Archive for Social Media Strategy
Blogging as the Centerpiece of a Company’s Social Media Strategy
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been blogging about twice a week for well over a year now. I gave my first update last summer about why I blog. Write Speak Sell would become the focal point of my thoughts about communicating ideas, which is at the heart of what I have done professionally for over 30 years. It’s liberating to say what you really think and believe, while always being authentic.
A blog is the centerpiece of a company's social media strategy
Since then I’ve also come to believe that a blog is the centerpiece a company’s social media strategy, both internally and externally. The CEO is where it all starts. Wise leaders are using social media because that’s where their employees and customers are.
The CEO needs to be talking directly to the company’s stakeholders regularly with quick takes on new developments. A blog is the perfect vehicle because the nature of a blog is to be informal and for it to express the personality and communicate the authentic convictions of the writer.
A blog liberates the CEO from his ivory tower and into conversations with employees and customers in the social media communities they populate. This is a big culture change for most companies.
With a keystroke, the CEO can distribute her blog to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites where people are getting their information now days. She can be out there first with the news, before the rumors and misinformation start flying around the Internet. There isn’t time for a press release vetted by a dozen lawyers before it’s distributed. Everything is transparent now.
Employee Engagement
The CEO can profoundly influence the company’s future success when employees to buy into his vision. But employees can’t march in step with a CEO who doesn’t engage them in a two-way conversation about his goals for them and the company. If he does that, they can become the company’s most important brand advocates and commit to providing superior customer service.
Once again, I cite Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh as the pioneer. In his blog last year he wrote a piece, “Your Culture” In it he said, “It’s a very different world today. With the Internet connecting everyone together, companies are becoming more and more transparent whether they like it or not. An unhappy customer or a disgruntled employee can blog about bad experience with a company, and the story can spread like wildfire by email or with tools like Twitter. The good news is that the reverse is true as well. A great experience with a company can be read by millions of people almost instantaneously as well.”
Good advice and a good example to follow.
8 News Media Business Trends for 2010
Posted by: | CommentsThese trends are reprinted from “ Mashable, the Social Media Guide,” By Vadim Lavrusik
With the news industry struggling to find new revenue streams that can reshape their broken business model, 2010 will be defined by experiments in news media monetization. This will also include content that is guided more than ever by the audience and ad revenue.
This coming year we will also see the results of news organizations putting pay walls up, as well as new experimental models like accepting Web donations from readers — some of which may prove to be successful. Below are eight emerging news media business trends to look for in 2010. For more detail, go to Mashable for descriptions and images.
- Social Media Monetization
- Revenue Beyond Advertising
- As Publications Fold, Others Become Lean and Mean
- Growth in Hyperlocal and Community Models
- Local Advertising Grows
- Local Advertising Models Emerge
- To Charge or Not to Charge?
- The Fremium Model
Employees Can Become Brand Ambassadors; Learn How in a Free Webinar
Posted by: | CommentsAs I’ve written before, internal social networking is growing like wildfire. But not nearly enough companies are leveraging their employees’ love affair with external social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to communicate with customers. I will be describing how they can in a webinar on August 19 at 1 pm. EDT with my colleague Amy Dean. For a more detailed description and to register for this free one-hour program click on this link FreeWebinarWednesdays.
We will be discussing our concept of “Inside Out Public Relations,” how companies can use employees as brand advocates online to reach their customers and other constituents. A simple 7-step strategic plan can lead to empowered employees speaking out on their company’s behalf. Amy will also describe a case study in which she helped an IT consultant use Twitter to become a one-man marketing magnet for CIOs and a go-to source for trade media and conference organizers.
To learn how IBM trusts its employees to use social media wisely, tune in to the video on the landing page of this site. Along with IBM, it’s time to join companies like Dell, Southwest Airlines, Zappos and Intel and turn public relations inside out!
Does Your Company Have a Social Media Director?
Posted by: | CommentsDoes your company have a Social Media Director to manage the company’s social media strategy? That’s a question I posed in a LinkedIn Poll last month. With 22 responses, it is hardly scientific, but it was telling, nonetheless.
For detailed results by age, gender, job function, company size, and job title go to LinkedIn. Overall results,
Yes 18%
No 36%
In the planning stages 18%
Haven’t thought about it 4%
I wish we did but no plans at this time 22%
The greatest number of responses was “No,” more than twice as many as said “Yes.” Almost a quarter wished their company had a social media director but there were no plans for one. Isn’t that too bad – social media is fast becoming the dominant communications channel in business, but many companies are still behind the starting line when it comes to establishing a strategic social media presence.
Here’s the kicker: by age group, 100% of respondents aged 18-24 worked for a company with a Social Media Director. That’s a wake-up call for companies that are resisting the new media world. Your future leaders are joining the competition that are already on the social media band wagon. Beware!
