- 1. TABLE OF CONTENTSCHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVELay theGroundwork forSocial SuccessKnow
YourCustomers LikeNever BeforeConnect andCollaborate WithColleagues
InstantlyBuild Deeper Relation-shipsby EngagingCustomers in New
WaysListen and LearnFrom Public SocialNetworksDefine the VisionSet
Clear Social GoalsCreate PurposeEstablish a Social TaskforceMake
Your Customer KingGet One View of YourCustomersEmpower Your
EmployeesWith Social ToolsTear Down DepartmentalSilos InstantlyTurn
Weak Ties Into StrongConnectionsBuild a Results-DrivenWorkplaceMake
Social Part of EveryBusiness ProcessTreat Your ProspectsLike
Trusted PartnersCreate Fans for LifeCrowd-Source InnovationFrom
Your CommunityMarket at the Speedof SocialCreate a SocialListening
CenterEstablish Rules ofEngagementAttract Fans WithNew Social
ExperiencesAmplify Your EvangelistsBring Your Products Intothe
Conversation123456789101112131415161718192020 Principles FOR
leading CHANGE
2. IntroductionLets face it: Part of youor maybe all of
youwonders how important and lasting this socialphenomenon will
ultimately end up being. Is itworth dedicating some of your
organizationsvaluable time and resources to this?The answer is
yes.Now is the time to get serious about social. Thisbook will show
you how to get there through aseries of shortbut
impactfulprinciples. Read it,start thinking, and then do something
social: Shareit with someone in your company who can helpmake it
happen. 3. CHAPTER ONELay the Groundworkfor Social SuccessConvey
clear benefits to your business, customers, and employees 4.
CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEBy
now it should be clear that social is not a fad. Every-thingfrom
how we process and consume informationto how we engage with
customers, prospects, partners,employeesand everyonehas changed
forever.Today, one in every five minutes online is spent
onFacebook, 400 million tweets go out every day, and You-Tube has
morphed from a hub for crazy cat and babyvideos into a bona fide
entertainment destination andthe third most-popular website in the
world (after Googleand Facebook), according to Alexa.Almost
overnight, brands have moved from 1-to-1 cus-tomerconversations to
1-to-millions. Your communitieshave a voice, and thanks to social
networks, its a louderand more powerful one than any other time in
history.These networks are so influential because theyre pow-eredby
people and designed for their benefit. Peoplelike your customers
and prospects are at the center ofthis customer-led revolution and
thats what makessocial a game changer for business.No one knows
your unique business better than you.Thats why you cant exactly
copy someone elses socialblueprint and apply it to your own
company. Your spe-cificsocial strategy must account for
thetechnologies, trends, and objectives that area match for your
larger business goals. Onlythen will you be ready to operationalize
yourorganization for new social opportunities.The next generation
isgrowing up in a socialworld. Whether youretalking to customers
oremployees, you haveto do it on a social plat-formbecause thats
thelanguage they speak.Angela AhrendtsCEO, Burberry 5. CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEExpectations of
engagement, listening, andlearning are inherent. Its not just
aboutgetting closer to customers and employ-ees;its about
empowering them, learningfrom them, and leading them.Your vision
should inspire your internalaudience, certainly. But it should
alsobe inspirational to people outside yourorganization. Challenge
yourself to writesomething that makes your communitiesthink, Thats
a company I want to dobusiness with.Definethe VisionEither business
getssocial or it getsleft behindEverything begins with conveying
whatsocial media means to your business,your customers, and your
employeesand how everyone will benefit.Before we take any steps
forward, lets stepback and think about the possibilities. Howcan
social media improve customer andemployee relationships? What do
these re-lationshipslook like over the course of one,two, or even
three years? These types offorward-thinking questions set the
founda-tionfor the vision.In defining your vision, remember
thatsocial channels are designed for two-wayconversations; theyre
not just anothermarketing channel for broadcastingyour message.11 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: Gartner,
Business Gets Social) 6. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEAt every step, be sure that your
