Can you use Social Media to create better products and services?

Image via Wikipedia

 

Yes, I know many of us have discussed concepts like value co-creation for some time.  However, as the business value of social networks is explored by an ever-growing audience I find myself revisiting, and rethinking, many concepts.  

An old co-worker of mine asked me about running beta programs on social networks and I wanted to share my current thinking on the subject.   For the purpose of this post, the offerings fall into these groupings:    

• Free offerings like Facebook fan pages and LinkedIn groups.
• Semi-free offerings focused purely on the ideation process.  Great examples include BubbleIdeas, UserVoice, IdeaScale.  For example, see the CityCamp Boston BubbleIdeas platform that we are using to generate session ideas with our event attendees. (yes, I sell BubbleIdeas and we specialize in deployment of BubbleIdeas for Enterprise 2.0 & Government 2.0 (local and and federal)).
• More expensive, and more feature rich, solutions like those from Lithium, Jive, INgage Networks, Right Now, Parature, and on and on.  These offer functionality beyond just ideation.

 Keep in mind:  

• Your Facebook and LinkedIn personal accounts do not qualify as an established community.  You need to have an engaged, at least somewhat engaged, community focused on your products and company, not you individually.
• While there are many early leaders across the public and private sector most businesses do not have an engaged customer community established.   Even those that have taken the time to set up Facebook pages and LinkedIn groups are often following cookie-cutter guidance and not building real community, you have a ghost town…
• Those that have invested in more robust community solutions are generally better organized to manage these efforts.
• If your primary goal is to run beta programs, to co-develop products with your customers, and you do not have one of the more expensive solutions already in  house, I would recommend either:
  • Giving me a call to discuss setting up BubbleIdeas (free for 3 months then pricing varies by use from near free on up).  With BubbleIdeas you can fully customize the experience which is useful for those that want the experience to match their other web experiences.
  • If you already have a Facebook page or LinkedIn group consider adding another Facebook page or LinkedIn subgroup for your Product Advisors (the beta team of employees and customers).  This is fast to set up but you have less control over the look and feel, a trade-off you need to consider.

If you truly want to run a beta program you need to understand that social communities are always on, the days of starting and stopping beta programs will become a thing of the past.  Keep the energy going with this community.  

• Provide them insights on your product plans and encourage feedback
• Provide them with tips and bonuses for being “part of the team”.
• Listen and respond.

John  

Innovation at Burlington High School

Patrick Larkin is the Principal of Burlington High School in Burlington, Massachusetts.  He is entering his fourth year and is focused on delivering a great education for his students. He is also passionate about innovation and social media, using Twitter to enhance learning and increase communication. I heard Patrick at the 140conf in Boston and knew I needed to ask him some questions.

View this document on Scribd

VistaPrint is generating revenue through social media

View this document on Scribd

Want to learn more about Twitter? Check out Laura Fitton’s book, Twitter for Dummies (affiliate link):

Passport to Social Media

Traveling around the world you are bound to be in a situation where the world as you know it will be challenged.  You may be in a situation where you need directions or have an important meeting with a client that requires mastery of local social etiquette.  You may not be fluent in the local language or the societal norms associated with that country.  What do you do?

For the most part we try to prepare for these kinds of experiences.  We try to learn a little about the language and the culture to help us overcome our weaknesses.  Traditionally, this has been done through guide books, books and talking to people who have been there.  Now, we have more options with the development of real time translation tools, GPS enabled maps, a number of different travel sites and mobile apps covering a variety of every day circumstances.  But the bottom line still remains the same if we want to be successful.  We have to take time to learn something about the place we are going, the people we will meet, something about their language and about how things work in that culture.

In so many ways, traveling to another country and using social media successfully are very similar.  Both challenge us to learn a new way of interacting with people.  This means we may need to change how we do things and how we think.  Social media and online communities all have their own unique set of societal norms and cultures.  There are different rules of engagement that development around each of these communities.  This includes how we speak to each other, what kinds of interactions are acceptable and what kinds of topics are considered acceptable content.

When we are new to a community we do feel a bit lost, uncomfortable and perhaps like a fish out of water.  We are working to figure out how this community works and interacts with each other.  We are trying to learn the language and what’s acceptable in that community.  This is where the Community Manager comes into play.  This person or people are there to help us learn the culture and language associated with this community.  They help us learn the essentials in order to make us comfortable and better able to successfully navigate through this new terrain.  They communicate the values of the community to us.  They are the ones who grant us access to information and help us connect with others.  They are our passports to the community.

