15 Key Trends & Observations for Leaders of Great Brands Bob PearsonPresident, The Social Media Business CouncilJuly 7, 2009

1) Customers are co-shaping your reputation everydayAre you accidently outsourcing the building of your brand?

2) Leaders will identify issues before they happenCustomers assume we are listening to their issues in real time

3) You Realize that Your Customer Does Not Care Where You Want Them To GoCustomers are part of their own liquid networkBecome a friend who can be trusted

4) You Know that <1% of a Customer’s Time is Spent Purchasing a Product99% of time is spent browsing and socializingYou build trust by being there when you are needed, not when you need the customer

5) E-Commerce Will Become E-CommunityReality -- <1% of time is spent buying online. 99% is spent browsing & socializingPeer Influence – 3 of 4 customers look to their peers for advice on a purchaseIntegration – why would we ask a customer to go to multiple sites? The value is…….?Convergence is led by convenience

6) You Focus on How People Consume Content & Understand How it is ChangingCustomers decide where they will learnIt is not via advertising……

7) The Media World isn’t Changing…..it ChangedMedia Outlets – 74 of top 100 outlets for Techmeme are blogs/online sitesBloggers – 3 of 4 look to each other for their next storyCustomers – 3 of 4 look to each other for purchase adviceConversations – are the driver of SOV, influence and recommendations Don’t define it as offline or online. It’s all one media world. Just know which conversations are defining your brand

8) There Isn’t a Destination for a CustomerVisiting your site is not their goal, no matter how pretty it looksWe are expected to just sort of “be there” when needed

9) Syndication of Content MattersMore than Site TrafficMicro-Communities – the social media world grows & fragments, simultaneouslyCustomer-Driven Preference – “I want what I want where I want it”. Stop “spamming me”. Participation is a Choice – if companies don’t listen, customers vote via lack of traffic and participation.What is your content syndication plan?

10) 10-20% of Your Customers Will Call You Each Year Due to a Problem80-90% will not call you despite a problemFew will call you just to catch up

11) Customers Want to Do Three Things to Help Each OtherShare ideas, share product knowledge and solve problems

12) We don’t have to measure trust internally, we live itOur employees feel free to help each other and, as a result, our companyLeverage the world’s greatest operating system – the web

13) We Judge a Person on How They Interact With UsGuess what….customers do the same thing when they shop with us online

14) We Know Preparing for Yesterday is IneffectiveOld models and habits hold back innovationWatch for “antibodies”

15) We Understand Ethical Behavior is a Key Part of Maintaining TrustWe don’t support Flogs or SplogsWe would never create a fake ad, so why a fake blog post?

We know that Leaders will enter and become relevant in conversations that occur everyday in every language all around the world in communities of importance to our customersCompanies that cling to the past may not realize it, but they will lose relevance.

Key CoordinatesThe Social Media Business Council -- www.socialmedia.orgMy personal blog -- www.csmg.usEverything else -- www.twitter.com/bobpearson1845