mission(and your vision) aligns with businesspriorities and
objectives. Set milestonesand checkpoints to ensure that yoursocial
transformation is on course. Docu-mentexpectations and set clear
goals thatOnce youve articulated your vision, itstime to define
your mission and givemore details on how your organizationwill
invest in social technologies, modifyrelevant processes as
necessary, and em-powerchampions to lead the social
trans-formationSet Clear at every level.support your overall
corporate goals.Social GoalsIts no simple task, of course. The
explo-sionof social media sites and technologiesmeans the
possibilities are virtually end-less.Consider starting small with a
few keysocial channels, then making modificationsand additions as
you spread your socialwings. Dont lose sight of the fact that
tech-nologyis not the end game and socialmediain and of itselfis
not a strategy.270% of enterprisesachieve businessobjectives with
socialmedia yet only 43%have a formal socialroadmap to addresstheir
goals(Source: Altimeter Group)1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 7. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER
FOUR CHAPTER FIVECreatePurposeSocial media is a very personal and
emo-tionallandscape. As such, your socialstrategy requires a
purpose to motivateyour team and customers to join you in
thisimportant journey. Think about it this way: Ifyour vision is
what youre striving for andyour mission is how youre getting
there,your purpose is why youre doing it at all.With a clear
vision, established goals, andthe best intentions of improving
relation-shipsand experiences through socialmedia, the next step is
to give your col-leaguesa reason to believe. Why shouldthey enlist
in this mission? Why should theybelieve in your vision for
transformation?And perhaps most importantly, how every-onewill win
in the process.You cant do this alone. Now that youhave a vision,
mission, and purposedocumented, its time to pull together atrusted
group of change agents. Thesestakeholders will each represent key
func-tionsand lines of business to ensure thatsocial transformation
is thoughtful and op-erationalized.Together, change and
mar-ketleadership is imminent.31 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 8. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER
FOUR CHAPTER FIVEEstablisha SocialTaskforceNow its time to start
pulling together thepeople who will make your social
trans-formationhappen. Your social taskforceshould include people
from across yourorganization that are savvy about socialmedia and
knowledgeable about yourbusiness and its goals. It should
includestakeholders from all relevant lines of busi-nessand
functions, including HR, legal,marketing, sales, and customer
service.Think of your taskforce as a centralizedresource for
defining social media policyand establishing governance, best
prac-tices,and policies. Most importantly, theyllensure your social
media strategy ties backto key business objectives.473% of
companies withshared social mediateam report having
clearleadership, compared to31% of those without1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: Altimeter Group) 9.
CHAPTER TWOKnow Your CustomersLike Never BeforeGain social insights
to understand what really matters 10. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEIf a conversation takes
place online and youre not thereto hear it, did it happen? The
answer is YES. In a socialworld, what you dont know canand probably
willhurt you. At the same time, knowing what people aresaying and
how theyre interacting in social networkscan really help you.Social
media isnt a nuisanceits one of the greatestgifts your business
could ask for. The conversationsthat take place in social networks
will give you new-foundawareness of what people are saying about
yourbrand and your competitors. Social media makes thatpowerful
word of mouth that is so valuableand yet soelusivenot only
discoverable but measurable. You canlearn more than ever about your
customers based onwhat they like on Facebook, the thoughts they
share onTwitter, and who theyre connected to on LinkedIn.
Theseinsights can be translated into more meaningful
conver-sationsbetween your customers and employees,
more-effectivemarketing strategies, and ultimately,better products
and services.Creating a socialprofile of our customersis the basis
ofeverything. Knowingour customers helps usoffer interesting
servicesthat will benefit them.Bruno CercleyCEO, Rossignol 11.
CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEMake
YourCustomerKingTodays customer has more power thanever. Its time
to recognize and embracethe fact that customers are now in the
driv-ersseat, thanks to social technology.Everyone knows that
referrals from friendsare far more valuable than messages froma
company. The problem for business wasalways that generating
referrals was aninexact science. Then along came socialmedia. The
viral velocity of social networkshave made referrals a way of life
for con-sumersdo everything you can to encour-ageyour customers to
vote with their influ-ence.While social media can spread
powerfulendorsements at unprecedented speeds,mistakes can also be
broadcast at thespeed of social. Customers now air theircomplaints
to thousands or even millionsof people online in an instant;
thesenegative posts last forever and can popup 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.5Several longstanding companies havebeen brought to
their knees due to a singleunhappyand socially
influentialcus-tomer.Protect your business by placingyour customers
at the heart of everythingyou do.Your customers will thank you
withtheir repeat business and referrals.97% of customersidentify as
somewhatinfluenced to veryinfluenced by othercustomers
commentsabout companies(Source: ClickFox, Social Media: An Emerging
Customer Service Channel)1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 12. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVEGet Make OneYourView Customerof YourCustomerKingYou
probably already have basic contactinfo for your customers and
prospects in adatabase. And many of you actively man-agehow these
relationships track to thesales funnel. But yesterdays sales
process-esfail to take into account the new socialtouch points that
are so important to buildconnections with todays customers.To get a
socially relevant customer view,you must consolidate, track, and
managesocial customer data in one place. Con-nectthe social Web to
your customer data-baseto establish a holistic profile of
yourcustomers.Do everything you can to encourage yourcustomers to
vote with their influence.Youll get a complete view into your
cus-tomersso you can engage with them inmore meaningful ways,
correct unforeseenmistakes, enhance their perception of yourbrand,
and gather intelligence to improveyour products and
services.6Percentage ofenterprises usingsocial information
tosupport business-criticaldecisions:28% in 201085% in 2020(Source:
IDC, ICT Market Outlook: Whats Next?)1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 13. CHAPTER THREEConnect and CollaborateWith
Colleagues InstantlyFlatten your organization, uncover expertise,
and improve productivity 14. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEImagine a work environment where ideas and
exper-tisetranscend hierarchy and flow across geographies.Where
your employees at every level are passionateand engaged and feel
like their voices are heard.Where its easy for them to get answers,
find experts,and share information with each other. With
enterprisesocial networks its happening now.These internal networks
break down barriers,elevate good ideas, keep processes moving,
andhelp everyonefrom sales to service to the backofficework more
collaboratively and productively.Businesses that use social
technologies internallycultivate a deeper level of employee
engagement,distinguish themselves as leaders, and create
workexperiences that attract and retain the best talent.A connected
teammoves faster and thinksbigger.Tim OShaughnessyCEO, LivingSocial
15. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER
FIVEEmpowerYourEmployeesWithSocial ToolsSocial networks empower the
individuallike no other technology. On public socialnetworks,
people are building personalbrands and creating massive amounts
ofinfluence. Now the same thing is happen-ingamong employees inside
of companiesvia enterprise social networks.Many companies make
engaging custom-ersa top priority, but fail to engage theirown
employees and turn them into brandrepresentatives. In this social
economy,blocking employees from social networksis doing themand
your customersahuge disservice.Embrace the fact that your employees
haveaspirations and ambition. They want to be-lievein your vision.
Help them. Guide them.Empower them. Make socialengagementinternal,
external, orbotha criteria to become a top per-former.When
employees engage withinfluencers and the general communityonline,
your story and your vision can con-nectpeople both within and
outside theorganization.51% of employeesusing social soft-waresay
they aremore productiveduring the workday71 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: Forrester, The Enterprise 2.0
User Profile 10.31.11) 16. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEproduct development teams can
collabo-ratein an employee social network andsolve customer issues
quickly or identifyup-sell opportunities. Or, your marketingteam
can use social tools to quicklyrespond to materials requests from
theIn many organizations, social media oper-atessolely within the
silo of the marketingdepartment. But becoming social meansbreaking
down barriers. Customers dontcare about your departmental silos.
Theysee a single company, and they expect ev-eryTear Down
department to act like theyre connect-ed.sales team.DepartmentalIts
critical that you provide routes andresolution for all facets of
your business.Silos InstantlyEveryone in your organization is
responsi-blefor collaboration, because true collab-orationrequires
all employees to share,communicate, and be open. For
example,employees in your sales, service, and66% of employeessay
social networkingincreases sharing81 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: Altimeter Group) 17. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER
TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEBecause you all work at
the same com-pany,all your employees are tied looselytogether by
default. But an enterprise socialnetwork can make those weak ties
be-comestronger connections where mutualinterests and context
around customerneeds or business problems become
im-mediatelyapparent.The power of an enterprise social networkis
that an employee looking to get an an-swerfrom one colleague will
often get afaster reply from another colleaguewhothey may not even
knowwho saw the so-cialinteraction in passing. A simple
ques-tionabout whether someone knows theCIO of a company youre
selling to mightinstead lead to the discovery that the com-panysCEO
is the brother of an employee.Turn WeakTies IntoStrongConnectionsOr
imagine a salesperson who posts ask-inghow to pitch a certain
product to ad-dressa customers business problem. Thenext thing she
knows, her colleagues arejumping in with advice and ideas, and
thesales rep suddenly gets swept into an op-portunityto sell
multiple new products.These serendipitous moments dont hap-penwhen
youre sitting at your desk orsending emails only to certain people
youknow well. They happen when your em-ployeesare completely
connected and canuncover each others expertise and insightsin a
matter of minutes. Suddenly, the ex-pertiseof your entire company
is linedup to service your customers at a mo-mentsnotice.The Web
and social technologies enable accessto nearly unlimited ideas and
practices91 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
(Source: Predicts 2011: Executive Focus on Revenue Growth Puts
Added Pressure on CIOs) 18. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEBuild aResults-DrivenWorkplaceAt the heart
of every organization is itsculture. Social media can help you
fosteran effective, transparent, employee-centricculture. This
means working withyour HR department to ensure every em-ployeefeels
that theyre contributing to thecompanys success, and everyone
feelslike part of something bigger than justtheir individual
role.Motivate and improve employee perfor-manceby establishing
social goals, pro-vidingcontinuous feedback, and givingmeaningful
recognition. Replace traditionalperformance reviews with an easier,
morecollaborative, and social review processthat includes an
ongoing dialogue amongteams and between coaches and em-ployees.This
way, your employees alwaysknow where they stand and can build
theirwork reputation. And the whole organiza-tionhas a richer body
of information thatscollected as things happenrather thanhaving to
rely on memory when reviewtime comes around.101 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 19. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER
THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEMake SocialPart of
EveryBusinessProcessHiring one social media expert into
yourmarketing organization is not enough forsocial transformation.
