are they on Twitter? Do they read blogs? You should also find out what they need. When you meet needs in the place they're most likely to be, you'll find a wealth of engagement. Then you can decide what to measure.

A quick word about measurement
It seems like the holy grail of social media marketing is around measurement & metrics. I think it keeps coming up because there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Invariably, at the beginning of every campaign or project, you should be asking yourself "What would we consider a success?"

The panelists offered the following suggestions as a rough set of guidelines of measuring your blog or establishing a set of social media metrics for your efforts:

Use tools to benchmark yourself against the competition; track the number of blog posts of your company on a week-over-week basis
Track the tonality - positive/negative posts or comments over time; track against major announcements or events
Engagement - the word that is almost as over-hyped as 'conversation,' engagement can mean whatever you define it to mean: analytics, number of subscriptions to your blog, number of comments per post
If one of your purposes for blogging is to drive sales (personally, I don't recommend this as the primary purpose behind blogging) you can do conversion tracking or even use good old fashioned surveys

Kami actually put together a number of links on her del.icio.us page for reference:
http://del.icio.us/kamichat/sxsw2008

You've got a blog. So what?
Mack raised an excellent point: customers probably don't care that you have a blog. How do you make it relevant?

Dell makes it relevant by adhering to a social media framework:
Listening, analyzing, taking action. The first thing Dell realized is that there were lots of conversations going on about Dell on the Web. In fact, when the corporate blog started, about 50% of the comments that came in were negative. But, thanks to their openness and action, now 80% of the comments are positive.

Lionel noted that taking action is the most important step, and Dell has addressed this in a couple of ways. First, they've empowered every employee to apologize. Think about it. A huge corporate behemoth has stepped away from its usual scripted customer "service" language and allowed the company to become human for it a bit. That's a huge step right there.

Next, Dell established a way for customers to share product development ideas through IdeaStorm. A core team looks at new ideas that come in, assesses them, and then figures out a way to incorporate those into the business. Dell has received about 9,000 ideas from the community, with over 600,000 comments. An example of one idea is getting Dell to integrate Linux. To show you how effective it was, Dell put out a survey and in 8.5 days received 100,000 responses from customers. Now customers are aware that they can influence product development at Dell and it's resulted in the development of a community of loyalists.

LinkedIn wanted to help users better understand the site and the technology.
Mario noted that the company's vision was to establish conversations - a "playground of ideas" - on the site. The best way to teach customers how to use the site was to show them how to use the site, through demos. The next best way is to provide them with excellent customer support.

Overall, the panelists agreed that relevance lies in how easy you make it for your customers to interact with you. A surefire way is to create multiple touchpoints that meet the goal of reducing the amount of time between the identification of a problem and a solution. Sometimes you can find answers in unexpected areas. Despite our focus on the new shiny "2.0" things, forums are still a great place to mine for information, feedback and problems.

And in order for social media strategies to take root, the panelists noted, a company's culture needs to change. It's a step-wise process that can take years with layers of tools, technologies, and management that get more complex the longer you're in the game.

But not all is lost, even if you're in the most change-resistant environment. You don't need a fully-formed answer before you respond to concerns you identify by listening. Just be human and reach out - think of it as a conversation, where you add incremental value along the way and learn more about the person, the problem and the processes along the way.

And if there are any doubtful managers or executives in your company, sometimes seeing these conversations helps to dispel the myths/fears around negative comments. It's essential to demonstrate this on an ongoing basis, especially in a large organization, in order to show how direct communication with customers really matters.

New tools
Each of the panelists was asked about which new tools they'd recommend trying out.
Mario recommended trying Twitter as a customer service tool, for monitoring and response. He also had this cool idea: try setting up a livestream (video) as a response to users. He suggested that you use whatever tools you can find that allow you to answer problems or questions in the shortest amount of time.

Kami observed that blogs can be a platform for all of these tools. In some ways, she said that a blog could almost become a home page for the customer, where they're offered a more rich experience. The only caution she noted was that we should be aware that expectations are changing: as you give more, customers will expect more.

And Lionel reminded us that internal collaboration should not be ignored in this process. Piecing all of these activities together within the enterprise is essential, in order to capture all of the value. The best advice for this was "Get it off of email." If you establish a wiki, you'll be able to share more information with everyone within the organization.

Questions
The panel had time for a few questions from the audience.
1. How do you keep your personal brand separate from your corporate brand?
Mario referenced Hugh McLeod's post about the porous membrane - step out of the way and let users speak directly with product development, to keep each separate. That way, you can maintain your own brand and let the people at your company do what they do best.

2. How do you help employees understand the value of & support a corporate blog?
Dell established an internal blog (behind a firewall) at the same time they established Direct2Dell, with the same structure & setup, in order to capture value internally. LinkedIn encourages employees to read and contribute to the corporate blog.

3. What's behind the fear of blogging in the corporate world?
On the surface, there's the fear of getting flamed by negative comments and not knowing what to do. But you know what? It's happening anyway. It's better to capture these conversations and show how you can interact with your customers.

An example is when Dell launched its blog on July 5, 2006. About a week later, Lionel wrote a post about the now famous flaming laptop. He said that within minutes, got calls and visits to his cubicle with questions like, "What the hell are you doing?" He rightly observed that people were talking about it and it was all over the Internet already; he was acknowledging it and joining the conversation. It led to 1.3 million battery recalls, but more importantly, it also led to a documented process for interacting with customers.

As I noted at the beginning of the post, this was a great session and I'm really glad I had a chance to attend. If the conference organizers recorded it, I'll be sure to share that here.

Labels: corporate blogging, customer relations, measurement, social media, strategy, SXSW

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:59 AM

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