Walter Adamson

Is the perfect "social" business video?

One of the most common hesitations I see with businesses wishing to deploy more social techniques of engagement is their hang-up about making a video. This example from Google strikes me as the perfect example of a "social business" video i.e. the "casual" video for social engagement with an invisible professional touch.

I see this reticence whether the discussion is about making videos for internal use (for enterprise social networks) or for external consumption somewhere on the social web. The argument is usually polarised and runs like this:

• "We need to professionally present our business and have it professionally made and that will cost us $3,000 per video, I know that because I have just spoken to the video people we usually use".
• "No, everybody is used to Youtube and they even use those types of amateur videos on the daily news and even business programs - these days we are all able to get the content without fussing about the quality".

I actually favour the second view, just make it with your iPhone and do the best you can to hold things steady and get some good lighting and sound. People just want to hear what your customers or other employees are saying and if that is in their noisy office or factory that is ok.

OK I'll admit that my leaning towards the more casual approach does not usually solve the problem. Mostly I just think that in time those in the "professional" camp will become more relaxed, and until then they just miss out on the opportunity. 

But there is a middle ground, and the Google Deep Learning video shows it. Here's what struck me about this video (aside from the astounding content):

1. The setting is extremely casual;
2. The framing, angles, and lighting are professional.
3. It's extremely "business social".

I think that this is a perfect model for those companies concerned about conveying a professional image in a "social" video. I doubt very much that this cost $3,000 to make, but on the other hand it was carefully planned.

What do you think?

Walter Adamson

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Twitter is news, not social media, or is it?

Partick Stafford, a journalist at SmartCompany reports that "Twitter is news, not social media".

I think he's way off the ball. Sure, the survey he quotes says that, but simply reproducing the press release doesn't contribute much to the conversation. And sure the survey is correct, because it reports what the masses are doing but not what the most effective use of Twitter is in enhancing customer engagement.

I'm not saying that Twitter is not a good broadcast medium, for some it is a fantastic channel to reach very large networks. What I am saying is that this one use of Twitter, although it may be dominant, is not a guideline as to how Twitter should or can be used.

Here's what I commented at SmartCompany:

Hmm, pretty much a zero value piece of "news". Of course Twitter is mostly just picked up and used as a broadcast medium, that's what SmartCompany does for example. I've tried tweeting back to @smartcompany from time to time just to see if they are listening and never had an answer. The study is just reporting one reasonable use of Twitter, but more often than not this use is not a well considered and thought out approach it is usually a knee jerk reaction or a lazy way of "getting into" social media.

The smart firms are leading by miles with Twitter as a communication tool. It's a minority for sure, and this is all the research is reporting. Who would care what the research is reporting - it's about what you and your company can do to get ahead of the mass not be part of it. If you'd like to add $100 million a year on your valuation, like Zappos for the last 5 years, or be the #1 social media savvy company in the US, like Microsoft, you don't get there by using Twitter solely as a broadcast channel.

In fact more people are now coming to Microsoft's online support resources directly from Facebook and Twitter than from other parts of the company's own website.

Twitter is a tool in a broader customer engagement strategy, for most firms, not all but most. You don't get more engagement by more broadcast alone. Isn't that obvious?

htttp://xeesm.com/walter

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• Who is using Twitter, and how (cyberjournalist.net)

Commented on "TechFlash" Facebook, Twitter top Microsoft in traffic sent to Microsoft support

Nice post and I think this is big news that "More people are now coming to Microsoft's online support resources directly from Facebook and Twitter than from other parts of the company's own website." Also a big plug for CoTweet I must take another look. Thanks for the heads up. Walter Adamson @g2m http://xeesm.com/walter

Originally posted as a comment by walter on TechFlash using DISQUS.

Supercharging sales productivity with social business

Last month IDG released its 2010 Sales Barometer Study: Guidance for Sales and Sales Operations Executives, surveying the IT industry. It found there was a need to lift productivity:

1. The rise in sales costs outpaced sales growth
2. More leads are needed to close a deal than ever before; and the key,
3. Sales time was not optimized.

