B2B Social Media Huddle - Benjamin Ellis - Making the B2B Social Media Business Case

Benjamin Ellis @benjaminellis

Why Should I Care?

Why Should I Care?

"Well-informed people know it is impossible to transmit the voice over wires.

Even if it were, it would be of no practical value."

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is

inherently of no value to us."

"Why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to a local telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to

any large city in the United States?"

Why Should I Care?

"Well-informed people know it is impossible to transmit the voice over wires.

Even if it were, it would be of no practical value." - Boston Post, 1865

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is

inherently of no value to us." - Western Union internal memo, 1876

"Why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to a local telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to any large city in the United States?" - From the report to the President of Western Union written by the committee charged with investigating potential purchase of Bell's

telephone patent for $100,000

The Business Case?

Source: National Statistics Omnibus Survey 2008;56 per cent of all UK households had a broadband connection in 2008

Tipping Point?Tipping Point?

Transitioning MediaTransitioning Media

Traditional | Digital | Social interruption > engagement > advocacy

you can't buy attention anymore

Internet advertising spendInternet advertising spend

exceeded TV advertisingexceeded TV advertising

#Fail?#Fail?

Me: BrandMe: Brand

You: CustomerYou: Customer

Anymore

Customers are not alone

What’s your marketing What’s your marketing R&D strategy?R&D strategy?

experimental > coreexperimental > core

SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN UMBRELLA TERM THAT DEFINES THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES THAT

INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL INTERACTION, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF WORDS, PICTURES,

VIDEO AND AUDIO _wikipedia_

Social What?Social What?

Platforms

Software

Social Graphs

People

Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Business 2.0 Leadership 2.0 Blogging Semantic web Tagging Sharing Social Media Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Business 2.0 Tagging Leadership 2.0 Semantic web Sharing Social Media Web 3.0 Enterprise 2.0 Business 2.0 API Leadership 2.0 Semantic web Tagging Sharing Social Media Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Business 2.0 Leadership 2.0 Semantic web Tagging Sharing Social Media Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Business 2.0 Semantic web Leadership 2.0 Tagging

Social ThingsSocial Things

The New Swan?

Or the ugly duckling?

Who’s Out ThereWho’s Out There??

“Information management solutions: communication and collaboration in a changing world”Continued Communication Survey 2009

“Information management solutions: communication and collaboration in a changing world”Continued Communication Survey 2009

“As a new generation enters the workforce, companies believe they’re on the horns of a dilemma: lock out the social networking sites and deal with discontented employees, or leave access unfettered and absorb a loss of productivity

But the issue isn’t black and white. As a communications medium, there may be benefits to taking advantage of online social networking for developing valuable professional relationships. Companies need to become educated on the nuances of the various utilities and develop strategies and policies that take into account both the risks and the benefits.” Jay Cline, Computerworld, 10 April 2008

AfraidAfraid??

• Information Security

• Brand Management

• Reputation

Short answer:Get Over It.It already happened.

Long answer:Your legal team became your new best friends.

The The RisksRisks

The The RisksRisks

http://redcatco.com/blog/marketing/dominos-pizza-why-everyone-is-in-pr-now-and-employee-engagement-matters/

Grew family business from $4 million to $50 million• $15,000 in Direct Mail = 200 new customers• $7,500 Billboard Ad = 300 new customers• $0 (Twitter/@garryvee) = 1,800 new customers

But: TIME and TALENTNB: businesses often offset skills shortage with excess cash

Gary Vaynerchuk

The The RewardsRewards

The BIGGEST ROI question:

Are your prospects, competitors or customers active on Social Media?

Not being there is likenot having a telephone

If they are…

What is It?

The Best Strategy?

Think Big Move Fast Act Small

Transitioning ChannelTransitioning Channel

Traditional | Digital | Social interruption > engagement > advocacy

you can't buy attention anymore

Continued Communication"You can't just say it. You have to get the people to say it to each other" James Farley CMO, Ford

37% of target audience were aware of the Ford Fiesta via social media before it's US launch.

25% of Ford's marketing spend is on digital/social media.

The Power of Search:Making the invisible visible

Objectives: Financial MetricsAlso: Behavior/Belief - Engagement/Interaction

Be careful what you measure

Listen – appreciative enquiry

Add Value - Engage

Measure

Build capability and community

BuildBuild

Building a CommunityBuilding a Community

BuyBuy BorrowBorrow

http://twitter.com/radiokateSeriously astounded that in 7 hours my tube fox photo has racked up more than 13,300 hits! I've another version here too: http://tr.im/GQbW

Benjamin Ellis @benjaminellis