Social needs to bean integrated strategy for every depart-mentand
every business process andfunction across your organization.
Whensocial becomes part of your corporateDNA, everyone from
marketing and HR tofinance and customer service will be
moreeffective at communicating, collaborating,problem solving, and
serving customersand stakeholders.Social technologies can help
everyone doa better job. Marketers can launch cam-paignsthat
colleagues from across thecompany and the globe can help
shape.Customer service agents can collaborateto resolve customer
issues faster. HR canleverage employees and their respectivepeer
networks to recruit top talent. Productdevelopment can crowd-source
new prod-uctideas or prioritize innovation currentlyin the
pipeline. By building social into everybusiness process, youll
build a more effec-tiveand productive workforce and create amore
relevant business.1139% of workerssay they use socialtools
becausethey solve theirbusiness problems1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: Forrester, The Enterprise 2.0 User
Profile 2011 10.31.11) 20. CHAPTER FOURBuild Deeper Relationships
byEngaging Customers in New WaysCollaborate in real time with
customers, prospects, and partners 21. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVECustomer expectations have
changed. Consumers nolonger need to come to you to learn about your
productsand services. Theyre joining conversations online
andgetting a more unbiased perspective on social channels.They
prefer engaging with you alongside their colleaguesand other
customers like them. This new level of open-nessand transparency
has fundamentally changed theconversation between companies and
customers.The most successful businesses today are embracingthis
shift to distinguish themselves as thought leadersin their
industries, earning the trust of their custom-ersahead of their
competition. Theyre joining existingcommunitiesor creating their
ownwhere custom-ers,partners, and even products can all join the
sameconversations and share ideas. These businesses careabout the
needs of their customers and are respondingfaster and with more
transparency thanks to social tech-nology.Faster responses, deeper
engagement andstronger trust: Thats whats fueling the growth of
todaysleading companies.As a leader, you set the charter for the
customer experi-ence.You have the ability to build the bridges that
con-nectyour brand and products to your social customersand deliver
remarkable experiences that meet and ex-ceedtheir
expectations.Theres a hugeopportunity with socialplatforms to
reinvent therelationships betweenclients and their firms.Brad
PetersonCIO, Schwab 22. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVETreat YourProspectsLike
TrustedPartnersCompanies today can create customer so-cialnetworks
to collaborate with custom-ersand partners throughout the
salescycle. These communities can be createdinstantly and act
essentially as private dealrooms that create a new level of
transpar-encyand trustwhere information flowsquickly and customers
feel like trustedpartners. Its all about changing the attitudeand
getting to yes more quickly.Social collaboration tools inside your
com-panymake it easier for sales reps to closedeals because theyre
now connected toeveryone and everything they need. Theengineer. The
new marketing deck. Thecompetitive expert. The latest discount
ma-trix.The executive with platinum connec-tions.This level of
connectivity is the newsales reality.But how does this benefit the
relationshipwith the customer or prospect? After all,thats what
selling is all about.1256% of buyersfeel connected tobrands
thatengage socially(Source: Cone Inc.)1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 23. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVECreateFansfor LifeMake
YourCustomerKingMillions of conversations are happeningonline right
now, among millions of people.Some of them are about your
companyand your products. As the conversationsabout your brand
increase, how do youscale? Hiring more people to monitorTwitter is
not the answer. Youll be over-whelmedquickly unless you automate
yourlistening and route the right conversationsto the right agents
within your organizationfor follow-up.To win fans in the social
era, youll need tomake sure your agents are everywhereyour
customers are. When a technicalquestion comes in about a product,
makesure it gets to your product or supportteam. Social is built
for speed, so if yourenot bringing the right people into the
con-versationquickly, your customers will starttalking to someone