The need to optimize sales time stood out. Sales’ administrative time is about 20% of the average sales person’s work week; however, said IDG there should be more "focus more on improving the quality of the time invested by sales reps in preparing for customer interactions. (Sales reps spend approximately 17% of their time today on preparing for customer interactions)".

However, despite that time spent in preparation "feedback from IT buyers, indicating that over 50% of sales reps are insufficiently prepared for customer meetings", says the report.

The challenge of selling into a Selling into a socially connected business world is that

•  Lead flow has slowed down
• Customers connect with customers for experience exchange and product information
• Knowledge and information is omnipresent in the Internet
• Price information are more transparent than ever before.

Keeping on going with the old processes or "MORE CRM" is not going to achieve the outcomes, which in the past, one might have expected.

In Social Selling Axel Schultze explains how selling into a highly connected business society has changed. The new sales engagement model requires new tools, not separated from the CRM but an adjunct. The key tools needed are those which help identify clients and prospects in their social networks, and allow sales people to rapidly and effectively navigate those social networks to gather information and to chime in where it can be helpful.

This Xeesm 2020 slideshare presentation really explains the new technique well - Focus on relevant people; visit 20 clients in 20 minutes every day; know what is on top of their mind; become one of their trusted connections; know when the time is right to sell. If we think of the 20% of sales people's time week spent on admin then Xeesm 2020 might recover some of that which is being spent ineffectually.

The Xeesm tool is the first of these types of tools, developed to help the time management issue of keeping up with social networking, and aimed at the sales and marketing teams. And websites such as Social Business One are focused on this particular new way of selling and its relationship to CRM and customer engagement, as well as social business strategies.

In fact these new approaches may be the only way to achieve some of the productivity objectives which IDG advocates. More of the old isn't going to cut the ice anymore, because the buyers world has moved out of alignment with the sales persons' tools. The new approaches will also address two other IDG recommendations - improved cross-functional sales enablement, and better leverage of sales automation.

This is the beginning of a new era of relationship selling, and the chinks in the armour of old sales and CRM are going to widen in 2010. Fortunately the new methods and tools have arrived in a nick of time!

http://xeesm.com/walter

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Social Media Tools Week: Social Media Assessment - how to start

Thanks to all of you who attended my second webinar today (Social Media Tools Week) on Social Media Assessment - How To Start.

I've seen in practice that many companies skip this Assessment stage or don't understand why it is important. Of course the very large agencies do apply their own assessments,and have inhouse or acquired tools to do an excellent job.

The presentation shows how every business can think about Assessment, and why it is important.

I was struck by this comment: "Media is an arena where people with shared interest and enthusiasm converge around a shared idea" by Helge Tennø Post Digital Marketing 2009.

If you BELIEVE THIS, as I do, then you need to find the right arenas and match the shared interest with your own and understand how to contribute and ideally, find the actual people who are most enthusiastic.

This is Social Media Assessment – before thinking of tools or "doing something on Facebook".

You can get a copy of the presentation from Slideshare.

Where does an Assessment fit in with developing a strategy?

Let's say that:

• You understand enough about social media
• You have some kind of customer-oriented feedback, ideas
• You have some idea of resources and how it can be handle
• You need a strategy (however large or small).

It’s at this point that you need to do an Assessment.

You want to map the terrain, identify the places and spaces that matter, understand the real environment, and then develop a strategy which is informed and practical and effective.

The Assessment is one of the suite of methodologies taught by the Social Media Academy and put into practice by its graduates across the globe. These have the benefit of being consistent, having people talk the same language, and being continuously improved from global feedback.

I'm sure you have experience in developing forms of Assessment, before doing the strategy work, or perhaps you don't agree with this logic?

Please add your comments below as I'd love to see those ideas.

http://xeesm.com/walter

Presentation of the day! Slideshare as a social media tool

Ha! I made Presentation of the Day, on Slideshare today - never thought I would see that. It's my presentation from Social Media Tools Week - Slideshare as a social media tool.

