Sequence Consulting Think Tank

6 Social Media Trends for ’10

Jannson — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:42:24 +0000

Writing for the Harvard Business Review’s blog, David Armano discusses six social media trends that he sees for 2010. One that we are already seeing in 2009 is #4: Your company will have a social media policy (and it might actually be enforced). It will also be interesting to see how some of the new networks like foursquare fare in 2010.

What are some social media trends for 2010 that you predict in your field?

Posted in Neccessary Reading

Google Forces the Issue: Social Media No Longer Optional

Jannson — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:10:57 +0000

Shel Holtz makes a convincing argument about why, thanks to Google, social media is no longer optional for any organization. The reason: Google’s incorporation of real-time updates into search engine results.

Real-time search is certainly a major development that we will discuss in depth in 2010 as it progresses and matures, but this post is a must-read to understand the basics of why it is such a big deal.

Posted in News

Do Fortune 100 Companies Need A “Twittervention”?

Jannson — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Now more than ever, Twitter can be a positive marketing tool for business of all types and sizes – even Fortune 100 firms. This study by PR firm Weber Shandwickdescribes how how many of these large firms need a “Twittervention”, and in doing so provides a great starting point for anyone looking to use Twitter to further their business.

Does your firm utilize Twitter? If so, how do your processes compare to what was described in this study?

View this document on Scribd

Posted in Neccessary Reading

The Promise of “Self-Segmentation”

Jannson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:31:52 +0000

Unhappy with the performance of your current CRM for customer segmentation? You may want to look online – specifically to social networks and online communities – states Nick Wreden of strategy + business. The self-segmenting nature of social networks and online communities provides a tremendous amount of potential, and Wreden even provides three ways that we can leverage Web 2.0: by engaging with social networks, tracking communications behavior, and providing outlets for mass customization.

That’s the easy part. The hard part, of course, is making this fit with your organization.

That being said, has your organization integrated social networks and online communities into your marketing plans? If so, what successes have you seen? If not, what is holding you back?

Posted in Neccessary Reading

7 Deadly Mistakes in Selling Social Media

Jannson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:31:30 +0000

This practical, easy-to-digest article by Amber Naslund not only defines 7 deadly mistakes in selling social media to the executive or senior-level, but also gives advice for how to avoid these mistakes in a “Don’t do this; instead do this” kind of format. This article provides great snippets of advice for selling social media to the C-Suite and would be a great start for anyone looking to do their social media “homework”. Among the mistakes: “Speaking in Tongues”, “Lacking a Blueprint”, and “Greenwashing”.

What are some of the biggest hurdles that you would foresee in selling social media to your own executive or senior level people?

Posted in Sequence Insight

Managing Beyond Web 2.0

Jannson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:43:58 +0000

This “conversation starter” essay by Donna Hoffman of McKinsey Quarterly features the LEAD (listen, experiment, apply, develop) Model as a way to “create a road map that will help companies thrive in the online world’s environment of constant change”.

With technology and the online world changing at such a fast rate, how will you prepare for Web 3.0?

View this document on Scribd

Posted in Neccessary Reading

Measuring Your Way to Market Insight

Jannson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:11:48 +0000

This article from strategy + business does a great job of “demystifying analytics” in a straightforward and logical way. Interestingly enough, the authors point to an ongoing study identifying consumer insights as one of two most important capabilities for marketers to develop, meaning that additional attention will be paid to the value of social media now and in the future.

Measuring Your Way to Market Insight

Posted in Neccessary Reading

Social Media Integration Fuels Whole Foods Boycotters

Jannson — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:39:42 +0000

This article describes just how powerful social media can be with regards to grassroots engagement, this time regarding Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s stance on healthcare reform. While this hot-button issue has generated a lot of interest on both sides, the author does point out one thing everyone can agree on: neither side would have been able to rally the support they have without social media tools.

Posted in News

Boomers Want Better Social Content

Jannson — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:16:03 +0000

Interesting report: Boomers are the fastest growing group on the web but still do not feel that what they get — content, ads, and especially social media – is geared for them. The reason is different content needs. The question is how will content providers and advertiser respond?

Posted in Neccessary Reading

Be Stubborn With Your Social Media Vision, But Flexible With Your Plan

Jannson — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:30:47 +0000

This interesting read by Erik Qualman discusses not only the need for social media in any marketing (or engagement) plan, but the need to be flexible with it as well. The examples he provides are easy to understand and the use of his “marathon” analogy provides some simple, yet valuable, clarity.

In the end, social media is here to stay…creating the right mix for the right crowd – quite frequently – is the challenging part.

Posted in Odds and Ends