Over time, we learn the language of the community and operating in that community becomes second nature.  It no longer requires us to think about how to do these things.  Just like learning a new language and culture in a country we are visiting.  Practice, education and helpful guides assist us in mastering this new world.

If we are to be successful in using social media, no matter what our business is, then we will have to understand what kind of communities we are joining and how to build communities that reflect our values.  What kinds of behaviors are we encouraging?  What kinds are we considering to be negative?  What is acceptable content?  All of these things contribute to the culture and language of that community.

Affiliate link

8 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE STARTING A BIZ

I just had to repost this great article from Don Rainey via Entrepreneurial Corner.  It speaks directly to leadership and the need to see your business through the lenses of the Social Ecosystem. Great read! Of course, the Homer Simpson/Letterman Top Ten was too good to resist. After all, Homer is always managing his life in the NOW (heheheh).

In the world of startups, success or failure can be hard to consistently predict. One thing that’s sure, however, is that anyone who starts a business is changed by the process. The continual challenges of meeting the opportunities and issues that arise make it fun and always interesting. I think it is why many people continue to start businesses regardless of the (easier) alternatives presented by employment for somebody else.

Having started a few businesses in my life, I view some of the lessons of the experience as intuitive and others much less so. Given the time and money involved in learning these lessons, none could be characterized as cheap.

They all changed my worldview, though. And they all changed me as a person. I’m glad I learned these lessons, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish that I knew them originally.

Here are the eight things I wish I knew when I started my first business.

1. Things take longer than you ever imagine – Everything that involves people, resources, tasks and coordination takes longer than you ever think it should take to get done. It isn’t about developing patience, as patience doesn’t really help you keep driving things forward. It is about being realistic in your planning and management.

2. Items that do succeed tend to do so quickly – I have seen more successes — products, projects, employees, etc. — start strongly than slowly. The great salesperson or employee is great from the first day. The strong employees contribute immediately. The product that is going to be a hit gets strong, initial reactions from customers.

3. People will let you down – This will happen in ways you can’t even imagine when you start out. It can range from inattentiveness and laziness to fraud and theft. You’ll see it all from the people you meet along the way.  Your faith in people or belief in them can be a dangerous thing. As Pres. Reagan put it, “Trust, but verify.” Blind faith will get your butt kicked again and again. Love and reward your employees, but don’t have too much confidence in them.

4. Good employees are really hard to find – A solid worker isn’t just difficult to find, he or she is really difficult to find. And they’re the first ones to leave. The truth is that 10 percent of the world is competent – and you’re looking for that 10 percent in every hire.

It’s hard to do consistently. And that’s why organizations that do it with frequency have such strong reputations. If you want to build a business predicated largely on finding, getting and keeping quality employees to succeed, you should understand that premise will be your greatest risk. Finding a market and profitably selling to it (usually the greatest risks) will take a back seat. Better yet, pursue a business that needs some reasonable percentage of employees to be really good.

5. Your bad employees rarely quit – For one thing, poor performers aren’t really all that motivated to look, as that might involve actual performance. For another, no one else is likely to recruit them. Your marginal and weak employees are with you for life unless you move proactively. In many years of running businesses, the only time this wasn’t true was during the dot-com bubble. At that time, every idiot could get a 15 percent to 20 percent raise here in Northern Virginia by changing jobs. And they did. Aside from that blessed time, weak employees are your most “loyal.”

6. You will be lucky and unlucky -In the fullness of time, you will be assuredly lucky and unlucky. And sometimes, things that appear to be bad luck will turn out to be good — the weak salesperson who turned down your job offer — or vice versa. You will have ups and downs, and you will win or lose things that you don’t deserve to win or lose. You will be unlucky and lucky, you just may never know when.

7. Avoid the myth and misery of sunk cost – See the item above about succeeding quickly. Don’t chain yourself to the anchors you lovingly create in pursuit of success. If it isn’t working for you or the business, let it go. Understand that it isn’t good money after bad money, it is all bad money. Fire that salesperson, let that manager go, stop selling that product, get used to moving on. You’ll make a lot of decisions in running a business. Accept that not all of them will be right.

