What do CEOs need to know about social media and the digital space?
I joined Walter Lukens and Robb Lee on a panel about social and the C-suite at the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s 2012 Social Media Summit. Lukens talked about how his firm advises its clients on social media strategy. Lee described how AARP is wrestling with its social strategy: where to be (and where its members are), what content is appropriate for where, and how to effectively deploy limited resources.
No, you can’t do it all–especially not by yourself.
My remarks focused high-level on key trends, including big data, mobile, and platforms, that CEOs and other leaders within organizations need to be aware of. You don’t have to be able to do it all yourself, but you need to know what’s out there, what your competition is doing, and what’s possible so that you can effectively give guidance and/or direction to your team.
Two Trends to Watch: Find-ability and Social Business
1. Contextual Find-ability. I’ve talked before about “find-ability” in a search-engine-driven world and the fact that businesses that are still relying on static, corporate-brochure-type Web sites will be left in the dust. But here’s what’s changed: search engines are becoming more sophisticated and the amount of searchable “stuff” is growing exponentially. As a result, find-ability alone isn’t enough anymore. You have to be find-able by the right audience.
Unless you’re going incognito, your search results will be based on your history, your search patterns, and–often–what your friends have searched for. Which makes content strategy more important than ever.
2. Social Business. We’re finally seeing a trend away from standalone social media and back to integrated marketing communications. Which is very good news for businesses. Now people are looking at how to scale-up social, and how to do all the things Robb Lee and others are talking about as you get more data, the channels and platforms proliferate, and your communities grow and expect more and more from you.
Social business at its most basic level is about integrating social and leveraging its power across an organization. I’m going to be talking a lot more very soon about social business, why it matters, and why you have to know about it and pay attention, so stay tuned.
Photo by DMAW.
