harnessing the power of social business

These are slides from a presentation I made (via Skype) at an Association Conference in Australia in July 2013.

social business

definitioninevitable

2 tipsI cover three things in this talk: (1) the definition of social business; (2) why social business is inevitable (and yes, I recognize that’s a strong word); and (3) 2 tips for moving forward more effectively into the world of social business.

applying social software and tools (and the ideas behind them) to the way

we lead, manage, and run our organizations.

social business

This is my definition of what it means to be a social business.

social business

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35034347371@N01/54381130

Unfortunately, this seems to be what most organizations THINKS it means: use those tools to broadcast your marketing messages.

applying social software and tools (and the ideas behind them) to the way

we lead, manage, and run our organizations.

social business

Look carefully at the definition. Yes, it is about applying social tools…

applying social software and tools (and the ideas behind them) to the way

we lead, manage, and run our organizations.

social business

But it’s also about understanding WHY those tools became successful in the first place. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn succeeded NOT because they were perfect broadcast mechanisms, but because they helped people connect, build relationships, learn, collaborate, and share. Social Media grew because it tapped into what makes us human. We have to remember that when we use these tools in a social business.

applying social software and tools (and the ideas behind them) to the way

we lead, manage, and run our organizations.

social business

And also remember that we’re not just applying this to our marketing efforts. How do we apply social tools to our human resources, to our organizational structure, to our culture? If social is not connecting to all parts of your business, then it’s not a social business.

And yes, Social Business is inevitable. And there’s good data to back it up. Check out the MIT/Deloitte study of thousands of business leaders across the globe. The value of social business is “clearly emerging.”

71%70% 71 %

Textof CEOs felt social business

will be important to their organization in 3 years

70%of CIOs

71% of CEOs felt social business will be important to their organization in 3 years. 70% of CIOs felt the same way. Remember, this is the C-suite, who we all think is clueless about social media, but they get that it’s going to be important in 3 years. That means NOW is our window of opportunity to build a social business.

social business

1. use the

tools better

Two tips for getting started. First, start using the social tools better. They are a great way to get started, but only if you have some discipline in the way you use them. Develop a social strategy that connects to business goals. Understand what it takes to build community. Understand what content is really valuable to your stakeholders before you start spamming them via Twitter. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon. Do it well.

social business

1. use the

tools better

2. strengthen

your culture

And second, strengthen your culture. As you use the tools, you’re bound to hit roadblocks or hurdles that are culture based. In Humanize, we identified 12 elements of culture that are typically weak in organizations, but necessary for social businesses. Things like embracing decentralization and transparency, speaking the truth, doing inclusion well, truly valuing experimentation. The quicker you put these things in place, the more effective you’ll be as a social business.

www.jamienotter.comwww.humanizebook.com

questions?

Don’t be shy.