Who Broadcasts Your Business?

There is a dialogue going on, and if you are not part of it then you have no say in it. Staying out of the Social Network space is like prohibiting the use of the telephone. The real question is not whether to engage, but how to engage.

Many companies fail to translate themselves into the broadcast space. Previously, if your business did not deal with radio, TV, or media then it did not matter – although the ubiquitous “word of mouth” prowled around your customers and prospects without your knowledge.

Now, every company can broadcast on the internet; and if they choose not to, someone else will do it for them, as evidenced in this recent viral hit video:

Reuters recently reported “The heads of the top U.S. companies might be engaged in the boardroom, but they’re switched off when it comes to social media, according to a new study that said CEOs should be more connected to their customers.” Read more…Heads of top U.S. companies snub blogs, Facebook: study

Socially Speaking, How is Your Word of Mouth?

I recently spoke at the Brentwood Chamber Tech Strategies group about Social Networking.   It’s interesting to talk to business owners and leaders about this phenom and their reluctance to embrace it.  One attendee contacted me and asked that I speak to their executive group about the topic, only to have the CEO decide not to pursue it at all, and they have completely ignored the entire area as a group while their competition is embracing it.

Everyone has always said that the best advertising is “Word of Mouth,” so why aren’t more companies participating in their own opportunites in the word-of-mouth dialog? The truth is, you are in the social space whether you want to be or not.  Elective absence is not an option because your competition, and most importantly your customers, are there and they are talking with or without you.

Carl Weinschenk has an excellent article on ITBusinessEdge on the subject and I have to agree with him that “Any company that doesn’t think social networking is a corporate tool is missing a big opportunity.” You are already in the Social Space because your customers are there and if you do not participate you are leaving it all to chance.  This article is also cross linked with some great supporting topics like:   six misconceptions about corporate use of social networks, executives who are leveraging Twitter, policy and procedure suggestions on social media and social networks, and more.   Read article Social Networks, Suitably Altered, Becoming Workplace Mainstays

Can Web 2.0 go to work?

Over the past two years, McKinsey has studied more than 50 early adopters of Web 2.0 who are using technologies such as blogs, wikis, information tagging, prediction markets, and social networks. In this article they have drawn six insights on how companies can best use these technologies and they identify -  Six ways to make Web 2.0 work – read article…