8. Fill the pipe, always fill the pipe – The difference between good times and bad times is often reflected in how many of the opportunities, customers, etc. end up closing successfully. In good times, more deals close from a normal opportunity pipeline. In bad times, less deals close from the pipeline. So, fill the pipeline of opportunities, and always look to add to the pipeline.   Deals don’t close for a million reasons. Your only defense is to fill the pipe.

Leadership Lessons From Jeff Dunham!?

Art truly does imitate life.

Oops … We are getting a bit crazy NOW. What could we possibly learn about leadership, managing in the NOW, and the Social Ecosystem from Jeff Dunham? Well, let start with some facts.

via Wikipedia: “Jeff Dunham has been called “America’s favorite comedian” by Slate.com, and according to the concert industry publication Pollstar, he is the top-grossing standup act inNorth America, and is among the most successful acts in Europe as well. As of March 2009, he has sold over four million DVDs, an additional 7 million dollars in merchandise sales,[5]and received more than 350 million hits on YouTube (his introduction of Achmed the Dead Terrorist in Spark of Insanity is the ninth most watched YouTube video ever),[1] making him one of the most-viewed entertainers of all time. Spark of Insanity received the best reviews of any DVD on Amazon.com in 2008, and A Very Special Christmas Special was the most-watched telecast in Comedy Central history, with its DVD going quadruple platinum (selling over 400,000) in its first two weeks.[6] Forbes.com ranked Dunham as the third highest paid comedian in the United States behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock,[5] and reported that he was one of the highest earning comics from June 2008 to June 2009, earning approximately $30 million during that period.[7]“

Well there you go! A “bidnessman”. And how did he do it you ask? Simple. He did it by understanding his customer and what they want (even need!). Then Jeff used every form of social media he could access to build a following. He did it NOW … meaning fast. He used the Social Ecosystem to manage his business in the NOW. Great job Jeff.

Enjoy the video folks …

Using social media in West Virginia politics

Cartney McCraken is a Social Media Strategist and Client Relations Manager at Rainmaker, a political consulting firm in West Virginia.  She was good enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to discuss the use of social media strategies by politicians in West Virginia.

Q. How do you bring politicians into the discussion today?
A. Being involved in West Virginia politics, it isn’t hard for me personally to discuss issues with State Senators and members of the House of Delegates, but only because I know them and am on a first-name basis with some. But as far as discussing issues as a constituent who isn’t involved in the Mountain State’s political arena, it wouldn’t be easy. West Virginia is a mountainous state, and therefore we are still lacking in broadband infrastructure, disabling opportunities for more open communications between elected officials and those they represent. While we are working on connecting all public buildings, (i.e. Hospitals, schools, libraries, etc..) to the Internet, we’re a long way from where we should be. Currently, several elected officials do use Facebook and respond to constituent requests and reporter comments via this social media vehicle.

Personally, I wrote an op-ed piece discussing the need for more elected/aspiring politicians to engage and converse with their current/hopeful constituents via social media. All my company’s political clients utilize several social media vehicles to eliminate transparency and obtain real-time feedback. This allows us, as political consultants and campaign managers, to adapt our messages more quickly based on the needs of younger voters.

Q. With the infrastructure challenges/limitations that exist in West Virginia today, what are the most common methods being used by politicians to get the word out?
A. Politicians rely heavily on direct mail, radio, and TV as vehicles for reaching candidates. Also, fundraisers, pig roasts, and going door-to-door still occur regularly during campaign season in West Virginia. One young member of the House of Delegates, Doug Skaff, hosts a Cinco De Mayo party at a local Mexican restaurant.

Q. Do they come to you, do you recruit, does the local party send them in?
A. As a company, Rainmaker, Inc. both recruits candidates and we have several candidates that come to us. We win nearly 90% of elections.

Regarding educating politicos on the importance of open government, I would love to teach a social media class to elected/aspiring politicians. This field, more than any other, needs to be “PC” or “politically connected” to their voter base, which is a younger audience.

My blog post today addresses some of these issues.

