I do love a review of social media. It reminds me of how far we’ve come and maybe gives an inkling of where we might go. It can also provide a guide by which you can assess, review and benchmark your clients and their activities. BUT. And with social media there is always a BUT.
For the vast majority of those who work in social media roles, or who work in social media with their clients, reports such as the Percolate State of Social Media 2015 are more practical than you might expect. For they provide a roadmap to future business capability.
That’s not a benchmark, it’s a roadmap
[Tweet “That’s not a benchmark, it’s a roadmap. Time for social to become business #socbiz”]
Every second on the internet, masses of content is being produced. Around 2500 Instagram photos are uploaded, almost 10,000 tweets are sent, 2000 Tumblr posts are published, 1800 Skype calls are made and 50,000 Google searches are conducted. It’s mind blowing. But it’s not useful.
What IS useful is thinking through the implications of this:
- Media is being produced by individuals not just by media companies
- Content is curated, shared and distributed entirely through digital channels
- “Phone” calls are making the phone obsolete
- Knowledge is sought on demand.
Looking deeper, we see not the symptoms of these technologies but the behaviours which underlie them.
- We prize creation over consumption
- We value networks over channels
- We crave connection over function
- We seek satisfaction over perfection
If we take a similar approach to the headlines from the Percolate report, interesting opportunities appear:
- Social media moves beyond social – we need to build “social media” capacity within our organisations in preparation
- Customer service shifts to experience – customer service is no longer back office, but front of house. Time to prepare our teams as ambassadors rather than problem solvers
- Crisis management hits the risk radar – have you developed a crisis plan? Now is the time
- Social business is everyone’s business – similar to the first point above. But think about social media not as a marketing function but as a core business capability. This is where the digital rubber meets the transformation road.
Social becomes business
The fundamental shift that is recognised in the report is not the NEED for social media, but the need for SOCIAL BUSINESS. As social impacts all aspects of your business from the boardroom to the reception desk, the need for an organisational wide strategy and enablement program becomes paramount.
How can this be done programmatically – and (despite the name of this blog) without chaos?
The answer lies in becoming a responsive organisation. Using agile methodologies applied to business functions and outcomes. It means disrupting yourself before you are disrupted. Now is the time when social becomes business.