Beyond the Hype

The true power of social media to connect, engage, disrupt and transform your business

Social media is all the rage. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube boast nearly a billion users between them, and a profusion of other websites are vying for attention. Companies are beginning to understand the value of these tools for communication – some are using them well, while many others are misusing or even abusing them. This session aims to take you beyond this hype, and show you how social media has the potential to transform much more than just your communication.

For most of our lives, technology has divided us, creating efficient but sterile environments for us to live and work in. But recent advances in hardware and software have allowed technology to start to truly connect us. People want to contribute, connect, engage and be involved, and now technology is enabling this. A new generation of younger staff and clients in particular are changing their expectations about the world of work. This is not about having a Facebook fan page or a Twitter feed. It’s about applying the concepts behind social media to your business model, your strategy, your teams and people, the customer facing parts of your business and even your supply chain – in fact, every part of your organisation.

But there is a danger inherent in doing this. Each channel we use for communication and interaction has its own rules and “culture”. To be successful, we must understand these unwritten rules. You can easily get sucked in by the hype, and make some devastating mistakes as you venture into this new world. This session is designed to give you insights based on research and case studies on how companies are using social media and emerging technologies to revolutionise many different parts of their businesses. It will also help you avoid some of the more common mistakes as you develop your own strategy and policies in this space.

Read a detailed research white paper our team wrote on this issue at our blog site.

Some of the key points covered by the session include:

• Introducing the technologies: Why social media has taken off, what it is (and isn’t) and how people are using it. What’s the difference? Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogger, Google Docs and Alerts, Bing, and many more – the pros and cons of using these for business purposes. Understanding younger generations and why they’re using social media in various ways.
  
• Beyond the basics: Case studies of companies using Web 2.0 successfully (and a few examples of spectacular failure, too). We’ll look especially at organisations doing more than the obvious. We’ll highlight the key concepts underlying their usage of social media to enhance or revitalise strategies and gain new competitive advantage opportunities. Latest research on how young people use computers to enhance productivity and business connections.
  
• How to develop a strategy for social media usage and the incorporation of social media concepts into your business strategies. Concepts include: relationships without commitment; connection without obligation; crowdsourcing; the minds of many working for you; free; and, no censorship.
  Why do you want to be there? Having a clear purpose is vital. How to measure success.
  
• Taking the first steps – how to listen, learn, engage and succeed. Also included in this session are: Why spelling and grammar still matter – and other real-life lessons for an online world; and: How the coffee break became the Facebook break.
  
• Understand the “unwritten rules” and culture of social media. Develop policies and systems that make sense – for you, and for the social media environment. How to deal with a world where control is impossible. Choosing who will do it for you, and criteria for selecting the best team.
  
• Applications: Being where your customers are. Ask questions, listen and engage. Connecting with younger staff, without alienating the older ones. Using new communication tools to enhance productivity, have better meetings, improve staff morale, develop yourself and communicate more effectively.

Videos of us in action

Formats

This session can be delivered as a keynote presentation or strategic input, lasting between 60 and 90 minutes. We use full multimedia, laced with humour and insights about different generations. The keynote is adapted for each audience, and can be made industry-specific or function-specific in its application and focus.

The session can be delivered as a workshop, either half day or full day. These workshops need to be tailored to your specific requirements.

Clients and Testimonials

Click here for our full client list or for testimonials we have received. We would be happy to connect you with any of our clients, so that you can hear about the programme directly from them – please contact us with this request if you would like to do so.

Download a summary of the slides

PDF versions of all of our presentations are available for download. Click here for the full list, and to download a summary of this presentation.

Links to resources

Our white papers library has numerous articles on generations. The most important are:

• When Social Media Grows Up… It will change everything
  
• Navigating this differently connected world – Exploring the impact of social software on business today
  
• “Terra Incognita – Territory Unknown”: Communication in a new World at Work

• Leading the Whatever Generation – the ‘Bright Young Things’

The TomorrowToday team writes regularly on all these issues on their blog. Click here to go directly to the appropriate category at ConnectionEconomy.com.

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