RE: Action

Web Equity by Mike Blumenthal is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License . Based on work by www.blumenthals.com . Click on the picture to explain the individual elements.

The recent changes in technology, I characterized as revolutionary. Apart from that it is not a technological revolution but a social. Social media and services that are centered on social media, is built around people, human relationships and the things people create and share. It may be blogs, Wikis, reviews, Facebook, and so on.

We have come to it, because the technology has given us new opportunities. In particular broadband, WYSIWYG and a service such as. YouTube changed the premises for access and dissemination of information of different nature.

It may have had some severe consequences for your business because your customers now can speak out loud about you and yours and easily get together with like-minded fellow sufferers.
The whole idea about Free (or "Anarconomy" I have written about here on the blog and here ) may have altered the context and perhaps even business foundation for your business.
On Twitter, on blogs, many places you can read about how wonderful everything is new, but what happens to you and your company can enjoy this social countries gain?

THE SOCIAL may be your ADVANTAGE
Ryan Turner from Razorfish has considered five different ideas for how companies can take advantage of the new times, where social media is a must and every week brings a new buzzword to the market.

Let customers do the work

He says it very short. Past practice has meant that you've seen it like that "business goal is to create customers for the store." But now that social media has helped your customers can find each other, so it is natural to exploit it to your advantage. Turner makes things a little on the tip and says that "shop's goal is to create customers, creating more customers to the store."
By giving customers a good reason to talk about your products, they can go and be ambassadors for your company.

But does it really matter?

Dynamics by the influential helping to curb.

Let's try a simple equation: Your 1,000 customers have together 6,000 close friends, 15,000 friends and we count the first part of their network, then the 1,000 turned into a contact surface of 40,000 people!

If it is a path to pursue, then you need to change marketing tactics. Your marketing should be optimized around your new understanding of your finances. And you will need new methods to evaluate a customer's value. For your customers who are active in social media can bring new customers to you.

Create new business areas

Your business can change dramatically. But there are hidden challenges waiting to be lifted. Your first line of customer service means more than ever before. But if you think that your customers can help you navigate through this world, then you're on your way.

Take digital digital on the road

Take advantage of telephone and computer to do business mobile. This allows you to move physically closer to where it happens that is relevant to you and your customers.

Make your brand more human

The last point Turner mentions - to make its brand more human - I would like to dwell a little more on. If you work in a small business, then you "just" be your Professional I am online, you are the everyday towards your customers. It need not be made especially complicated. Honesty and humanity is the glue that connects you with other people.
But if you work in a medium or large company, so it makes sense to work in a more coordinated and strategic in relation to your presence on social media.

Corporate Brand

There are basically two approaches to speak on its behalf: Either you have a 'Corporate Brand voice' or there is more individual 'personal profiles that refer to your brand. "
To exercise a 'corporate brand voice', then there will be a united voice that reflects the brand's personality. All generally follows the brand's tone, whether it's the director or marketing assistant and used in all contexts, regardless of media.
The tone may be unique to the company, and can also be manifested in a (fictional) person. "The voice" is used everywhere, for example. a fixed element in the completion of an advertisement.

Personal Profiles

Exercised its visibility through several personal profiles in social media, there will often involve multiple, authentic voices that are transparent (be sure to disclose affiliation to the brand) and easy to find. What is essential here is that they are talking to and engaging and typically is present, which conversation is taking place.
The voice is unique to the individual, not the company - and is manifested in a real person. And also will this voice be used only by real people in real time.

The Social Brand

Together, the brand's voice and the individual personal profiles a social brand. Previously you will have seen the marketing department is responsible for communicating with customers. But in the new reality also communicates the company's other departments directly with customers. Be it product developers, management, operations, HR, sales, as well as marketing and customer service.

Control, documentation and results

For this to be done, it requires a corporate policy and documents that govern behavior, tone, style and strategy. They must deal with workflow, work processes and opportunities, for example. to escalate the situation up in the hierarchy. It is important to make direction lines for the team about social media. There must be intended to embody a policy for all its workers. And you can ensure you act in the work of any. creating a matrix of responsibility.
An easy "one-page" that provides information about the company's participation in social media can be beneficial for people who need easy subject knowledge, new employees or others who are not part of a team around efforts at social media. Also put up goals for the company's presence and think of ways to measure performance.
Finally, it also makes sense to regularly gather relevant persons actively participating in social media on behalf of your company. Ensure proper instruction for your brand online personality and nedfæld guidelines about the brand in general. It is also a good idea to have established a set of rules governing how politics as well as documents about social media is handled and updated for the future.

Why all this?

It means something to make an effort and get it all. People build links with people in more than brands. It's fun to talk to real people rather than a logo. So dress your employees properly. For the rules on social media can sometimes be ruthless about them representing a company.

Also make sure you have your law in place. And keep good ethics about permission marketing and follow up the situation. The legislation would change the art as experience comes into play.

Consider creating personal, not personalized, experiences. It can quickly transparent, if I the individual treated, as a number in the sequence, and not as a unique customer. And if customers want to feel unique, let them also meet in groups. Give them a partial ownership of your brand, otherwise if they have the creativity and time to handle it.

RYK closer to your customers

It is possible that we are in difficult economic times than long seen. But we are online. And people are more online than ever before.

"If we add up all the time people have Spent playing world of warcraft, IT ville total ca 5.93 million years. That's the same Amount of time som har Homo Sapiens existed "
- Jane McGonigal, Ted the 2010th

Actually started the business with being close to their customers. However, busy lifestyles and competition required efficacy and businesses required a certain size to compete successfully. The Internet gave us the opportunity to shop from home and the phone has given us even greater control over how we conduct our operations. So the more we have invested in technology, the more distant is our relationship with our customers become.

So the idea is of course that after having spend 30 years trying to remove us from the customer to move closer again. Ironically, the digital playing a big role here.

This means that we must learn to understand that online is more than one channel to display advertisements. It's not just about creating awareness about its product. The opportunity is to enable its clients, ranging from passive consumers into ambassadors for your product in almost no time.