The MarketingProf’s Digital Forum held in Austin, TX was greeted by a very snowy and icy landscape locally but the content presented was hot! Listen in to one of these sessions, conducted by Amber Naslund, VP of Social Strategy, Radian 6 (@AmberCadabra) and Jay Baer Founder & President, Convince & Convert (@jaybaer). They have co-written a book entitled The Now Revolution and the audio included here is a live recording of their presentation at the Forum. Enjoy!
Some Session Highlights
- One to one has become one to many because of the proliferation of real time and often harsh social media reviews and content – every customer is capable of praising or punishing businesses.
- Consumers love this new environment but businesses aren’t always so happy about it.
- Businesses have to get faster, smarter, and more social. The level of typical bureaucracy of most enterprise operations is simply a show stopper for responding to the pace of social. Ignoring it won’t make it go away.
- Employees need policy frameworks instead of committee approvals. They need guidance and input to know that their independent decision making while in the moment reflects the same judgment that aligns with the company’s point of view.
- Because of this changing landscape, companies used to have to hire for skills but now need to hire for culture. ThinkGeek.com cited as example of a completely culture driven business – first interview includes the question “Star Wars or Star Trek?” and they live their point of view fully.
- What most companies worry about is what if someone says something bad about us? Social media didn’t invent negative comments but it just made it easier to spread it. The information can be leveraged to identify and solve problems but in order to do it you have to really listen.
- The 7 shifts that businesses need to make were summarized as follows:
- Engineer a new bedrock
- Find talent you can trust
- Organize your armies
- Answer the new phone
- Emphasize response-ability
- Build a fire extinguisher
- Make a calculator
Listen to the audio for more of the live session and an in depth explanation of the 7 shifts above.
