TamTamy Blog

Andrew McAfee, associate professor at Harvard Business School and expert in the field, interviewed by Tiburton TV at the conference “Talk the Future” of Krems in Austria, once more explains what enterprise 2.0 is and how it can help companies make their business easier, acquiring information and redistributing it in a quicker way.
McAfee looks to the future and describes what is important to go on developing a web 2.0 technology that can penetrate more and more into companies, considering that it is already very powerful in its present state. As there are no longer any geographical or temporal limitations, that had in part already decreased with the first-generation web and that now web 2.0 has cut even more, becoming part of a global world is extremely easy for any company which is present on the net. Information moves quickly from one side of the continent to the other, from company to consumer and vice versa, generating a continuous exchange between companies and the surrounding world.

These external incentives, the information cycle available online and everything which surrounds us are the elements that lead companies towards the creation of a winning competitive strategy, as the video above explains more in detail, together with other interesting themes.

Before concluding, I would like to underline once more how tools that are often wrongly considered only for an audience of consumers are on the contrary useful also in enterprises. Answering the final question on which social network he uses more frequently, McAfee says without any hesitation: “Twitter, thanks to which, when I have a question about almost anything, I just put up a ‘tweet’ about it and within half an hour I get back five or six answers.”

Going back to what we said in the previous post, here is the second part of “Do’s” about the netiquette that companies will have to follow regarding social media:

• Have a well-defined role and image

We underline again the importance of the role of the expert and of how to influence people, about which we have already spoken. Besides working hard to extend your acquaintances and connections, in order to reach these two objectives you must create a solid image of yourself. Being an expert means being specialized in only one subject, and not improvising as a know-it-all or opinion-maker with scarce bases on a range of themes whose root you do not know in detail. It is in this way that users or potential customers will recognize in you some know-how and will trust what you say, adding you to their network and following your updates. Be careful thus not to change your personality in other social networks where there could be an overlapping of users who, seeing you act a different role, would immediately lose their good opinion about you, which would end up in a fall of your credibility.

• Create real connections

Most people who use social media are there to make connections with people that they find really interesting, enjoyable, entertaining, … Thus, avoid going too quick and adding to your contacts only influencers with a plethora of followers. Remember to start from the bottom, create your own identity first, distinguish yourselves. It is likely that, at this point, these central characters you aim at being in contact with will be the ones who look for you. But should this not happen, come forward only when you are ready, or at least use well a part of the key contacts with the consumers who will not be significant to give you visibility as individuals, but on the whole, when they recognize in you a leader and also a sincere friend, will reward you with a single, sonorous unanimous voice.

• Be active

Being active on social media doesn’t mean simply bombarding the net with posts, tweets or status changes. Exactly as you do in real life when you cultivate a friendship, the same thing will have to happen here. Be reactive to the answers that are addressed to you, to the messages you are sent, to those who add you in their RSSs, to the people who join your group on Facebook, etc. Use one of the many tools offered by web 2.0 to keep track of all these precious elements and try not to miss anything.
If you decide to plunge into this experience, you must do it 100%, otherwise it will only be a waste of time.

We can conclude saying that using social media for business is a great opportunity for companies to deeply get into the habits and thoughts of their consumers but, as in any other relationship, you can not only take without giving anything. Establishing a contact means sharing, creating empathy, being always there. Summing up, for the first time after a year-long tradition, you will have the possibility to make your brand human. Take the opportunity.

In a recent post in Mashable, Sarah Evans (author of PR and social media blog) synthesizes a sort of guide on what companies must and must not do when they decide to take part in social media. As the company’s worker in charge will necessarily be one (or more) person, it is useless to try and be impersonal at all costs, particularly when you are entering an environment aimed at socializing.

Commenting what has been suggested and basing on this principle, in this and in the next post we will see what rules can be useful to companies when they want to create their own identity on the net.
Let us start with some guidelines:

• Always be sincere and authentic

Feigning a part in which everything is always alright, besides being tiresome, is not a good way to get into contact with people. Appearing more human, showing that you can have bad days and that you are not perfect is in fact a way to connect to other people and, consequently, to create a link between them and your business.

• Carefully choose your avatar

According to what you want to convey, it will be important to choose an avatar which represents the company (as the logo, for instance) or the people who work in it (as the smiling, friendly face of the president).

• Post constructive messages in order to strengthen your image

Let us remember that everything which is written on social media, even if it disappears from their homepage, stays on the net for quite a long time. It is important to always keep in mind that what you write could be re-read in a totally different context and months later, influencing the idea that customers have of your brand. It is thus fundamental to share elements, write messages, make comments that are always consistent with the company itself. It is the connection of all these elements (but also the single extrapolation of one or more of them) which influences people and create an image of your brand. Make it solid and unmistakable.

(Continued in the next post)