Once upon a time, customer contact was centralized around the switchboard, and the phone was the preferred method for communication between companies and customers. When it rang, you answered, because it was likely a customer or a potential customer on the other end of the line. Now, the calls are coming through online, via the social phone. – Radian6 CEO, Marcel Lebrun
Jay Baer and Amber Naslund are two thought-leaders in the new media space that I greatly respect. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Amber speak at Blogworld a few years ago and I’ve recently had the opportunity to speak to them both about their new book: “The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social
It’s a book about how everybody in your company is in marketing and everybody’s job is to be out there and be an asset to the community that you’re trying to serve. It’s not a book about how “to do” social media, but rather a book about how businesses can build brand awareness and improve customer support to be more responsive at the speed of now! Because ultimately…
How you respond to customer inquiries and business opportunities on the social web drives kinship, perception, loyalty, and revenue for your company.” – Jay Baer & Amber Naslund
I agree with that statement and it’s something that I experience every day in my role at Diverse Solutions. I also agree that success for companies lies in learning how to “be” social as a company, not learning how to “do” social (there’s a big difference between the two). And that’s exactly what this book is about…learning how to be social as a company. Jay and Amber have outlined 7 key shifts that businesses need to make in order to truly integrate social in a scalable, sustainable way:
- Engineer a New Bedrock – Strip away silos and steward culture change
- Find Talent You Can Trust – Hire and empower a new type of employee
- Organize Your Armies – Organize internal teams for maximum external impact
- Answer the New Telephone – Listen at the point of need
- Emphasize Response-Ability – Travel the Humanization Highway and respond effectively to customer inquiries
- Build a Fire Extinguisher – Plan for, find and manage real-time crisis
- Make a Calculator – Redesign success metrics in a business world that’s increasingly instantaneous
Riddled with case-studies and actionable steps, it’s a great read for any small business who’s interested in navigating the real-time web effectively for maximum impact.
Giveaway Contest:
I have an extra copy of “The NOW Revolution” (affiliate link) to give away. All you have to do is share your one best tip for how companies can begin to “be” more social to better engage with their customers and potential customers on the web. You can either
- Tweet your response: Companies can be more social by _________________. – http://ow.ly/4ocgn cc: @Ribeezie -OR-
- Leave a comment with your tip to enter.
You entry will only be counted once (one Tweet or comment per person). Entries will close on Friday, April 1st at 3:00pm PST.
Haven’t read it yet? Pick up a copy:
Companies can be more social by first listening to what's going on in their network and reaching out to start a conversation or addressing a need. I like GaryVee's approach of going the extra mile by perhaps getting hockey tickets, booking a room, etc. That was awesome.
Companies can be more social by having conversations versus bold statements about themselves.
Companies can be more social by keeping at top of mind that communities respond to 'transparency' and 'human element'.
Companies can be more social by enabling their employees and tapping in to them as brand ambassadors. Everyone IS in marketing; companies need to trust the people they hire to act in the social space on their behalf; lose the rigid script. It's about conversations with customers AND employees.
Companies can be more social by designing more opportunities for customer input or feedback. Don't be afraid to pose questions to your community or network. “How are we doing?” “If you could change one thing about our service, what would it be?” etc. There is great value in giving a member of your audience the microphone. Then, listen, acknowledge, respond and thank.
Companies can be more social by not just creating a facebook fan page and assuming that they are now the Kings of Social Media. Companies all need to understand that they enter the Social space on the communities terms and not their own. They can't continue to simply dictate and broadcast but be confident enough in themselves to give up control of the conversation to their customers
Companies can be more social by being transparent, involving key employees in their organization to add to the brand's persona to create personal conversations with their customers.
Companies can be more social by losing the old school “stuffed shirt” corporate mentality and having conversations *with* people instead of dictating *to* them. If you want successful interactions with today's consumers you must be transparent and first earn, and then keep working to retain, their trust and good will.
Companies can be more social by developing a strong internal communications strategy that empowers employees to be brand ambassadors. Done correctly, employees can be educated on how to advocate on behalf of their company and, by default, become honorary members of the PR team.
I've worked in internal (aka employee) communications for years, and empowering the staff with the tools and support to help the company prosper is powerful. Unfortunately, most businesses miss the boat on this by thinking that communications is a cost center that doesn't yield revenue. That is an incredibly shortsighted view and can cost the company opportunities and money, while negatively impacting morale.
Companies can be more social by breaking out of their corporate molds and being open to change.