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Book Review – Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

groundswellcover
Ever wonder how to effectively use social media for your business?  Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, of Forrester Research, provide real-world information and data on how to make it social media work for your business in their book, groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies (Amazon affiliate link).  The book is packed with data and experience from twenty-five cases, spanning different types of industries, companies and organizations.

If you’re not sure exactly why social media is important to business, Li and Bernoff start off explaining why it is – they term the emergence of social media technologies into the mainstream as the “groundswell.”  Once you understand exactly what the groundswell is, they explain how it can be tapped to help your organization.  The last part of the book focuses on how using the groundswell will change your company and what the future looks like.

One of the strengths of this book is that it doesn’t have a one-size-fits all social media strategy that works for all organizations and companies.  Instead, it examines the use of social media on a behavorial level – different types of people interact with social media in different ways.  Some types will login to a social site every day but never actually interact.  Others post regularly.  Understanding what types of people you have in your particular target audience is key for crafting a social media strategy that will actually work.  The book runs through the different types of people and their typical interactions with social media and how to use this information to craft a winning strategy.

While this book is a year old, the underlying information is still extremely valuable to anyone looking to tie social media in with business measurements, such as ROI.  There’s also a website which provides updated information via a blog and some tools for understanding the possible makeup of your target audience, based on industry and age groups.  I highly recommend this book to anyone considering using social media for their business – it will give you a good idea of what needs to be done to be successful and the twenty-five cases provide good real-world examples of possible ways to use social media for your business.

If you’ve read this book, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (Amazon affiliate link)

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Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter = Tools. So What's Your Strategy For Using Them?

toolsgeishaboy500Every business these days seems to know they need/should be on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and various other online social networking sites.  But too often businesses just signup an account and then do nothing.  Or they do more, but they can’t really figure out what they should be doing, so it all seems like a huge time sink.

When you’re starting a home improvement project, it helps if start by laying out what you’ll be doing.  Then you can figure out how much time it will take, what supplies you’ll need, what tools you’ll use and how much it will cost.  Home improvement projects that start just by using a crowbar to take out a wall usually turn out very badly (and often with a costly call to the experts).  But businesses are acting this same way by signing up for sites online without first understanding what they’re trying to accomplish.

In order to effectively use any tool, you first need to know what you’re trying to do.  You don’t use a screwdriver for pounding in a nail (although I’ve seen it done) – it’s just not the right tool for the job.  Figure out what business goal you want to accomplish.  It needs to be very specific with a time limit and needs to actually be reachable.  It should be the same goal you’ve set for your business.  Now you can take a look at what tools – both online and offline – you should be using to help reach that goal, which will help you setup a plan of action.

By following a process of determining a goal, then a strategy, then an plan with tools, you’ll be more effective and efficient in reaching your business goals.  And online tools won’t feel like a waste of time and resources.

What’s your strategy for social networking?

(photo by geishaboy500 @ Flickr CC)

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Social Media Use Case: LEPFA – Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority

lepfaThe Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority (LEPFA) manages the Lansing Center, Oldsmobile Park, Lansing City Market, as well as other local/regional events.  LEPFA works to enhance local and regional economic growth by providing safe environments and developing strong relationships with clients, sponsors and businsses.  Public outreach and marketing is important to LEPFA to gain awareness for its venues, events, and supporting businesses.

While many people recognize the venues and events managed by LEPFA, most people are not aware of the existance of LEPFA.  When Amanda Snook, Marketing Manager, came to LEPFA, there was no social media use at all. Now, LEPFA is utilizing Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr to reach out to the community.

My goal is to get people not only KNOWING about the things that LEPFA does and the places we manage, but to get them talking to their friends about Thirsty Thursday at Olds Park. Maybe they will share with their coworkers about the great conference they went to at the Lansing Center. For me, it’s a new way to meet people, to get feedback about our properties and events and to encourage name building of the LEPFA brand. – Amanda Snook, Marketing Manager, LEPFA

Amanda is also trying to give the authority a face.  To show people that LEPFA is run by people, individuals who care, not a bureaucracy. That caring face comes through on LEPFA’s twitter account, run by Amanda.  She has conversations, promotes other businesses, helps people, and generally has a friendly, optimistic personality.  She wants people to see LEPFA events as a family-friendy with a large economic impact on the region.

Connections and conversations are also important in LEPFA’s social media use. LEPFA uses a Facebook group to connect with people in the region.  While LEPFA post news and information about their events and venues, group members can also post links and have discussions with the Authority and each other.

Social media, for us, allows interactivity between what LEPFA does and what people want. It’s an instantaneous way for me to know what we are doing right, what we are doing wrong, who is hearing our message and which people are the champions of our town. – Amanda Snook, Marketing Manager, LEPFA

Amanda has recently started using Flickr to post and share photos of the area and hopes to eventually use YouTube to post tours of facilities and event coverage.  By using social media, Amanda has raised awareness of LEPFA and the venues and events they manage, as well as given people a individual  that they can connect and interact with to make LEPFA’s services better for all involved.

Is your Michigan business using social media effectively?  Send us an email and tell us about it.

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