We’ve just made available a new Executive Briefing e-book that pragmatically introduces the idea of social networking for businesses and associations. Interested in introducing social networking to the exec staff at your organization? Included are answers to the common questions of:
- What is social networking?
- Why does this matter? Isn’t “social networking” just for high school kids?
- How can my organization get closer to customers or members using social networking?
Excerpt: Why should our organization care about social networking?
“Customers have lost trust in traditional sales, marketing and service (the three areas commonly referred to as “CRM,” or Customer Relationship Management). According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, “the most credible source of information about a company is now ‘a person like me,’ which has risen dramatically to surpass doctors and academic experts for the first time.” The survey relates that in the U.S., trust in “a person like me” increased from 20% in 2003 to 68% today.
The connections enabled by social networks are the glue that put the humanity back into business to solve the trust problem. In other words, the organizations that will win are the ones that most easily enable individuals to build relationships and communities with people they trust.”
Download the entire 12 page e-book here. Then talk about it, forward it, print it, casually drop a copy on your co-worker’s desk…
The Social Networking Convergence With CRM
Convergence never stops happening. The convergence between the Internet and corporate networks continues as CRM (customer relationship management) meets SN (social networking).
It’s been talked about for some time now, Fast Company discussed it in t…
The Social Networking Convergence With CRM
Convergence never stops happening. The convergence between the Internet and corporate networks continues as CRM (customer relationship management) meets SN (social networking).
It’s been talked about for some time now, Fast Company discussed it in t…
Hey, Chris, the Edelman Trust Barometer is right on … it’s interesting to see how trust in commercial speech has deteriorated (from its previously unrespected position to essentially worthless). What’s also interesting is to compare stats between the US and developing countries concerning trusted media sources. Developing countries STRONGLY favor “someone like me” as a source for recommendations and news.
The consequence (glibly stated) is that the US is becoming more like a developing country. More accurately, what we have in the developed West in terms of transparency of information, connectedness to others, and ability to compare opinions, allows us to separate claims from reality (among other things). In developing countries, where there is little information, connectedness is limited to cell phones, and official information is culturally suspect, people continue to rely on each other for guidance.
I think a real evolution in social networking will be to nail algorithms (learning/instructable algorithms) that let me find out just how much “like” me someone is — and why. Netflix and Amazon have great algorithms focusing on purchase patterns and where I fit. That’s a good start, but it uses transaction data. People are more than transactions …
Great site, love what you’re doing, but you know that.
All the best,
Paul