Communispace recognizes the shift in paradigm in the marketing world from advertising to listening. Consumers don’t want companies to try to sell them something that they don’t need. People want someone to create a product that they do need. And in order to do this, companies need to listen to what consumers want.
Companies need to really know their customers. Everything in the world is becoming more individualized, more customized. Companies need to do one thing and do it well to maintain their customer base in the long term. And they need to have the “right people” as their customers. People want to connect with like-minded people and it is up to a developer to make a real community of people.
New products and services will come from this high level of interaction. And more sophisticated networks will be formed.
Social media is helping to create a more sustainable way of doing business…
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
..."the ad has been liberated": thoughts on “When Customers Create the Ad”
A revolution is taking place in the way we live. Brands are part of our identity in every way, shape and form - from the clothing we wear to the shows we watch to the foods we consume – brands are everywhere. Now, we all have an opportunity to take more ownership and responsibility for our own lifestyles and choices by influencing how brands will look and by supporting or not supporting the changes made by companies …”the ad has been liberated” through social media.
Everyone has some level of freedom to be an active participant in the companies that they invest in on the web; be it through time or money, people can have a big influence on the products and services that are out there. “The traditional distinctions between producer and consumer and between mass communication and individual communication are dissolving, and with these, traditional models of media management...” Managers need to understand why consumers are interested in generating their own ads, what kinds of ads customers create and how they can best respond to what is going on.
Consumers create ads because they like to create, because they enjoy it; they want to learn, to self-identify, to have a “public sense of accomplishment” and to be part of a community. People like to be able to have a say in what is going on in the world that they live in.
People are very clever. They love and know the products that they use and they come up with innovative, fun ways to share this information and feelings with others.
Managers need to pay attention to the demands, interests and concerns of their users in order to survive today. They need to constantly re-evaluate what their business is doing and what they have to offer in order to satisfy their customers needs and wants. “The ad is liberated. Managers’ thinking will have to be as well.”
Everyone has some level of freedom to be an active participant in the companies that they invest in on the web; be it through time or money, people can have a big influence on the products and services that are out there. “The traditional distinctions between producer and consumer and between mass communication and individual communication are dissolving, and with these, traditional models of media management...” Managers need to understand why consumers are interested in generating their own ads, what kinds of ads customers create and how they can best respond to what is going on.
Consumers create ads because they like to create, because they enjoy it; they want to learn, to self-identify, to have a “public sense of accomplishment” and to be part of a community. People like to be able to have a say in what is going on in the world that they live in.
People are very clever. They love and know the products that they use and they come up with innovative, fun ways to share this information and feelings with others.
Managers need to pay attention to the demands, interests and concerns of their users in order to survive today. They need to constantly re-evaluate what their business is doing and what they have to offer in order to satisfy their customers needs and wants. “The ad is liberated. Managers’ thinking will have to be as well.”
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Reflections on Open Leadership
Social technology is having a big influence on leadership. “The flow of information around the company and into and out of the organization” has changed tremendously with new technologies, starting with email and even more so with social media. So many new things are happening in the business world today that companies need to make a lot of quick decisions in order to adapt. This calls for a more distributed leadership.
Leaders have a lot more to consider. A leader is no “longer the ultimate strategist and decider of what people do” but s/he is someone who communicates information and ideas. “His/her job is to make sure that the right protocols, the right environment, and the right infrastructure are all in place for people to create new features and make amazing things happen”.
Leaders need to be able to delegate more than ever to be sure that quality work is done across the company. “A tremendous amount of discipline and planning is needed to get everyone working in the same direction”. Leaders need to follow the example of Cisco who created a system of distributed decision making. The leaders of this company developed a “disciplined, replicable” method of decision making that was infused throughout the company; and through collaborative technology created a structure with leaders positioned all over the company.
If you are going to involve more people, they have to have the right information. Leaders need to really be in touch with people. And the more people who can effectively communicate a company’s message, the better it is for everyone involved. “The key difference today is that the give-and-take that typifies OBM happens more regularly, not just once a quarter when the executives of the company descend to share results. It’s the constant checking –in that leaders do”. Blogs, Twitter, and podcasts “enable them (leaders) to share their thoughts and decisions” and this sharing takes place outside the company too.
It is important for customers to make informed decisions. The author claims that the more information shared, the more trust will result with some exceptions of sensitive material. But, every situation needs to be studied and acted on in different ways. Some amount of privacy is useful. The challenge is to find the right amount of sharing for each idea and product.
Leaders have a lot more to consider. A leader is no “longer the ultimate strategist and decider of what people do” but s/he is someone who communicates information and ideas. “His/her job is to make sure that the right protocols, the right environment, and the right infrastructure are all in place for people to create new features and make amazing things happen”.
Leaders need to be able to delegate more than ever to be sure that quality work is done across the company. “A tremendous amount of discipline and planning is needed to get everyone working in the same direction”. Leaders need to follow the example of Cisco who created a system of distributed decision making. The leaders of this company developed a “disciplined, replicable” method of decision making that was infused throughout the company; and through collaborative technology created a structure with leaders positioned all over the company.
If you are going to involve more people, they have to have the right information. Leaders need to really be in touch with people. And the more people who can effectively communicate a company’s message, the better it is for everyone involved. “The key difference today is that the give-and-take that typifies OBM happens more regularly, not just once a quarter when the executives of the company descend to share results. It’s the constant checking –in that leaders do”. Blogs, Twitter, and podcasts “enable them (leaders) to share their thoughts and decisions” and this sharing takes place outside the company too.