else.62% of consumershandle serviceissues withsocial media131 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: ClickFox,
Social Media: An Emerging Customer Service Channel) 24. CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVECrowd-Make
YourSourceInnovationCustomerFrom KingYourCommunityMuch to the
chagrin of PR departmentseverywhere, customers feel free to
usetheir social voices when they need help,when they have a
problem, or whentheyve had a negative experience. Whynot channel
those voices to help your busi-nesscreate better products and
services?Heres how to get there: Invest in yourcommunities by
turning customers andpartners into stakeholders.Remember, a
community is not just some-thingwhere people belong; a community
isdefined by the things that make belongingmatter. Develop programs
to focus com-munityactivity on collaborative missions toaccomplish
great things. Working togetherto do something great is the perfect
way tofoster affinity and loyalty.14Percentage ofenterprises
gettingnew product ideas viasocial media:30% in 201075% in 20201 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: IDC, ICT
Market Outlook: Whats Next?) 25. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER
THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEMarket atthe Speedof SocialMake
YourCustomerKingIn a social world, context and immediacyare
prerequisites for the most success-fultypes of online customer
interactions.Captivating your customers attention at theright time
and in the right place can triggerthe types of interactions and
activity thatboost your brand and generate sales.To make it happen,
you need to instantlydecipher social activity and then
presentcontextually relevant Web content thatpulls in social data.
Your customers areengaging with your company on Twitterand
Facebook, and you need to be theretoo, generating customized Web
experi-enceson the fly.151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 26. CHAPTER FIVEListen and Learn FromPublic Social
NetworksGet insights to shape unique experiences for your
communities 27. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVEA funny thing happened as people started using
socialnetworks like Facebook and Twitter. They not only
be-cameincredibly connected, they also built their own are-naswhere
they take center stage and their friends andfollowers fill the
seats.Everyone now has a voice. They have a stage and aconnected
audience to share what they like and alsowhat they dont like.
Remember, people on social net-worksare at the center of their own
social universe, andthey dont have to connect to your business.
Establishingand losing connections are as easy as a click.Its time
to get their attention and earn their support.But you wont capture
their mindshare if you treat socialmedia like traditional broadcast
channels that only offerone-way communication. It all starts by
listening to whatpeople are saying about your brand and
understandingwhere your customers, partners, competitors, and
pros-pectsare spending their time.Let your desire to put people at
the center of your busi-nessbe the driving force behind your
listening. Stay ontop of social conversations to help customers at
the pointof need, thank advocates, win over detractors, and
capi-talizeon new growth opportunities for your business.Being
social is not justabout winning fans andinfluencing followers.Its
about inspiringcustomers to engagewith us.John CostelloCMO,
DuncanSocial networks reach82% of the onlinepopulation
worldwide(Source: comScore, Its a Social World) 28. CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVECreate
aSocialListeningCenterSocial media opens windows into theworlds of
your customers. Set up a com-mandcenter or central area for
view-ing,monitoring, and reporting on all yourcompanys social
mentions in real timeacross the social media sites where peopleare
talking about you. This is the centralnervous system of the
socially connectedenterprise. Picture a room with multiplescreens
displaying social feeds. Staffersare watching, learning, replying,
and dis-tributinginformation and questions to theright people
throughout your organization.Your monitoring staff knows whats
hap-peningas it happens and brings in otherparts of the
organization when and wheretheyre needed.A listening center will
help you gleaninsights into what customers, influenc-ers,press, and
the community are say-ingabout your brand. You can also trackwhats
being said about your competition.Listening is the first step. From
there youcan learn, adapt, and engage your cus-tomersto effect
change.161 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 29.
CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER
FIVEEstablishRules ofEngagementEach social network community
boastsits own unique culture. A one size fits allapproach can fall
flat or cause an uninten-tionaluprising. Front line employees
whoengage with customers on social channelsneed road signs and
guardrails to operate.They also need training and direction onhow
to best represent the brand throughtheir actions and words in
social media.Establishing rules of engagement in abroader social
media policy creates conti-nuityand consistency in your
messagingacross social channels. Formally trainingyour internal
staff on those rules ensuresfewer social missteps.A few simple
guidelines include: thankingpeople who mention your brand,
engag-ingquickly, and being honest. Be sure tocover what to do when
things are goingwrong. When theres a problem, acknowl-edgeit
quickly.Follow up is key. Give a little detail aboutwhat youre
doing to fix it and when youexpect resolution. While only one
personmay be waiting for your direct reply, thou-sandsmore could be
watching. The trans-parencyand openness of social network-ingsites
makes doing the right thing moreimportant than ever.Whats clear is
that social customers notonly expect and appreciate engagement,but
they also feel better as a result. In fact,after having a dialogue
with you that thecustomer feels good about, this same
for-merlydisgruntled person will return to thesame channels where
they vented frustra-tionto sing your praises. So, dont delayin
responding to your customers. Let themknow their voices matterand
that yourelistening. Now.1792% of companies allowprofessional use
ofsocial media1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1718 19 20
(Source: Altimeter Group, Pivot Study) 30. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVEAttract FansWith
NewSocialExperiencesThe social Web is fundamentally changingthe
interactions between companies andtheir communities. One of the
biggest op-portunitiesyour business faces today is theability to
design remarkable experiencesthrough the marriage of social apps
andsocial data.Now you can personalize your story for thepeople
youre trying to reach, inspired bytheir behavior in social
networkswhatthey post, what they do, what they like.Imagine
delivering tailored products, mo-bileapps, and Web experiences to
yourcustomers. Theyll appreciate seeing onlyrelevant information
and offers, and youllexperience greater customer satisfactionand
more sales.1853% of active adultsocial networkersfollow a brand1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Source: Nielsen)
31. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER
FIVEAmplify YourEvangelistsAs social customers build their
personalnetworks over time, some of them evolvefrom just another
member of the crowdinto a person of influence with a large
andattentive audience.Nows the time to mobilize your
influen-tialcustomers by using listening tools toidentify champions
and measure theirsocial reach. Let them know how impor-tantthey are
to your business. Find outwhat about your company and
productsexcites them, and design official advocacyprograms that
harness their influence andpassion. Before you know it, youll have
anarmy of people who arent even on yourpayroll singing your
praises, answeringquestions, guiding purchasing decisions,and
defending you against online critics.191 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2090% of onlineconsumers trustknown users,70%
trustunknown users,8% trust celebrities(Source: Erik Qualman,
Socialnomics) 32. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER
FOUR CHAPTER FIVEBring YourProductsInto theConversationYour social
community can extend beyondyour customers, prospects, and
employ-eesnow your products can be social,too. Truly social
businesses are bringingproducts into social conversations,
allow-ingyour customers to not only like a prod-uct,but to become
friends with it.Each day hundreds of millions of peopleuse social
networks to stay on top of thelatest news from families, friends,
andbusinesses. Why shouldnt your productsshare status updates with
your custom-ersjust like people do? They can tell yourcustomers
when everythings fine, or tweetwhen something needs their
attention.Imagine your car tweeting, Its almost timefor an oil
change. Imagine next seeing anad on Facebook that your favorite
servicestation has an oil change appointmentopen at 10:00 on
Saturday morning.20Intelligent communicating devices on thenetwork
will outnumber traditional"computing devices by almost 2 to 11 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20(Source: IDC) 33. Start
Your Social Transformation NowAs a leader in your organization, its
time tostart socializing the idea and assigning peopleto make it
happen.Only you can help chart a course for the future.Social has
created a tremendous opportunityfor your company to outpace your
competition.If your organization looks to you for directionand
inspiration, then its up to you to lead thecharge in developing a
more human, adapt-able,and scalable social business.It doesnt mean
starting over. You dont needto reinvent the wheel to leverage
social tech-nologies.This is a time to evaluate and
mod-ernizeexisting practices and to refocus on theexpectations of
your social customers.The journey of 1,000 miles begins with
asingle step. Use this book as your guide totake the first one.
Before you know it, yoursocial transformation will begin, and
soonyoull be well on the road to deeper relation-shipswith
customers and employeesandgreater relevance with social and
traditionalcustomers alike. 34. www.salesforce.com/solutionsWritten
in collaboration withBrian Solis of the Altimeter Group
