7. ACCORDING TO MASHABLE, WOMEN RULE THE SOCIAL WEB! Data & images sourced from www.mashable.com
8. FACEBOOK USERS ARE GETTING OLDER Largest age group 35-54 18-24 only 3 rd largest group Users over 55 up by 513% in 2009 Data & images sourced from www.mashable.com
13. "No matter how sophisticated technology gets, we're reminded daily that it's about people…” Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder and director of communications
14.
15. POPE’S MESSAGE TO PRIESTS: WE MUST BLOG “ The spread of multimedia communications and its rich ‘menu of options’ might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web, or to see it only as a space to be filled. Yet priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful witnesses to the Gospel , exercising their proper role as leaders of communities which increasingly express themselves with the different ‘voices’ provided by the digital marketplace . Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis. ” Pope Benedict XVI “ exercising their proper role as leaders of communities which increasingly express themselves with the different ‘voices’ provided by the digital marketplace.”
16. THE SUBO PHENOMENON Her first solo album became the most pre-ordered release in the history of Amazon !
17. “ THERE’S A PLANE IN THE HUDSON” News broke on Twitter 12 minutes before any major news corp
18. “ I’M STUCK IN A LIFT” Read by over 100,000 people and often said to be a major milestone in Twitter uptake
20. ASDA’S GREEN ROOM “ Trust and transparency are key to earning real customer loyalty… … My ambition for Asda is to actively involve customers in every aspect of the business, to lift the lid on how we do things, and enable our customers to help make decisions that have an impact on what we sell and how we sell it. ” Andy Bond, Asda CEO
21. MCDONALD’S STATIONM “ how can we connect all of you with one another” "It provides us the opportunity to get information to the people who are interacting with our customers day to day. And [it] provides us with a channel back to hear what's on the minds of our crew people, what they're excited about and what questions they have. We can use that information to better handle our future communications.” “ Internal blogging is a great way for employees to feel connected, not just to one another, but also to top management and ultimately the brand itself. It is a positive way for a company to build creditability among its employees by acknowledging and addresses what is happening at any given moment within the corporate community.” Ben Stringfellow, senior director of U.S. communications at McDonald's. “ stationM is…giving you a voice…connecting crew…creating a community…100% pure fun”
22. INTEL “ The face of our workforce is dramatically changing. We have the four generations here, and they’re very different in how they use technology to connect in their everyday environment. The younger generation is expecting that social media tools are available to them. They don’t know any other world; they are totally wired in multiple fashions at the same time. They expect to find this in the work environment, and if we don’t provide that for them here, they very quickly disengage and leave for other companies that are providing that robust connection.” Laurie Buczek, Intel’s social computing manager “ the younger generation is expecting that social media tools are available”
23. MY DOW NETWORK “ The closed, online community allows users to expand their professional networks, renew old friendships, stay connected with the latest Dow information, and explore new job opportunities. It also keeps Dow connected to a larger talent pool, fuels collaboration and innovation, and facilitates a diverse and inclusive work environment.” Dow press release, February 2008
36. THANK YOU Abi Signorelli Communications specialist Tel: 07590 497263 Email: [email_address] Web: www.abisignorelli.com Blog: abi-signorelli.blogspot.com Twitter: @abisignorelli
Editor's Notes
The social media phenomenon – 20 mins A little bit on how it all started and where we’re at now Share some key milestones Look at some demographics And look at how all of this is relevant for us Social media in the workplace – 30 mins Going to have a good look round some case studies Examine what the benefits are in the workplace Bit of a break – 10 mins Setting your approach – 40 mins An interactive session Chance to talk with your tables about setting your approach Aim to have a skeleton planned approach by end of session Share some examples with rest of room Making the case – 20 mins An open discussion around the room Get the opportunity to work out what steps you’ll take Share tips and tricks Getting started – 60 mins Combination of presentation and open discussion Looking at some tools and some tips
Years to reach 50 million: Radio: 38 years TV: 13 years Internet: 4 years iPod: 3 years Facebook 100 million in less than 9 months 1 billion iPod app downloads in 9 months 96% Gen Y have joined a social network 80% of Twitter usage is on mobiles – people can update anywhere, anytime Gen Y and Z consider email passé 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations Only 14% trust ads Social media isn’t a fad It’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate
There are currently four generations in the workplace – each generation defined by major historical events that took place in their lives. These shared experiences shaped their mind-sets, beliefs and behaviours Traditionalists: experienced: WWII and Cuban Missile Crisis: value stability and security Baby boomers: experienced Vietnam war, assassination of idealist leaders gt Kennedy, Martin Luthar King: value teamwork and human rights Generation X: experienced: more peaceful time, saw more women enter the workplace, unemployment rose: value empowerment, rethink common rules and demand corporate responsibility Generation Y: experienced: wide variety of random threatening events from terrorism to natural disasters, increasing alarm over long-term health of the planet: value technology, personal growth, social activism Orgs must understand the characteristics of each of the generations if they are to attract and retain the people essential to their success Orgs should use demographic information to better understand the probable preferences of their own workforce
Very comfortable with technology Grown up with laptops, cell phones and video games Never known a world without electronic payments, texting or instant messaging They want and expect everything instantly They demand convenience in information and real-time communication to satisfy their need for instant knowledge Sometimes called “digital natives” Will insist on flexibility, work-life balance, corporate social responsibility Value continuous learning Will trust people and not institutions – friends will have a strong influence on gen y They work to live rather than live to work In one survey 77% say that social aspects of work are very important to their satisfaction on the job, and 21% report leaving a job because they felt disconnected It’s imperative that companies cater for the demands of this generation – in particular as boomers will soon be retiring If people are using these tools at home, they’re ready and willing to use them at work People are doing it anyway Remember… 96% Gen Y have joined a social network Gen Y and Z consider email passé 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations Only 14% trust ads BUT IT’S NOT JUST GEN Y WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT…
Hopefully, many of you will have heard about Mashable – for me, they are my number one place for the latest facts, figures and views on social media According to the, it’s WOMEN who rule the social web Probably easier to look at this in your file than on the screen With the vast majority of SM sites, you’ll see women outnumber men – in some cases by a huge margin! And it’s just digg, where men outnumber women You’re possibly quite surprised by that fact? SO, WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT GEN Y AND WOMEN MAINLY? HMMM, NOT REALLY…
Amazingly, the largest growing age group on facebook is the over 55s – up by a staggering 513% in 2009 What you might expect to be the largest growing, the 18-24 year old age group, in fact only comes in 3 rd place With 35-54 year olds coming in 2 nd HOPEFULLY FROM THOSE SLIDES YOU’LL SEE THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER EVERYONE – IT’S NOT JUST ONE AGE GROUP, NOT JUST ONE SEX, NOT JUST ONE TYPE OF PERSON – EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC IS MASIIVELY REPRESENTED! SO, WHAT ELSE IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS PHENOMENON…?
Current environment – accelerating rates of change, the need to be more and more flexible, economic uncertainty, shorter development cycles, need for speed Being able to execute with speed and efficiency is a pre-requisite These tools are accelerating and enhancing employee innovation, engagement and performance Those using it can be confident that they have new ways to improve their business performance, create long-term capability and ultimately sustain their success Leaders should seize the opportunity to incorporate social media into their org to improve performance and build high energy teams with a positive culture Some other benefits include: Also increased organisational learning Enhanced change readiness Stronger relationships Faster decision making Employees become co-creators of organisational success rather than servants of the company Leaders who’ve engaged with social media believe it helps them to extend their personal leadership influence – of particular importance during uncertain times, rallying the troops etc
Leaders are focused on gaining and sustaining competitive advantage – they therefore need and rely on engaged and committed employees The use of social media can create an extraordinary opportunity for savvy leaders and organisations to achieve this advantage SO, WHAT ELSE IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS PHENOMENON…?
The traditional role of internal communicator is changing More and more, we’re moving from the traditional practioner – the ones that ‘do’ the comms To that of a coach Coaching leaders and managers on how to better communicate with their people Handing the baton over to them to ‘do’ the comms And, with the introduction of social comms, we’re there to enable, facilitate and guide everyone communicating with each other We’re providing the tools and the guidance to allow this natural conversation to happen
Massive technology strides have been made over the past 15-20 years Not just with the physical equipment and hardware But also with the applications and functionality available within each device – including social technology or Web 2.0 BUT, IS SOCIAL MEDIA ALL ABOUT TECHNOLOGY…?