It is important for customers to make informed decisions. The author claims that the more information shared, the more trust will result with some exceptions of sensitive material. But, every situation needs to be studied and acted on in different ways. Some amount of privacy is useful. The challenge is to find the right amount of sharing for each idea and product.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
reflections on naked conversations
Before this class, I never tweeted or blogged or read anyone else’s tweets or blogs. So, any opinions I have are going to be fairly superficial, but here is what I gathered.
In the business world, it seems to me that this way of communicating is attractive because it is fast and fosters trust between individual and companies.
Ten years ago, if someone had a complaint about a product or service, he or she probably had one of two options:
a. Write a letter and send it snail mail, which would probably take about a week. Once the letter got to the already overflowing mailroom, someone may or may not look at it. Generally, a response will come as a form letter.
b. Call. You could place a call to a company and quite possibly wait ten, twenty or thirty minutes and still be on hold.
In either case, customers do not really feel as though they are being listened to.
Then, we had email which could take a day or sometimes more.
Today, companies have numerous social networking sites like Twitter that respond almost instantly to customers needs. And that is what customers want. People feel like they are dealing with real human beings and not just automated responses.
Likewise, blogs allow for people within a company to give users and customers a better sense of who they are dealing with. Blogs make a company more open and give it transparency which can translate into trust for many customers and clients. Bloggers can try to engage their customers with more in depth and personal information about their organization and help stimulate “word-of-mouth buzz” about a company, what they are doing or what new products they have to offer.
Because sites like Twitter and blogs are so popular, companies are being faced with new challenges. People want to feel a real connection with the places, spaces and products that they are investing their money in; and people expecting more and more from businesses. This calls for new skill sets, including the use of social media, in order for a company to be successful.
In the business world, it seems to me that this way of communicating is attractive because it is fast and fosters trust between individual and companies.
Ten years ago, if someone had a complaint about a product or service, he or she probably had one of two options:
a. Write a letter and send it snail mail, which would probably take about a week. Once the letter got to the already overflowing mailroom, someone may or may not look at it. Generally, a response will come as a form letter.
b. Call. You could place a call to a company and quite possibly wait ten, twenty or thirty minutes and still be on hold.
In either case, customers do not really feel as though they are being listened to.
Then, we had email which could take a day or sometimes more.
Today, companies have numerous social networking sites like Twitter that respond almost instantly to customers needs. And that is what customers want. People feel like they are dealing with real human beings and not just automated responses.
Likewise, blogs allow for people within a company to give users and customers a better sense of who they are dealing with. Blogs make a company more open and give it transparency which can translate into trust for many customers and clients. Bloggers can try to engage their customers with more in depth and personal information about their organization and help stimulate “word-of-mouth buzz” about a company, what they are doing or what new products they have to offer.
Because sites like Twitter and blogs are so popular, companies are being faced with new challenges. People want to feel a real connection with the places, spaces and products that they are investing their money in; and people expecting more and more from businesses. This calls for new skill sets, including the use of social media, in order for a company to be successful.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
One Million Voices (reflections on Facebook Fairytales)
Facebook Fairytales is a refreshing book. It shares stories that inspire hope; hope that is desperately needed in today’s world. For the most part, we are used to hearing bad news and reports on devastating events all day via the media. It is encouraging to read stories about positive events that are taking place throughout the world. *
Our use of words is powerful. So much is said about the bad things that happen throughout the world, that it becomes, to a great extent, our reality. Facebook Fairytales shows some examples of how social media gives people an outlet to share different kinds of news. At this point, positive news and events that would have gone practically unnoticed ten years ago are spreading as fast as news of war and devastation across the world. People are captivated by stories of courage and generosity of spirit.
This is having a huge impact on the world today. Individuals have tools at their disposal to really make a difference. People can make light of things that create common bonds and trust among people, things that are largely ignored by traditional media.
My favorite Facebook Fairytale is One Million Voices. It’s amazing that one person could organize against such a powerful group. Without the speed and ease of social media, if one person stood up against FARC in the public sphere, he or she would more than likely be killed by this group. But with thousand of people banding together by the minute on the web, a group was created, peacefully, that was more powerful than FARC.
This is especially important in places where poverty and corruption is so bad that there are no resources to fund an effective legal system. Now, people have tools to help them form powerful alliances with each other and are less likely to be persecuted. Ultimately, people are given more opportunities and tools to develop freedom and have a just society because of social media.
*idea partly taken from a book called Hope's Edge by Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé
Our use of words is powerful. So much is said about the bad things that happen throughout the world, that it becomes, to a great extent, our reality. Facebook Fairytales shows some examples of how social media gives people an outlet to share different kinds of news. At this point, positive news and events that would have gone practically unnoticed ten years ago are spreading as fast as news of war and devastation across the world. People are captivated by stories of courage and generosity of spirit.
This is having a huge impact on the world today. Individuals have tools at their disposal to really make a difference. People can make light of things that create common bonds and trust among people, things that are largely ignored by traditional media.
My favorite Facebook Fairytale is One Million Voices. It’s amazing that one person could organize against such a powerful group. Without the speed and ease of social media, if one person stood up against FARC in the public sphere, he or she would more than likely be killed by this group. But with thousand of people banding together by the minute on the web, a group was created, peacefully, that was more powerful than FARC.
This is especially important in places where poverty and corruption is so bad that there are no resources to fund an effective legal system. Now, people have tools to help them form powerful alliances with each other and are less likely to be persecuted. Ultimately, people are given more opportunities and tools to develop freedom and have a just society because of social media.
*idea partly taken from a book called Hope's Edge by Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)