Dell has undergone a journey to becoming a social business over the past decade. Key events included launching communities like IdeaStorm (2006) and EmployeeStorm (2007) to engage customers and employees. Dell joined social media platforms like Twitter (2008). The company organized into customer-focused business units (2009) and launched initiatives like the Social Media Listening Command Center (2010) to better understand and respond to customers online. Dell has received several awards recognizing its leadership in social media and innovation.

1. Dell’s journey to becoming a
social business
Cory Edwards, Director of Social Media & Corporate Reputation
Twitter: @coryedwards
Global Marketing

2. Today’s Dell
Our Purpose
 Delivering technology solutions that enable
people everywhere to grow and thrive
We make technology that works in service of our customers
 We make the complex simple
 We make the powerful easy to use
 We drive out inefficiency
 We deliver superior long-term value
We give customers
the power to do more
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3. By the Numbers
$56.9 billion 95% 180
total revenues Fortune 500 countries
107,000 10 million $5.2 billion
small business revenue in China
employees customers
$1.6 billion
No. 4 2 billion revenue in India
pc manufacturer customer
conversations/yr.
$1.8 billion
No. 1 120,000+ revenue in Brazil
server provider systems
shipped/day 60,000
No. 1 retail locations
Healthcare services
3

4. Market Dynamics
Converged Connected Data Emerging
Data Center Cloud
Devices Explosion Markets
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5. More than 7 years of social media experience
February 2006 March 2008 June 2009 Dell
Michael Dell asked February 2007 Accepted Solutions Global Twitter named
Why don’t we reach out and help revenues of Altimeter
IdeaStorm launched launched on Community recognized Dell the No.
bloggers with tech support issues? $6.5 M
A voting based site allowing Dell France begins Online
with “Open 1 most
customers and others to Community Outreach
submit ideas for Dell. May 2008 Leadership Award social
Dell Outlet achieved for Innovation and brand
Execution”
October 2007 $0.5M in sales via Twitter
Michael Dell quoted in Business March
Week 2010
December 2006 In response to Jeff Jarvis question around
Dell
Ratings and whether companies want to be part of the
online conversation: ”My argument is you joins
reviews launched January 2009
absolutely do. You can learn from them. You Sina
on Dell.com can improve your reaction time. And you can Dell Organizes
June 2009 Weibo
be a better company by listening and being into four
involved in that conversation.” $2M+ Sales in December 2010
customer
via Twitter China Social Media
focused Listening
business units Command
Center launched
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
July 2006
Direct2Dell launched June 2007 2009 Social Media &
Today Direct2Dell exists in Dell joined Twitter June 2008 Dell TechCenter Community
English, Spanish, Norwegian,
Channel University (SMaC U)
Japanese and Chinese. EmployeeStorm
blog Spring 2009 launched
launched January 5,000 team 6 Awards for the
launched Members of December
Internal Blogs Launched 2008 members trained by Social Media Listening
for Employees. Community 2009
Dell aligns end of year Command Center
and Huffington
organization
Conversations Post Blog
January 2007 for success
StudioDell launched deployed B2B pages on
November 2007 within each of
Dell’s video and podcast site, with Facebook
helpful tips and tricks. Eventually DellShares the new Dell
August 2006 expanding this into the YouTube launched Business units
Blog outreach channel making sharing easier. The first investor April 2008
expanded beyond
relations blog by a Inside IT launched
public company. Blog focused on business June 2010
tech Support customers, and Cloud CAP Days launched
Computing. In-person events for vocal
online customers
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6. Success today…but it wasn’t always so rosy
Recent Dell Awards Awards for Dell Customers
Red Cross co-won the 2012 Clemson University won
Dell’s was recognized for In late 2012, Dell was Dell received a 2013 Digital PR Team of the Year the 2012 Innovation in
Best Use of LinkedIn by awarded an ITSMA Marketing Silver Award from The from the PR News Digital PR Education Award at the
BtoB Magazine’s 2013 Excellence Award for Learning Awards for Awards for their social media InnoVision Technology
Social Media Marketing Generating / Nurturing Social Media for Awards for their Social
humanitarian and digital
Awards. Leads and Marketing with Learning – Program of fundraising efforts. Media Listening Center.
Social and Interactive Media. the Year.
Past Dell Awards Dell’s social leadership cited
in more than 60 books
In 2011, Dell Dell’s Social Media In 2011, Dell’s Social Dell Social Media and
was awarded Listening Media Listening Community was
the No. 1 Social Command Center Command Center recognized by the
Brand on the won the 2011 was presented with Society for new
Social Brands Innovation Communications
the Forrester
100 List. Research for the 2011
Award from Cebit Groundswell Award Best Social CRM
Australia. Strategy.
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7. “The social web
amplifies our
opportunity to listen
and learn and invest
ourselves in two-way
dialogue, enabling us
to become a better
company with more
to offer the people
who depend on us.”
– Michael Dell
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8. Do your
favorite
businesses
listen to
you?
8 Confidential Global Marketing

9. Understanding is the new listening
Does your organization have a handle on the hundreds or
thousands of conversations about it each day?
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10. the perfect
storm
Dell hell
Laptop fire
Battery recall
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11. Social media: Gasoline or water during a cr
11 Confidential Global Marketing