In mine, and many so-called social media experts view, no One of THE social heros around right now, Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, fully believes “NO MATTER HOW SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY GETS, WE’RE REMINDED DAILY IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE” It’s much more about people – and how they behave, participate, connect and interact – how they use the technology, how the technology enables them to behave differently Wikipedia : Social media supports the human need for social interaction , using Internet- and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues. “ Social Media is not about technology…Social media is really about PEOPLE…Social media is about connecting with others . Technology is not the end, but rather a tool used to connect people with one another…. Social Media Business Forum, October 2009 AND THERE’S ONE PERSON WHO BRILLIANTLY DEMONSTRATED HOW TO FULLY MAXIMISE THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY TO CHANGE PEOPLE’S MINDSETS, THEIR BEHAVIOURS - AND FULLY GALVENISE SUPPORT BEHIND HIS CAMPAIGN
2008 presidential campaign included a huge swell of support from younger Americans suddenly awakened by the political landscape The swell of energy, passion and commitment from such a wide variety of voters, particularly younger ones, swayed the polls in favour of the democrats The use of social media was a key factor in generating that energy and mobilising a large community to achieve the common goal – elect Barack Obama c7 million facebook fans >2.5 million twitter followers mySpace, LinkedIn – you name it 3 million online donors = $5 million 92% in increments of less than $100 When Obama arrived at the White House, he’d gained millions of names of supporters who could be engaged almost instantly through his political social media campaign. By engaging with supporters, he was able to create that all important sense of connection – “he's talking to me, he's in my network and he's someone I feel like I know’. He provided a chance to challenge, question and connect and by acknowledging the discussions, he made it feel like everything had been read and taken on board. ANY BUSINESS LEADER OR ENTREPRENEUR WOULD LOVE TO CREATE AND HARNESS THAT KIND OF FERVOUR IMAGINE IF THIS WERE APPLIED AT WORK…..?
Someone else who’s really jumped on board the digital bandwagon – understanding the power of communication possiblities is the Pope Recently, he sent a message to his priests, insisting WE MUST BLOG! He said: “The spread of multimedia communications and its rich ‘menu of options’ might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web, or to see it only as a space to be filled. Yet priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful witnesses to the Gospel , exercising their proper role as leaders of communities which increasingly express themselves with the different ‘voices’ provided by the digital marketplace . Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis. ” Pope Benedict XVI And, it’s not just about blogging for the Pope – this will compliment his already huge presence on YouTube and Facebook – sadly, he’s not yet on twitter! BEFORE WE END THIS SESSION, IT’S ALSO WORTH TAKING A QUICK PEEK AT SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SOCIAL PHENOMENEN
Am sure you’ve all heard of Susan Boyle After appearing on last year’s Britain’s got talent, aplusk (Ashton Kutcher – aka Mr Demi Moore), tweeted about seeing the singer, and posted a link to the YouTube version This was quickly picked up by his wife, Demi, who also tweeted about it With a several million followers between them, this immediately went viral, with hundreds of thousands of people tuning in to YouTube to watch the video This video is the 2 nd (incorrect above) most viewed video of all time on YouTube with currently a total of 87million views Charlie bit my finger – again, is the number one – goodness knows why! But, there are various versions of this vid on YouTube so, combined, it is probably THE most watched, ever! And, recently annonced, her 1 st solo album became the most pre-ordered relase in the history of Amazon!! Just shows you the power and speed of Twitter
And, I’m sure many of you will remember the plane ditiching in the Hudson about this time last year? The first photo of this was posted on twitter by Janis Krums saying “there’s a plane in the Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy” This happened a full 12 minutes before any news corporation got hold of the story Again, an incredible demonstration of the power and speed of social networks
And, a little closer to home, Stephen Fry – a huge TWIT – tweeted about being stuck in a lift – within no time at all, this spread like wild-fire through re-tweeting and was read by over 100,000 people It’s often quoted as THE milestone that triggered the huge and lightening speed of Twitter uptake in the UK last year TO SUMMARISE: Yes, social media has meterioric and rapid growth over the past couple of years But, hopefully, you’ll see that it’s not just a fad – it’s a fundamental shift in how we communicate There’s no one type of person getting social – all ages, male and female, different cultures are all getting involved External factors, such as the enviornment, increase competition, chaging roles and techology, are contributing to its development What we’re seeing on the outside – the power and impact of social communication – can and will have huge benefits on the iside of organisations This next section will talk you through some examples of this
For this session, I’m going to walk you through some case studies of organisations who have made enormous progress in getting social with their employees Hopefully, during this section, I’ll be able to demonstrate some of the massive benefits of getting social with your people – in particualr in terms of: Innovation Retention Efficiency Talent Engagement One important point – THERE’S NO ONE-SIZE FITS ALL – IT MUST FIT WITH YOUR CULTURE AND OBJECTIVES – more on that later
First example has got to be one of my favourites – Asda’s Green Room “ Trust and transparency are key to earning real customer loyalty… … My ambition for Asda is to actively involve customers in every aspect of the business, to lift the lid on how we do things, and enable our customers to help make decisions that have an impact on what we sell and how we sell it. ” Andy Bond, Asda CEO They’ve done this through a whole variety of means – such as the fairly recent Your Asda which gives customers the opportunity to have their say, talk to Asda and so on And, in the interest of TOTAL trust and transparency, they’ve launched Asda’s Green Room, which is a site for employees to share stories and have their say – ALL hosted on the internet for anyone to see SHOW WELCOME CLIP SHOW LATEST NEWS – SHARESAVE, ASDA STORE LOCATOR, ANDY BOND CLIP Through rich media, they’re able to reach out to their huge employee base – giving them a place to go to connect and engage with the business
With over 15,000 McDonald’s locations across the US and Canada, they asked “how can we connect all of you with one another” They built something where employees can: Connect Participate Give feedback from the frontline Showcase new products Explore McDonald’s brand and values Celebrate successes Build community online with each other “ stationM is… … giving you a voice … connecting crew … creating a community … 100% pure fun” This is based very much around the principles of a social network – with particular focus on blogs.