Your presentation Slideshare as a Social Media Tool has been selected amongst the 'Top Presentations of the Day' on the SlideShare homepage. Our editorial team would like to thank you for this awesome presentation, that has been chosen from amongst the thousands that are uploaded to SlideShare everday. Congratulations! Have a Great Day! - The SlideShare team

Love to hear your comments on the presentation.

http://xeesm.com/walter

Social Media Tools Week: Slideshare as a social networking tool

Thanks to all of you who attended my webinar today (Social Media Tools Week) on using Slideshare as a social media tool.  I've been a big fan of Slideshare, as you would have gathered, although that was simply because of the amazing quality of material which people were prepared to post and share.

More recently I saw that it could be used to extend your network effectively and that's what the presentation was all about. I'm sure you'll agree that it's now very useful for this purpose, especially since you can filter your network leads by reviewing the quality of their prepared subject-matter material.

You can get a copy of the presentation from Slideshare.

I didn't have time to mention all of Slideshare's features, as I was concentrating on the networking angle. They have recently introduced their "Slideshare for Business" which allows readers to be targeted for calls to action, to drive leads to your business. See http://www.slideshare.net/business

That's a good reason for companies to set up both approved employee accounts and company accounts for loading up company material, and especially when used in conjunction with Linkedin. See Catherine Sherwood's excellent presentation on Linkedin which explains this on slide 15.

I'm sure many of you have tips and Slideshare tricks for networking, and for best practice in the use of Slideshare, which I don't know or didn't cover. 

Please add your comments below as I'd love to see those ideas.

http://xeesm.com/walter

| 09.11.15 | My weekly ramble in social spaces and places

Where I've been this week in the social web's places and spaces:

• Keen to get a quick update on Social Media Tools? Sign up for the Social Media Tools Week, starting tomorrow.
• Attending the Digital Media and Marketing Summit in Melbourne on Monday - big turnout exceeded organiser's expectations, hope the presentations exceed mine! Follow on Twitter #dmms09
• If you have not read Helge Tennø's Post Digital Marketing 2009 then you must as then you will understand why we won't say "digital" marketing in the future.
• Linkedin Discussion: Think Before You Set Up Your LinkedIn-Twitter Integration - reduce the flow!
• This survey on social media tools most used by business found that, surprisingly, IT professionals use social media tools for business the least.
• Did you see Razorfish's Shiv Singh On 'Social Media For Dummies' and this quote from the article "now that his book is out, brands may no longer need agencies to unlock the secrets of marketing via social media" - well that's funny, but actually the article is good, and worth reading.
• LInkedin Discussion - one of those rare ones that actually has a discussion - a topic of some interest - Would like a recommendation for a online help or FAQ system.
• Graham Hill outlined a fabulous Manifesto for Social Business at CustomerThink.

http://xeesm.com/walter

| 09.10.18 | My weekly ramble in social spaces and places

Where I've been this week in the social web's places and spaces:

• Not social media but social drama - this week at one of our suburban rail stations a mother lost her baby over the platform as a train came in - it survived but see the video!!!
• If you didn't see - Twitter selling its own brand of wine!
• I'm cheating - here are Gavin Heath's "5 must-read posts from last week".
• Social media-exposed consumers are far more likely to search for brand and product-related terms - Comscore survey.
• Factoid! It's said that Canadians are the heaviest users of Facebook per capita. (I don't have an authoritative source.)
• Canada's Flowtown "helps small businesses communicate with their customers, anywhere, everywhere, super efficiently " - I signed up for a free account.
• Martell Home Builders, a construction company in Moncton, New Brunswick, which specializes in the promise that it can build a new home in 99 days, is on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; runs a blog; and lets buyers follow their home construction progress online, get pictures, and post comments, says social media is changing how business is done.
• 45% of small-business owners have Twitter or Facebook accounts yet only 44% have websites - social media taking off - according to survey.
• Hyper-targeting using Facebook - good Slideshare presentation by Clara Shih the Facebook guru, I like her work she is a very clear thinker (and speaker).
• I like @johnhaydon's work such as Seven ways to prevent your social media strategy from going into a tailspin.

My social places: http://xeesm.com/walter