12. Dell Hell
2005 Timeline
August 16, 2005
University of
July 11, 2005 Michigan study BusinessWeek,
Dell responds Computerworld,
on Dell’s
and give Jarvis and countless
June 21, 2005 customer service other
Media consultant refund ratings publications and
& blogger Jeff blogs cover the
Jarvis chronicles ACSI scores drop experience
his significantly
experiences with
Dell products &
support
He reports every
conversation for
weeks
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13. Dell: global battery recall
2006 Timeline
August 24
August 15 Apple becomes the
Dell Comms outreach second company
to blogs reacting to to issue a battery
Dell’s recall news recall—10 days
begins after Dell
August 14 • 11 additional
Dell Mobile Exec Alex • Outreach efforts companies issued
Gruzen announces the resulted in hundreds recalls weeks and
worldwide battery recall of posts linking months later
of 4.1 million Sony customers back to
batteries in a the Dell Battery
Direct2Dell post timed Recall site and the
July 13 with the press release Battery Recall
section
Lionel Post got 90,000 views, of Direct2Dell that
Menchaca initial media reaction centralized all the
blogs was negative battery recall-
about the related posts
Flaming
Notebook
in Osaka
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14. Dell laptop explodes in flames
Our fabric
• June 21, 2006
is changing
– A Dell laptop suddenly bursts into flames at a conference in Japan
– Gizmodo, Engadget other report and share pictures
– During the next few days other reports (many false) surface
– Didn’t matter that we had recalled them
– No one seemed to report that Apple & Dell both had these batteries
• But this time we responded differently
– Leveraged the web and social media
– Relied heavily on customers to help us better understand the situation
– Set up a site focused on this and blogged extensively about how it happened
(blow by blow) and what to do.
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15. Listening to
become a
better business
Listening to become a better business
15 Confidential Global Marketing

16. From monitoring to listening to understanding
Understanding is Listening 2.0
2007: 4000 posts per day about Dell
2013: 25,000 posts per day about Dell…in English
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17. Customers in
need are critical
opportunities
Social Media
gives them voice
& for your 41% Demoter to Promoter
business… Conversion
opportunities
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18. Social Reputation Management
Emotional 1 Financial Products Workplace
Leadership
Confidential CSR
Appeal 8 Perform. and Services Environ.
Social media impact across all drivers
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19. Early warning system for hot issues
SUMMARYWhen Dell's Black Friday deals went live,
the key deal from Dell's offerings (the
$299 Inspiron) did not appear on the
COMMENT TWITTER Black Friday page and wasn't listed on the
TIMEFRAME POSTS holiday laptop sales when they went live.
S REACH
Customers had to go to the PC
256 32 doorbusters page. Within minutes of the
From 11/22/2012 to 62,819 sales going live, Dell.com went down and
1.2% of 2.1% of
11/23/2012 <1% of total customers were left seeing 'server down'
total total pages. Customers have been lighting up
Dell online with extremely negative
mentions.​
SAMPLES “@Dell very big fail on Black Friday sale
servers down 14 z no chance of buying it
no chat available FAIL”
@famousmormons
“RT @buffyjhamilton Well, so far my
online "doorbusters" of the last 24 hours
with @Macys and @Dell have been a big
fat fail. #customernoservice #sadface”
@buffyjhamilton
“what a horrible dell site today. The server
was unavailable to purchase the laptop.
what shame??” Raji Nalam on Facebook
“RT @kkozlen : Trying to get the @Dell
14z but their site Marketingmuch down.
Global
is pretty
#DellDisaster” @kkozlen
“Come on Dell get your site working. All

20. 20 Confidential Global Marketing

21. Customers and
businesses are in
this together…
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22. … and employees are your
company’s rock stars
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23. Social Media &
Community University
Principles
Policy
Governance
Training, Certification &
Tools
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24. Creative
approaches to
enhancing your
online reputation
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25. Building an Online Influencer Relations Program
1. Influencer identification
2. Map target influencers to a continuum
3. Identify & enable your SMEs to engage online (alerts)
4. Create campaigns or programs that aim to move influencers
through each phase
– Online relationships only go so far…
5. Benchmark progress
EMOTIONAL
AWARENESS CREDIBILITY LOYALTY ADVOCACY
CONNECTION
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26. Mapping programs to influencer progression
Rockstars Program
Customer
Spotlight Events Social Think Tanks CAP Reunions
EMOTIONAL
AWARENESS CREDIBILITY LOYALTY ADVOCACY
CONNECTION
CAP Days Dell Debates Dell Insiders (Dellegates)
Influencer Days
(DAAC, etc.)
26 Confidential Global Marketing

27. Dell’s CAP Days & Social Think Tanks
Outside In Inside Out
Customer Customer Influencer Influencer
Feedback Feedback Dialogue Dialogue
Customer Customer Influencer Influencer
Feedback Feedback Dialogue Dialogue
Customers giving feedback on Dell’s business Dell facilitating topic-based discussions &
brainstorms with influencers not customers
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28. Taking online relationships off-line & in-person
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29. Growth of CAP Days & Social Think Tanks
2013: 8 Events so far
2012: 20 Events
2011: 5 Events
2010: 2 Events
29 Confidential Global Marketing

30. Creating advocates
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31. Ongoing Relationship Management
• Monthly e-mail updates to attendees / stakeholders with progress
against feedback
• Buddy-system between attendees and Dell attendees
– One-on-one communications via twitter & e-mail
– Identifying ongoing opportunities to partner (guest blogs on Direct2Dell & The
power to do more site, ongoing sharing of positive company news)
• Reunion Events
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32. Back to the beginning
32 Confidential Global Marketing

33. Thank you
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