Just a quick look at something Intel’s Social Computing manager talks about… “ The face of our workforce is dramatically changing. We have the four generations here, and they’re very different in how they use technology to connect in their everyday environment. The younger generation is expecting that social media tools are available to them. They don’t know any other world; they are totally wired in multiple fashions at the same time. They expect to find this in the work environment, and if we don’t provide that for them here, they very quickly disengage and leave for other companies that are providing that robust connection.” They’ve recognised the importance OF ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT through social media – in an ever increasingly competitive envirnoment, something that’s imperative
Dow launched its social network in December 07 Available to all current and past Dow employees – but particular focus on retired employees and women (found it difficult to recruit) Harness and continue to harness knowledge and experience of previous employees Help them continue to feel connected and advocates of the brand Act as referrals for future employees Building a community Harnessing and retaining knowledge Attracting and retaining talent Mentoring Advocacy The closed, online community allows users to expand their professional networks, renew old friendships, stay connected with the latest Dow information, and explore new job opportunities. It also keeps Dow connected to a larger talent pool, fuels collaboration and innovation, and facilitates a diverse and inclusive work environment.” Dow press release, February 2008
BT are pretty much veterans in the social space now having introduced social communication a good few years ago They wanted every employee to have a place of their own on the intranet Create web pages and allow others to edit them (wikis) Share photos and files Create as many blogs as they wished Connect themselves with other people in their organisation “ The fact that individuals could manage all this functionality through a single ‘portal’ was incredibly powerful and sent adoption rates through the roof.” Richard Dennison, Senior Manager Social Media, BT - Richard and others very openly share information about how they’ve done this at BT Tomorrow, you’ll be hearing a whole host more on who’s doing fabulous things with SM: Euan – often regarded as a social media guru, his keynote will talk through his experiences as well as some brilliant tips and tricks Pete Stevenson – talk to you about visual storytelling Lee Bryant – workshop this afternoon? Louise McGregor – how ING have implemented social media guidelines Helen Farrar – how Virgin Media have used SM to give employees a voice Geoff Timblick – on developing a whole host of platforms to get Vodafone people talking Ish Syed – on how they’ve used employee generated video at Aviva World
So, you’ve seen the end result of what some others have done – and some of their thoughts about what they need to do – and, of course, tomorrow you’ll here a load more This next session is going to be pretty interactive and we’re going to look at how you may want to approach things. First of all….a break ! Before we start, wanted to outline a few important points There’s no one size fits all – what others have done won’t necessarily work for you Round-table discussion – aim being for youto have a skeleton of a planned approach at the end of the session. Things to discuss: How will your social media approach fit with your internal comms strategy? How will this fit with your culture? Will you need to focus on big behavioural changes? Will there need to be a big education piece? How will it fit with your company’s objectives and priorities – and, how will it support those? What benefits will it bring? What approach will you use? Big bang, small trial? How does this fit with your external social media approach? Ask for 4 examples around the room of what they’ve found. Suggest buddying with others around the room to develop strategy/approach beyond the workshop – ideally through using social tools SOME QUICK POINTS FIRST
It’s important to think of your approach as an EVOLUTION of your exsiting comms strategy It’s important not to go off at a tangent and create something completely separate – after all, these are just more channels and techniques you can use for communication
And, it’s potentially a BIG change for your organisation – you need to consider the impact this will have and the required changes to behaviours We believe that the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory. http://www.thefuntheory.com SHOW VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw 66% more people than normal chose the stairs over the escalator
And, it’s key to align whatever you do with your culture Talk through Virgin Media example ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS 4 EXAMPLES
