Talk With Rhythm.

Is Social Media A Fad? Part 2: May 14, 2010

On the 1st of October last year I posted this video which gave some stats about the impact social media has had. It’s a great bit of content. Well it’s been updated and some new stats have been added.

Dear Reader, Welcome to the world of Socialnomics

Apart from what you’ll pick up from the stats, I think it’s a wonderful piece of production!

“You have to establish dialogue with customers and add value without being pushy,” April 7, 2010

I’ve just been reading this article in the Seattle Times Business & Technology section. You can find the full article by Amy Martinez here “Retailers jump on social media bandwagon with Facebook, Twitter,” I think it gives some really good examples of how businesses have engaged with social media to build relationships with customers, which in turn delivers benefits for both.

Here are some to the quotes that stood out to me.

“Savvy retailers are making sure their fans receive value in exchange for their digital vote,”

“Nordstrom began encouraging store employees to use Facebook and Twitter to talk with customers about work-related matters — everything from new handbags to holiday hours.”

“You’re not there to sell,”

“It’s not that we don’t ever do offers, because we do, but that’s kind of secondary,”

“For us, social media is about extending our lifestyle to a broader audience. We’re not so driven by the need to monetize it.”

“You can’t just set up a Facebook page and that’s the end of it, you have to have someone running that page, reading comments, responding to questions and making sure you’re promoting the growth of that group.”

And what can customers expect to see & experience on businesses social media sites? here are a couple of examples.

• Costco Rotisserie Chicken
• Mighty O Donuts
• Starbucks

It’s not always good news with a podcast. November 1, 2009

There can be an assumption that podcasting is used only as a positive communication tool to promote, sell and endorse. This news story in the irishtimes.com suggests that the Anglo Irish Bank are to announce job cuts via a podcast.

The Headline reads: Redundancy package podcast unlikely to sound appealing

CANTILLON: INSIDE THE WORLD OF BUSINESS: STAFF AT Anglo Irish Bank are expected to get details next week of the job cuts and associated redundancy package currently being negotiated between the bank’s management and the Department of Finance.

Anglo Irish Bank

Rumour has it that chief executive Mike Aynsley will break the news via a podcast to all staff. It’s all very high tech but will not disguise the fact that the bank is expected to shed anywhere between 200 and 500 jobs in a package targeted at staff with short service.

The terms are said to be something in the region of five weeks salary per year in respect of the first two years and then two weeks salary for every year after that.

Presumably it will appeal to younger staff who might be thinking of emigrating or changing career.

It will be interesting to see if it proves tempting for any of the senior management, whose close associations with the previous regime, are causing some discomfort to both the bank itself and also its new owner, the Minister for Finance.

Redundancy payments – generous as they might be – are unlikely, however, to make much of a dent in the debts owed to the bank by some of its top management cadre.

Pat Whelan, the head of the bank’s Irish business, had a loan of about €5 million when it was taken over by the State, while his salary was €650,000.

The executive in charge of Anglo’s UK business, Declan Quilligan, had a loan of about €3.3 million, compared to a salary of €770,000. Anglo’s director of group finance, Matt Moran, had loans of about €2 million while the head of Anglo’s US business, Tony Campbell, had a loan in the region of €5 million. Their salaries are not known.

The bank’s best chance of ensuring this money is repaid may yet be to keep on paying their salaries.

 

 

 

 

Shush. Library embraces social media. October 8, 2009

This is great. I don’t think it’s the first library to realise the potential of Social Media.  Librarians making some noise about how they connect with their customers.

The article is from resourceshelf.com

Library embraces social media

In Canada Government Librarians Utilize Social Media to Stay Relevant
From the Article:

Here’s a Text Summary:

Far from the stereotypical image of a stodgy old librarian shushing those who rustle book pages too loudly, librarians in Ontario’s public service are embracing new media to keep their clients up to date.

Whether it’s Twitter, RSS feeds, podcasting or social bookmarking services, librarians are recognizing that information comes from more multiple sources these days. From politicians to firefighters, government workers are turning to new media for the news that matters to them and librarians are keeping pace with Web portals that deliver social media mash-ups.

Martha Murphy is the librarian for the Office of the Fire Marshall. She uses the office’s Web site “Fire News” to push out news information about the ministry, and a subscription-based e-mail newsletter. She is able to automate much of that news gathering with the help of RSS.

Source: itbusiness.ca

Question: How can social media help you stay relevant and connect with your customers?

Do you still think Social Media a fad? October 1, 2009

Any person or company that thinks social media is a fad which has no part to play in their business success should see this video.

If you think social media is a fad, you might as well pack up now.