Q. If you were to teach a class to politicians, what information,at a high-level, would you discuss with them?
A. Politicians need to learn more about Gen Y and how we communicate. We like to be engaged, not just a recipient of information. Simply using social media as a means to broadcast information won’t work with us. You must use it as a communication tool that fosters a 2-way dialogue between you and your constituents. In a nutshell, I’d teach effective constituent relations through social networking using open dialogue. I’d also teach politicians how to speak the same language with younger constituents, and how to engage them.

Q. What is the biggest mistake you see politicians making on social media today?
A. Treating social media as a broadcast tool, rather than an engagement tool, is the number one mistake committed by most elected officials. When it comes to social media usage for open government, elected/aspiring politicians must have a conversational mindset.

Q. Do you see differences in social media usage between political parties?
A. While searching on Twitter, there seem to be more GOPs involved in the broad political arena than Dems. I’d say its about even in West Virginia though.

Q. In your opinion, which social media tools are the best fit for today’s politicians?
A. I think Obama had the best social media of any politician to date, obviously. But just starting out, let’s keep it simple. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Rather Stone Age in the digital democracy, I know, but it’s a start.

John

If you need help from The Lab, drop me a note. If you would like to view more case studies and interviews, or just want to read about The Social Ecosystem, click on the links and let me know your thoughts.

Hopton House Bed and Breakfast on using social media (via Chefforfeng’s Weblog)

You can never find enough case studies or interviews about people successfully leveraging social media. Check it out, worth the read.

 This will be first in the series of Inns and Lodging using social media to help their businesses. It occurred to me, that while I can help and try to convince innkeepers I work with, that using social media can help their businesses, it’s even more helpful and relevant as well if information and examples of how lodging is using it and how its helping their businesses, comes straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak. I forget exactly when I firs … Read More

via Chefforfeng’s Weblog

If you need help from The Lab, drop me a note. If you would like to view more case studies and interviews, or just want to read about The Social Ecosystem, click on the links and let me know your thoughts.

Great insights: The Real Life Social Network v2

I came across this great presentation by Paul Adams, a usability researcher at Google.  It is extremely long at 216 slides but provides insights and statistics well worth understanding.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

John

Attributes of the Social Organization (Part 2)

As you may recall, in part one of defining the Social Organization we discussed a few reasons why we need a new view of the world.  We also took time to define The Social Organization in very simple terms:

The Social Organization will use standard approaches that make it easy for customers/citizens to find and buy products and services while enabling the organization to meet their goals.

This easy to understand definition enables us to begin to define the attributes of the Social Organization:

• Social Organizations use standard approaches.  They follow a well-defined framework for successfully achieving their goals. We will define this framework as we go, but understand that 75-80% of the framework applies across all types of organizations in The Social Ecosystem.  The remaining percentage takes into account the uniqueness of your organization.
• Social Organizations focus on delivering value in an equitable way.  We do not live in a utopian world, we live in a world where services are delivered in a way where, ideally, customers feel they have received value while allowing organizations to meet their goals (for businesses, making money).  For example:
  • When a customer buys an iPhone they are not focused on the amount of profit made by Apple, they are only concerned with the value received for their money.  If they feel they received the value expected they are happy.  If Apple, as the Social Organization in this example, is able to meet its goals as well, both sides have “won”, equity is achieved.

While less clear from our simple definition, these are the other key attributes of the Social Organization:

• Social Organizations are focused strategically, not tactically.  Social Organizations understand the need for a goal-oriented strategy and use them to make sure that the greatest value is achieved.  While grass-root efforts can help raise initial awareness of  social media tools, these efforts will not meet broad organizational success unless they become part of the overall organizational strategy.
• Social Organizations understand that they are part of The Social Ecosystem and deliver value internally and externally.  Value is created everywhere in the organization and this value must be delivered to the right people at the right time.   This includes examples such as:
  • Ensuring the right people in the organization are working with customers on sales and marketing efforts.
  • Bringing the right internal (and possibly external partner) resources together to solve customer reported issues.
  • Ensuring that knowledge held by one member of the organization is delivered to other members of the organization, and other organizations as well, when needed. 
• Analytical.  The Social Organization uses metrics to decide if they are on track to meet their goals and use this information to adjust strategies and tactics as needed.

You may have noted that I once again left out the word transparent.  The Social Organization does not have to be transparent to engage with its market and to meet its goals.  Even those that choose to be transparent must choose the level of transparency required, the amount of transparency that is acceptable, and balance as  needed.

John