Every company is different and there’s no one way of making the case for introducing social media An excellent first step is to identify your key stakeholders/decision makers – ie, who do you need to convince? Ask the floor to brainstorm all the areas they may want to consider eg Leadership Team, HR, IT, security, legal, PR/external comms etc. Once establishing your stakeholders, work out how you will approach each. Examine what benefits social media will bring to each of the stakeholder groups. Brainstorm around the room for examples eg. increased productivity, cost savings, more engaged workforce, attracting talent, building a platform/environment for the next generation, innovation and collaboration Dealing with tricky customers/nay sayers – identify who these are and carefully establish why they are skeptical or even a blocker. Work on tactics to mitigate these concerns. Find allies – in particular among your key stakeholder groups – use them to help fight your corner and also keep your priorities at the top of their teams’ agendas Establish guidelines early on and use these to help convince and reassure those with concerns – provide examples of published guidelines THERE’S NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH
Talk through Vodafone example
It can be tough to decide where to start. This session will look at some ideas and some tips on how to decide where to start
BLOGGING Opportunity to reach employees with a more personal touch Useful for execs, project leaders, experts, key influencers, group reps to share their views and here what people think of them Effective learning tool: training participants can blog their analyses of a strategic problem Great way to inspire, engage and rally the troops Way of getting continuous feedback WIKIS Enable collaboration on a grand scale regardless of work location, demographics etc Opportunities to learn and discover together Great way to collect opinion and ideas Great project tool SOCIAL NETWORKING Forging bonds and sharing Connecting with people with common interests and objectives Unexpected reach – pyramid effect No hierarchy – people come out of the woodwork Personal and professional – adds the human touch Communities of practice Tapping network previously unavailable Cuts across boundaries and flattens orgs Horizontal and lateral communication Project work, succession planning, talent management, knowledge management If everyone shared critical info – imagine what you could find eg core skills, interests, experience, contacts Aligns and galvanises the workforce Helps to become an authentic listening organisation Creates true two-way conversation Everyone can connect – remote / dispersed workers connect with people they’d never normally meet Water-cooler / cigarette break moments not confined to a single office Opportunities to share ideas and best practices wherever, whenever Fantastic way of building relationships – with anyone – on a professional and personal level Everyone has an outlet to express their opinion Non hierarchical - allows comms to flow from the top to bottom, bottom to top and side to side Leaders become more accessible and authentic – they become human beings DISCUSSION FORUMS Quick, just-in-time meaningful exchange about a question, suggestion, recommendation or rating Great way to find answers to common questions (eg apple forums) Seek empathy and answers and colleagues are eager to help – no matter where they are Searchable answers Helps reduce the load for helpdesks – good for trouble-shooting Good for groups and communities Kindred spirit Feel part of a single, larger community See conversations unfold through threads Great for building on ideas Good for questioning leadership Conversation MICROBLOGS Share resources Get to know people wherever in bite sized chunks – loss of face time these days Build relationships between virtual teams Learn what makes others tick Wherever, whenever, whatever Flashes of brilliance Insight PODCASTS Downloadable whenever – download on the go Great for global orgs with dispersed base across different timezones Can listen in downtime – while travelling etc Subscribable Hearing a voice is very powerful WEB CONFERENCING Poll people, get instant results Virtual team meetins See whites of their eyes Share documents and presentations real-time discussions Removes need for expensive vid conferencing facilitie TAGGING AND RSS Brilliant filing system Great for searching Let customised news come to you
Share the vision and begin the conversation – show why and how it will benefit the org Be dogged in people using the tools – ample training, follow up, hold them accountable, Repeat comms – have a mantra – it’s on the wiki etc Make it fun to explore and adopt Be patient and willing for things to be messy for a while - learn and build as you go Identify a gardener Be tenacious with leadership commitment There’s no one way to do it – all hands on deck or phased approach or bottom up (pioneering, exploring and leveraging) Get intelligence – info about your env and your org, infr, demog, abilities. Demog profile, soc media comfort levels, readiness Clarify objectives – don’t rush in and align (but good to experiment) Design strategies – combine the above and develop plan on how Implement the plan – take advantage of existing processes and systems Measure impact Leverage learning
Social media isn’t for everyone Companies don’t do it, people do If you come at it from a command and control, risk averse mentality then it will die very quickly These conversations are happening anyway IT is the single biggest block to getting social media going Corporate systems are like Milton Keynes Allow everyone to talk The worst thing you can do is ban sites like Facebook Create the debate Experiment “ You have to trust the users to make the best use of it. Sometimes it’s a bit like letting children fall so that they realise themselves that it hurts.”